We need to talk about Jessica Rabbit. Why? Because Who Framed Roger Rabbit is an amazing movie and because Jessica is the most underrated character in the world and it’s tragically ironic, especially when you consider what her character is supposed to represent.
It’s no secret that Jessica is sexy. Her bust-waist-leg proportions are worse than Barbie’s! But that’s the point. Jessica was supposed to be proof that some animators completely exaggerated certain body parts when drawing cartoon women.
But as the movie goes on, Jessica actually shows the struggle that she has to face.
“You don’t know how hard it is being a woman looking the way I do.”
I mean, Jessica has to stow weapons in her bra due to the amount of times that guys have tried to fondle her. She was forced to dance, sing, and play patty-cake with Acme. People always repost her quote, “I’m not bad. I’m just drawn that way.”
But very few people seem to know what that means. Jessica was drawn, most likely by a sexist man, to be sexy and act naughty.
But here’s the best part: Jessica doesn’t want any of that.
She just wants to be with her husband, Roger. Roger. Out of every Toon in Toontown, Jessica falls in love with Roger. Why? Because he makes her laugh. Because whereas everyone else saw her as being a sex symbol, he saw her for her personality.
He unconditionally loved her and she unconditionally loved him. And she was ready to do anything for him. She danced, she sang, she played patty-cake, all because they threatened to kill him.
Long story short, she’s an amazing character because she has a great personality, undying love for her husband, and the ability to fight when the time comes. (She used a fryign pan to bash a Toon’s head in long before Rapunzel!) She is, in short, amazing.
And do you know what the ironic part is? Go into the Jessica Rabbit tag. ¾ of the tag is explicit drawings and photoshops. Most people don’t respect her character and instead see her as simply a sex symbol … which is completely ironic because her entire plotline was about how nobody respected her and saw her as a sex symbol! Even though she was so much more than that! Do you see where I’m going with this?
Jessica is an amazing character and she tells the story of real problems women have. People don’t like her. Men love the way she looks without paying attention to who she is.
Women hate the way she looks without paying attention to who she is. Remember Dolores’ response to seeing her. If she had seen him with a startled face, pants on the floor, with a ugly girl talking to him Dolores would be confused and angry but seeing Jessica she lost it. There was no way that could be an accident because Jessica looks the way she does.
People think that looking like her would be a blessing. You’d get dates and look sexy in anything. Her troubles should be noted because they’re true of real girls. “Attractive” girls get treated like sluts. They get cat called when wearing a baggy t-shirt and sport shorts.
Sexy is not always fun. Sexy is fun when you chose to look that way.
"I’m not bad, slutty, or a tease. I was just built this way."