How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Today the girl was wearing a giant man's shirt with seashells all over it. The collar must have been really big, like disco-big, because she'd cut it, and it was fraying. She had a man's necktie wrapped around her ponytail like a big polyester ribbon. She looked ridiculous. (7.6)
Eleanor doesn't just wear men's shirts—she wears ties, too. Except she takes the idea of wearing a tie and flips it upside down. So we've got a girl wearing a men's tie, but using it as a ponytail ribbon. Yep, those traditional gender roles are looking a little scrambled.
Quote #2
"The X-Men aren't sexist," he said, shaking his head. "They're a metaphor for acceptance; they've sworn to protect a world that hates and fears them."
"Yeah," she said, "but—"
"There's no but," he said, laughing.
"But," Eleanor insisted, "the girls are all so stereotypically girly and passive. Half of them just think really hard. Like that's their superpower, thinking. And Shadowcat's power is even worse—she disappears." (14.49-52)
We love how Eleanor thinks about the women in comic books: Even though there are heroines in these comics, Eleanor points out that their powers are very stereotypical.
Quote #3
When Tina liked Park instead of Steve in grade school, Steve had said, "I think she feels safe with you because you're like half-girl." Park hated football. He cried when his dad took him pheasant hunting […] And he kind of wanted his mom to give him blond highlights. Park knew he was different. (19.161)
Here are a few great reasons why Park feels different from a stereotypical guy. Imagine growing up with Park's dad and hating hunting and football—we get why Park doesn't think his dad understands him.