Why Miss Piggy Is A Feminist Character

The Muppets have transitioned seamlessly into 2015, and they are now more culturally relevant than ever before. This is in part due to ABC's undeniably compelling marketing strategy, and the fact that the new Muppets show on ABC has grappled with issues that might seem unexpected for a puppet variety show, such as infidelity and commitment. Miss Piggy has even been hailed as a feminist, and awarded as such. However, Miss Piggy's increasingly emotionally complex turn on this iteration of the Muppets has not been the first time that she has been totally feminist.

Of course, if we're going to name Miss Piggy seriously as a feminist icon, it's also important to acknowledge the ways in which she is not perfect. As many pointed out when Kermit revealed that he and Piggy had broken up, Miss Piggy often times quickly resorts to violence when she's frustrated — and this is neither healthy nor something that should be celebrated seriously. So while honoring her brazenness, the other side of her extreme confidence should be noted. She's not a perfect character; however, these actions, honors, and statements from the pig herself suggest that, despite being flawed, she is as feminist as much as any female celebrity or fictional character (she's a little bit of both) can be called one.

She Received A Prestigious Feminist Award

In 2015, Gloria Steinem herself presented Miss Piggy with the Sackler Center First Award, which has previously been presented to Sandra Day O’Connor and Toni Morrison. Steinem praised her as “definitely her own self. She isn’t trying to be either totally masculine or totally feminine, she’s human.”

She Wrote A Feminist Essay

In an essay that she "wrote" for TIME (I use the term loosely, of course, because she is a fictional character and cannot actually do anything), Miss Piggy defended her unconventional feminism. She wrote that while she has not been a politically active feminist, her ascendance to stardom and unapologetic nature have created a space for women, and pigs, to be themselves. She ended her essay with a call for the future of feminism to be "proud, positive, powerful, perseverant, and, wherever possible, alliterative."

She Was Rooting For Workplace Equality Back In the '80s

In a 1981 issue of The Saturday Evening Post, Miss Piggy penned an essay called "Women's Careers." While it's unfortunately difficult to find the essay, the cover is pretty spectacular.

She Keeps It Real About Relationships

While she is definitely a romantic, Miss Piggy is also not afraid to take her object of affection off his green pedestal, as exemplified by the above excerpt from an interview with ABC News. She is also not down for your patronizing questions.

She's Body Positive

Miss Piggy is not about dieting; actually, she's about whatever you want to do to feel good about yourself. In her book of advice, Miss Piggy's Guide To Life, Piggy wisely said, "Style comes in all shapes and sizes. Therefore, the bigger you are, the more style you have.”

Who would have thought a pig would be your next feminist icon? Moi, that's who.

Images: Giphy (7)