YAY! I’m so glad this one got chosen. Feminist media criticism was really how I got involved with labeling myself a feminist and with the feminist movement in general.
There’s a great quote from Joss Whedon wherein an interviewer asks him, “Why do you feel the need to write such strong female characters?” and Whedon responds, “Because you’re still asking me that question.”
It is extremely important for young women to have positive portrayals of themselves because entertainment shapes our thinking, no matter how much we deny it. This was confirmed for me last year when I had a conversation about Disney princesses with a friend who is a woman of color – growing up, all the Disney princesses were white, so she never felt like she could be like those ladies, because none of them looked like her. That’s why it’s a big deal that we have a black man as President. That’s why it’s important for casts in movies to feature more realistic women (and people of color, as well as LGBT folks!). When people see themselves represented in media in a realistic manner, it affirms their own identities. And that’s ultimately a good thing.
As far as examples of strong women in media, I can only cite the ones that I’ve appreciated – Buffy and Willow from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Zoe, Inara, and Kaylee from Firefly, and Joan and Peggy from Mad Men (I love Peggy so much), Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games (the books, as I haven’t seen the movie). All of these women are strong, are in control of their own sexuality and lives, and do a lot to speak truth to power.
As far as characters that don’t work well, there are TONS of examples of that. It seems that a lot of the entertainment industry thinks “strong woman” means “beats people up and kicks ass,” but that’s not always the case. You’ll see a lot of action movies where they’ll have a supposedly awesome female lead, but it’s still a lead who is broken, has “daddy issues,” or is crippled in some form. For example, the character of Deb on Dexter irks me to no end because the writers seem hellbent on crippling her with the inability to relate to others in a human way, and giving her constant romantic complexes, which unnecessarily complicate what could have been a strong, realistic character (I mean, her healthiest relationship to date was with a man who reminded her of her father…how messed up is that?).
And you actually highlighted one of the most recent disappointments on the “strong female” front – the recent portrayal of Irene Adler in Sherlock is a prime example of a faux-strong female character, whom, in the end (sorry for the spoilers!), has to be rescued by the male hero. In the books, she’s the only one who can beat Sherlock, and that’s what makes her attractive, but in Moffat’s version (which, for the record, is the best Sherlock I’ve ever seen), she nearly bests him, but then gets turned into the damsel in distress unnecessarily, weakening her character.
Once you start noticing these types of portrayals of women, it will forever change how you watch TV. I’ve had to give up on a few television shows simply because the portrayal of women simply did not work and irked me to the point that I had to stop watching. But this sort of intense criticism and examination is useful, because it can help get more realistic portrayals of women into the media we consume.
1) Buffy the Vampire Slayer, “The Body”
The episode in which Buffy loses her mother and we cope with the aftermath of loss and grief is spare and unforgiving, without even any music. The supernatural aspects are pushed to the margins, as humans and superhumans alike cope with the mystery of pure, unleavened death.
Another Whedonverse reunion tweeted by Michelle; this time she’s partying with THE MAN himself!
And if you’re wondering about the blue tips of her hair, it’s for her role in The Scribbler!
