1. "Interviewer: So why do you write these strong female characters?
    Whedon: Because you’re still asking me that question."

    Joss Whedon, Feminist (via tombsstone)

    Joss Whedon is a lot of things, but he is NOT a fucking feminist. He tortures his female characters. Even his “strongest” lead was constantly in a state of emotional turmoil and had to be LITERALLY WATCHED AFTER BY AN OLDER MALE. She is always crying about a guy. She is always getting into danger because she’s gotten to emotional. He paints a picture of what “regular” teenage girls like Buffy are—into boys and shopping and being cute—and pats himself on the back for giving her a fucking stake. He constantly played the Madonna/Whore between Buffy and Faith. He used Tara and basically a backdrop to frame Willow’s sexuality and she barel;y speaks EVER. And every scene with Faith is disturbingly Male Gazey. 

    I love Buffy. I love Firefly. I even think Joss Whedon is a clever, funny writer. BUT HE IS NOT A FUCKING FEMINIST. You are not a feminist for pasting problematic notions of masculinity (violence, etc) onto a female character and saying that means she’s strong. Because you are saying that in order for a woman to be strong to needs to be like a man. You are saying that the feminine is weak. YOU ARE BEING A MISOGYNIST. 

    We need to stop patting every man who passes the Bechdel test on the back like he’s being so damn progressive. And we need to stop letting men WHO ARE CLEARLY NOT FEMINISTS from appropriating the word because he’s such a great guy for giving his female characters more than a side girlfriend role.

    SERIOUSLY. 

    (via like-honeysuckles)

    Plus, he keeps giving his female characters superpowers (Buffy, Willow, Faith, River, Echo, Sierra…) and then acting like the message is “women can be heroes and do anything”. In his case the message is more like “women can do anything if you upgrade them with some mad superpowers”, which doesn’t strike me as much of an empowering message. I mean, it’s like saying “dogs can rule the world if you give them impossible, supernatural powers needed for ruling the world” and acting as if what you’re saying is that dogs can rule the world.

    (via meronym)

    Not going to argue about whether or not Joss Whedon is a feminist. I just want to point out a few things:

    - Buffy is not supposed to be a “regular” teenage girl. She is supposed to be the stereotypically ditzy cheerleader who gets terrorized in horror films. 

    -Whedon’s male characters are in a constant state of emotional turmoil too. I mean, hello, Angel? Emotional turmoil is what he does. 

    -The pasting of masculine ideas of strength onto a woman only really happened in season 7 of Buffy. The thing with Buffy is that she fused two (albeit stereotypical) ideals of strength - masculine, purely physical strength, and feminine emotional and social strength. 

    - It was constantly repeated on Buffy that what made her special, what made her survive longer than other slayers, what made her more effective, was how emotional she was, and her love for her friends. Ie. stereotypically feminine qualities. 

    - Giles (the Watcher) existed to be undermined as an authority figure. Whedon did not have the character there to actually watch over Buffy. He was there to deliver exposition and be a symbol of patriarchy constantly being under-cut. I mean, in the very first episode, the first time Buffy goes after a vampire, Giles asks Buffy what he should do, and she’s the one giving orders. 

Notes

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