The Feminist Filter: What's My Line? Part One

[gabrielleabelle]

How's your Saturday? Good? Good!

Let's do some feminism-type stuff!

Mission Statement:This series is intended to outline the feminist text of each episode so as to provoke and encourage open discussion. It's not so much about making value judgments about events and/or characters but about analyzing the series from a feminist framework so as to

Comments

[angearia]

Truth. That's a great reading.

I think with Kendra there's this undercutting of her embrace of a masculine style -- like being a woman without the proper gender socialization has undercut her ability to navigate society. The depiction of the metaphor is very dependent on gender essentialism. Which is great for portraying feminine attributes as strong, but why should Kendra's disinterest/lack of education in the traditional female gender role have to mean her doom? It's like by not falling in line with gender expectations, she's failing to capitalize on her position as a woman. Why does she have to be feminine to be powerful? Why's it either a woman playing at masculine or a woman embracing both masculine and feminine?

It's like, if BtVS is intent on working within the confines of gender essentialism, its commentary is inevitably going to be a reaction to reality and consequently reaffirms it to a degree. I'm not sure BtVS really goes far enough to deconstruct gender roles. There's too much story capital in maintaining the codification because it helps achieve clarity in the narrative.

ETA: Just wanted to add that Kendra's portrayal as someone without a personal life, a family, or anything beyond duty to her calling and her perfect obedience to her Watcher seems like a stereotypical portrayal of black history.

[angearia]

^^^ Which seems especially unfortunate within the context of American history since black women were by and large more united in fighting for the right to vote than white women.

The racial commentary doesn't really jive for me. There's so many interesting things a black Slayer could've said about rape culture in America (vampirism => sexualization of oppression), but the show never delves deep enough into a racial POV.

[eowyn_315]

Yeah... BtVS pretty much just fails at race across the board. :( And it's especially problematic framing Buffy as "more feminist" than Kendra, given the role of WOC (or lack thereof) in the feminist movement.

[angearia]

SO MUCH ~THIS~

:(

[eowyn_315]

Which is great for portraying feminine attributes as strong, but why should Kendra's disinterest/lack of education in the traditional female gender role have to mean her doom?

I think the key here is that Kendra didn't choose to be disinterested or uneducated. She was indoctrinated by the patriarchy. The Council are the gatekeepers of what Kendra is allowed to experience, and she's been denied access to any alternative. She's operating within a male concept of power because that's all she knows. And she is weaker for it.

[angearia]

Hmm, this makes sense. Somehow I feel hesitant in saying she didn't really choose, but yeah a lack of choices effectively removes her ability to choose.

I feel like her POV isn't as developed as I'd like it to be. It makes it hard to talk about her without reducing her to symbolism and archetypes.

[eowyn_315]

I feel like her POV isn't as developed as I'd like it to be. It makes it hard to talk about her without reducing her to symbolism and archetypes.

Yeah, this. Then again, given the race!fail, I'm hardly surprised.

[angearia]

So I'm experiencing this uncomfortable combo of gladness for our ~agreement, but also kinda down about it because it's depressing how hard the show fails with race portrayal.

A part of me is hoping Poco will sweep in with some brilliant Kendra commentary.

[ceciliaj]

Poco is the master of Kendra POV!