Arcee and Gender Roles in the Transformers Franchise

  Arcee has been a staple of the Transformers ever since her debut in the 1986 movie, having been given the opportunity to be one of the few women repeatedly in the spotlight within a franchise primarily targeted at young boys. As such is the case, she can also be used in witnessing how gendered roles and stereotypes have affected the same character over the years as she’s been passed from writer to writer, as well as how those stereotypes have passed on to women’s depictions in the modern day. As a big fan of the Transformers franchise, I’ve been able to view many of the different iterations of Arcee firsthand. The sources gathered are both from the official materials from nearly every iteration of Arcee, as well as a variety of articles regarding gender stereotypes over time.

The main points:

Above: A collage of images featuring Arcee from the Marvel (UK), Skybound (Energon Universe), G1/Headmasters, Cyberverse, IDW (2019), Earthspark, IDW (2005), Go! Go!, and Prime continuities.

  In the 1980s, women were heavily underrepresented in shows and movies. Hasbro hadn’t even planned to have any Transformers be women until the writer for the 1986 Movie pushed for there to be one. In this era, Arcee was extremely limited in terms of free gender expression throughout this era, sticking to gender-focused stereotypes and enforcing the role of the homemaker.
  Despite being depicted as a warrior alongside her fellow Autobots, Arcee’s main role in the Generation One cartoon was taking care of an earth boy. As her presence carried on from Gen. 1 into The Headmasters, she lost her role as a fighter, instead becoming akin to a secretary and less relevant to the show overall as male leads took the spotlight, primarily using her as a romantic interest. In the Marvel comics, her gender identity was made fun of in her initial introduction, and after, her brief time in the spotlight mainly characterized her as a damsel in distress.
  This Arcee most closely follows the stereotypes of her respective era, being a conventionally attractive caretaker who many of her coworkers fall for. In exchange, the men are often reckless and adventurous, doing the majority of the work while she is left to her less active role. Arcee’s passive and flirtatious traits are also traits attributed to modern gender roles for women, deeming more exciting work to be for men and limiting jobs that girls might see themselves in in the future.

  As the 2000s and 2010s arrived, people became more used to women in jobs. However, as misogyny in the news and the pushing of traditional stereotypes in the media became popular, women were both hated for and encouraged in breaking the boundaries of traditional gender roles. Despite such, the Arcees of this generation exceeded expectations, falling out of feminine stereotypes and becoming more like warriors.
  IDW 2005 and Transformers Prime’s Arcees were both more cynical, brooding, and powerful than their ancestors. Transformers Prime Arcee’s character focused on loss and moving forward, and IDW 2005’s Arcee focused on healing after experiencing traumatic events, building a support system for herself and figuring out her identity as both a trans and queer woman. IDW 2019’s Arcee ended the era being redefined as a fiercely protective mentor, always seeking to provide the best life possible for her family while also fighting for her ideals.
  These Arcees greatly deviated from prior iterations. Most distinctly, she became more confident and independent, separating herself from the feminine and heteronormative stereotypes she once embodied. In a time where women acting outside of what was considered “good” brought great scrutiny, these Arcees changed in ways that were meaningful for changing how consumers would see women. On the other hand, she also upheld the standards of the stereotypically feminine body and caretaking role.

  The modern day has taken to becoming a much more diverse space in media on all fronts, including that of gender for all identities. With that in mind, Arcee’s character got much friendlier than her edgier counterparts of the last two decades, becoming an energetic fighter and adept with multitasking.
  With the Cyberverse, Earthspark, and Go! Go! Arcees, they each served similar purposes through being fun-loving, energetic, and useful allies. Cyberverse Arcee was more adventurous as she often went on death-defying escapades, while the Earthspark and Go! Go!’s Arcees were more relaxed individuals with sibling-esque roles. As for Skybound’s Arcee, she took a more serious and parental role as she became the mentor to a human girl, similar to her 1984 counterpart.
  These Arcees stand on a middle ground, as while she still had her strength and loyalty, she also became more nurturing and relaxed. These clashing traits, which while not intentionally harmful, can incite unrealistic expectations in keeping a successful home and work life balance.

  And thus, this perspective on nearly all of the Arcees so far concludes, with new interpretations of the character still underway. While Arcee’s traits have mostly kept to feminine gender norms, she’s also been a key part in expanding upon diversity in the Transformers, being both the first major woman and LGBT+ character in the franchise. Arcee’s evolution provides a deep look into how gender roles have been portrayed in the Transformers franchise over the past 40 years, changing while still keeping a few core aspects which still abide by the stereotypes of today.
  While this presentation was solely focused on the trailblazer Arcee, it’s also important to note that many other women have joined the Transformers franchise since. While still remaining a minority in the franchise, diversity in the Transformers will continue to flourish as stereotypes become less relevant in media to allow for role models for children and adults alike.

This is an archive of a speech I made for my communications class! As such, the information present is meant to be accessible for people who aren't fans of the Transformers franchise and was done a bit hastily, as I was unable to talk more about Arcee in depth and the different audiences who may look at Transformers content. Constructive criticism is appreciated!! 😖

Resources
On Arcee:

On gender roles in media over time:

On modern day gender roles: