How Ron Stoppable Subverts Tropes

Y’all remember Kim Possible,

For anyone who isn’t a Millennial, Kim Possible was a Disney Channel show that aired in the mid 2000s, featuring a kick ass cheerleader and her crime fighting sidekick Ron Stoppable. They went on countless adventures, saving the day from one over the top villain after another.

I remember vividly watching the show and loving Kim but hating Ron. I disliked how cowardly he was, always running away. I hated that he could never stand up for himself, and I hated that he wasn’t very useful. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized Ron was actually meant to subvert the classic trope of the man saving the woman. Ron is the damsel in distress, constantly needing to be rescued because of his incompetence. And god, is he incompetent.

Later in the series, Ron gets mystical monkey powers that conveniently kick in whenever the plot needs him to snag some McGuffin and save Japan. (I’ll be honest: I’m too lazy to look up the exact story line. That’s not the point of this blog anyway.) What is important is what Ron Stoppable says about masculinity.

For the uninitiated, Ron is a “geek.” He’s not smart, strong, or even particularly clever. He’s really only good at a couple of things running away, being unintentionally funny, and charming just enough that some girls at school have crushes on him. By the end of the series, he even ends up dating Kim.

But here’s what I really want to highlight: Ron never makes Kim feel weird for being the strong one in the relationship. Other people in his life mock him for always being saved by a girl, but Ron doesn’t let that bother him. In fact, he clearly admires Kim and looks up to her as the hard carry of the duo. What’s nice is that even Kim acknowledges she needs him too. In his own way, he contributes and is an important part of the team even if Drakken never remembers his name. 

I want to write stories with guys like Ron and girls like Kim, exploring dynamics we don’t usually see in movies or TV. I like playing with unconventional relationships and subverting expectations where it makes sense. My ultimate goal with my writing isn’t just to inspire people of any gender, but specifically to help men evolve to push away toxic masculinity and embrace healthier ways of being.

If you’ve read my blog before, you might’ve noticed I often talk about men and manhood. That’s because in America, people place so much weight on gender and what you’re “supposed” to be based on how you were born. It’s often traumatic, because too many people never realize they can blur those lines or redefine what being a man or a woman really means. Back in college, it was my gay friends who first showed me that. 

And one last note I’m sorry I haven’t been posting. I’ve been busy with work, but that’s dried up. I actually just lost my job, so… yeah. I’ll be posting again. Regardless of whether I get hired soon, I want to get back to blogging and drawing, and really chase my dreams. At the same time, I need to balance creating content with actually updating the site.

The good news? I have a new update coming that should make content creation easier for me and speed up load times for you. The website will look slightly different, but still familiar. Thanks for being patient with me. :)