Joss Whedon, Equality Now speech
Oct. 6th, 2006 02:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dunmurderinJoss Whedon delivering a speech, accepting recognition from Equality Now in May 2006.
The question, "Why are you writing strong female characters?" makes me want to ask the reverse of some female fanfic writers out there: why *aren't* you writing strong female characters? Why do you feel the need to take female characters -- some of whom are canonically shown to be strong and capable beings and turn them into shadows of themselves? Why do you have to -- for want of a better word -- spay female characters?
Note, 'you' is used in the generic and I'm primarily bitching about the fangirls out there who write about Lady WimpyBitch, who's sole purpose for existing is to be the author's favorite male character's maid/lover. Or worse, the psuedo-tough girl who can kick all kinds of ass until the author wants her raped by her favorite male character. Or the ones who take the female members of GI Joe and turn them from highly trained, daring special missions soldiers into weepy girls who are emotionally abused by their significant others -- despite the fact that in Lady Jaye's case, she's decked Flint twice. Yeah, a real shrinking violet there.
One of the things I absolutely loved about Scarlett: Declassified was that we got an issue about Scarlett that didn't focus on her relationship with either Duke or Snake-Eyes -- which is pretty much all that defines her in all too many fanfics out there. Instead, we got a chance to FINALLY see Scarlett as an individual separate from the men in her life. Well, okay, so not so separate from her father but that's ok because it added to her character. And it was a man who wrote the issue.
I'm sure there's Firefly fanfics out there that turn Zoe into a wimp too. I know there's Buffy fics that make her either a wimp or a bitch. Or SG-1 fics that write...what's her name, the blonde (Sam?) as a meek little thing who obsesses about the love of whoever the author is drooling after this week. I know Elita-1 and the female Autobots have been relegated to wimp status for years because of their one and only canonical appearance -- despite the fact that they were shown to be fully capable of taking care of themselves and fought alongside the male Autobots when they showed up. Yes, Elita-1 got captured by Starscream and Prime went to rescue her -- but he'd do the same for any of his Autobots. The fact that Elita-1 meant a little more to him just sent him there all the faster.
We can bitch all we want about male misogyny (I'm still boggling at the guy who thinks white panties = virgin) but in my honest opinion it's ten times worse when it's women being misogynistic. We can't expect men to treat us as equals if we can't treat ourselves as equals.
And that is the high-minded pseudo-intellectual blargle that I'm ending this on 'cause I really need to sleep now.
Dun.
The question, "Why are you writing strong female characters?" makes me want to ask the reverse of some female fanfic writers out there: why *aren't* you writing strong female characters? Why do you feel the need to take female characters -- some of whom are canonically shown to be strong and capable beings and turn them into shadows of themselves? Why do you have to -- for want of a better word -- spay female characters?
Note, 'you' is used in the generic and I'm primarily bitching about the fangirls out there who write about Lady WimpyBitch, who's sole purpose for existing is to be the author's favorite male character's maid/lover. Or worse, the psuedo-tough girl who can kick all kinds of ass until the author wants her raped by her favorite male character. Or the ones who take the female members of GI Joe and turn them from highly trained, daring special missions soldiers into weepy girls who are emotionally abused by their significant others -- despite the fact that in Lady Jaye's case, she's decked Flint twice. Yeah, a real shrinking violet there.
One of the things I absolutely loved about Scarlett: Declassified was that we got an issue about Scarlett that didn't focus on her relationship with either Duke or Snake-Eyes -- which is pretty much all that defines her in all too many fanfics out there. Instead, we got a chance to FINALLY see Scarlett as an individual separate from the men in her life. Well, okay, so not so separate from her father but that's ok because it added to her character. And it was a man who wrote the issue.
I'm sure there's Firefly fanfics out there that turn Zoe into a wimp too. I know there's Buffy fics that make her either a wimp or a bitch. Or SG-1 fics that write...what's her name, the blonde (Sam?) as a meek little thing who obsesses about the love of whoever the author is drooling after this week. I know Elita-1 and the female Autobots have been relegated to wimp status for years because of their one and only canonical appearance -- despite the fact that they were shown to be fully capable of taking care of themselves and fought alongside the male Autobots when they showed up. Yes, Elita-1 got captured by Starscream and Prime went to rescue her -- but he'd do the same for any of his Autobots. The fact that Elita-1 meant a little more to him just sent him there all the faster.
We can bitch all we want about male misogyny (I'm still boggling at the guy who thinks white panties = virgin) but in my honest opinion it's ten times worse when it's women being misogynistic. We can't expect men to treat us as equals if we can't treat ourselves as equals.
And that is the high-minded pseudo-intellectual blargle that I'm ending this on 'cause I really need to sleep now.
Dun.
