( The Frisky ) -- `` Toy Story 3 '' has been receiving nothing but praise . It 's topped the box office for two weeks in a row and has pulled in $ 226 million so far . Not to mention that critics are lauding it as the saving grace in a horribly blah summer movie season . But Ms. magazine is not too happy about the movie 's success . Natalie Wilson , who wrote the piece , admits that the kid 's movie is `` fresh '' and `` clever , '' but she also claims that it contains a few too many misogynistic and homophobic jokes for comfort . The Frisky : Angelina Jolie says daughter Shiloh wants to be a boy . Wilson 's criticism of the film starts off as a numbers game . She points out that only one of the new toys is female , leaving the film with a 3-to-1 boy-girl ratio . This math ca n't be denied . But as one commenter pointed out , part of this is due to the fact that the playthings in the flick belonged to a boy . And even though there is an increasing number of unisex toys in the world , it 's still unusual to see a little boy playing with traditionally female toys . But Ms 's main argument is much more about quality than quantity . Wilson claims that `` Toy Story 3 '' is full of negative female stereotypes that can give the wrong impression about gender roles . She writes that the mother in the movie is depicted as `` nagging , '' while Barbie is shown as `` over emotional '' and `` hyper-feminine . '' Her packaged partner in crime , Ken , is painted as a `` closeted gay fashionista '' who is constantly teased . Wilson worries that depictions like this will teach children , especially boys , that being female or homosexual is wrong -- or at least something to laugh at . The Frisky : What Barbie 's measurements look like on a real woman . Many viewers , myself included , have trouble reading `` Toy Story 3 '' this way . I think Ms. is looking too hard for something to criticize . Unfortunately , children 's movies have a history of being pretty darn sexist . Just look at Disney 's line-up -- one film after another is about a helpless princess needing a man to get her out of a nasty situation , ending with the two falling in love and the woman giving up whatever life she had before . Most of these movies teach boys that all girls want is a handsome man with lots of money . Not really an inspiring message . But `` Toy Story '' is n't based on archaic fairy tales -- it 's an original idea . While not fully politically correct , it 's a stride in the right direction . The Frisky : Disney fairy tale princes teach men how to attract women . And while Wilson paints the few female characters as negative , I see them in an opposite light . Cowgirl Jessie is tom-boyish , opinionated , and does n't just do something because a man says it 's right . While the same compliments ca n't be loaded onto Barbie , we have to think about the doll we 're dealing with here . In the real world , Barbie is constantly being attacked for being an unrealistic influence on girls . Her is body is ridiculously out of proportion and all her material possessions encourage vanity and selfishness . So of course the film is going to portray her that way -- these are Barbie stereotypes , not female ones . If anything , `` Toy Story 3 '' plays on the perception of Barbie and then gives the blond doll a positive spin by making her a girl willing to give up the dream house life with Ken to fight for what 's right -- her pride and friends . The Frisky : Barbie 's 16 most feminist-friendly careers . As for Ken , the jokes are pretty pointed at him being a doll that is n't quite out of the walk-in closet yet . But once again , is n't Ken already a national inside joke ? He is known as Barbie 's arm candy with a penchant for wild clothes and pink Corvettes . How else should he be portrayed ? As the macho man savior that has already been tired out in past kiddie flicks ? At least they gave the character some psychological heft . If `` Toy Story 3 '' is anything , it is a movie that expands and scratches away at the old stereotypes that have been plaguing both kid 's movies and toys . It certainly did n't bust open the toy box with game changing plot lines and characters , but it 's an improvement when compared to past pictures such as Belle falling victim to Stockholm syndrome in `` Beauty and the Beast . '' Overall , this is a great kid 's movie and a big improvement on the usual summer kids ' fare like `` Alvin and the Chipmunks : The Squeakel . '' I rest my case ! The Frisky : Teen werewolf gangs run wild at Texas high school . TM & © 2010 TMV , Inc. | All Rights Reserved .
Critics are lauding ` ` Toy Story 3 '' as the saving grace in a horribly blah summer movie season . ` ` ' '' posted an article on their website about the sexism and negative stereotypes in the film . Many viewers have been reading ` ` Toy Story 3 '' this way .