Truth about Rita Skeeter

[pandora315]

So, let me get this straight. You're saying that needing to be in disguise wouldn't fit in with the Harry Potter series? Alright then, if you say so, but I think the two of us must be reading different books then.

Secondly I never said I really thought she was a man, I said its a possibility that something to that effect may be the case because of all the strange emphasis put on her man like features and behaviors. My man argument has been that all the responses I've receieved as to why she's described as manlike are even more far fetched than her being a man in the first place. Basically I'm saying that as far as the structure of the book and the characters, the arguments that people have written in response just don't hold up.

[Reverie Revenge]

I dont' think referrence to sexes has sth. to do with evilness.
I think it wants morelikely to show Rita's flair for career, which is male domain

Rita is always portrayed unpleasant person (but I still like her articles, sooo funny ). Of course Rita is immoral, greedy for a good story, her philosophy pretty machiavellian ... but not purely evil.

We have other evil women, Narcissa (Vella-like delicate - not black on white in the books but I think Lucius' wife must be evil!) and Bella (tough but not masculine, mind you, she's still femme fatale!) and Scumbridge, who's got no male features but also no attractive female features ...

Mundungus dresses up as a woman though he's got no feminine features at all, I think he must look like an old neglected drunk ...

Evilness can hide behind the face I often shock ppl with my sneaky comments b/c they think a delicate, innocent-looking girl can't have serpent's tongue

[Athena Appleton]

I dont' think referrence to sexes has sth. to do with evilness.
I think it wants morelikely to show Rita's flair for career, which is male domain

ehhh... I don't think so. Being career-driven is one thing. Being a lying, two-face jerk is another. Besides, yeah, maybe fifty years ago manly features might have symbolized a draw towards career, but I don't think that's the case now. There are only a few other career-type women in the books, but none of them are described as having manly features. Amelia Bones is fairly high up in the Ministry. Hermione, when she graduates from Hogwarts, will almost certainly be very driven by her career, but she's not considered manly (even though she isn't considered "pretty" so to speak, although she did get those teeth fixed, which seem to have made a noticeable difference.)

Rita is always portrayed unpleasant person (but I still like her articles, sooo funny ). Of course Rita is immoral, greedy for a good story, her philosophy pretty machiavellian ... but not purely evil.

Okay, well maybe "evil" isn't the right word, but she certainly ain't all rosebuds and lilac blossoms. If you read about someone described as "sweet" "delicate" or "soft", usually the subconcious impression of them is that they are "good". If you read of a woman's "thick fingers" and other manly features, you're less likely to associate that woman with the gentler s*x.

We have other evil women, Narcissa (Vella-like delicate - not black on white in the books but I think Lucius' wife must be evil!) and Bella (tough but not masculine, mind you, she's still femme fatale!) and Scumbridge, who's got no male features but also no attractive female features ...

Mundungus dresses up as a woman though he's got no feminine features at all, I think he must look like an old neglected drunk ...

obkay... With Rita Skeeter, I think the reason the use of manly features was employed was because at that point we knew pretty much nothing about her, so it was our first impression. With Narcissa, our first clue about her is that she's married to Lucius Malfoy and Draco Malfoy's mother, and apparently she doesn't hate her son (wanted him to go to Hogwarts instead of Durmstrang). With Bella, the first thing we find out about her is that she happily tortured Neville's parents into insanity. She obviously doesn't need any subtle hints at making her seem not good, pure and sweet. With Umbridge, well, she's horrible right from the first, too, and Rowling does use the same sort of thing she did with Skeeter: she describes Umbridge as looking like a toad. Even worse than the man-woman.

You make it sound like Mundungus Fletcher is a drag queen. He was on duty, in disguise, and apparently it worked out quite nicely. Besides, Dung hardly qualifies as a standard for the typical anything.