The Feminist Filter: Surprise

[gabrielleabelle]

Come on, you know you guys have been waiting for this one. :)

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 see what

Comments

[lynnenne]

'want' isn't always the right thing *to* do. To act on want can be wrong.

I always felt that the dialogue here implies that women - especially teenaged girls - acting on their sexual desires is somehow "wrong." This is heightened by the previous episode, "Bad Eggs," which reinforces the potentially negative consequences of sex (i.e. unintended pregnancy). The whole series of episodes, from "Bad Eggs" to "Innocence" (and beyond) reads a bit like an abstinence lecture: Sex bad! Chastity good!

It's kind of ironic that the only healthy sexual relationship Buffy ever has on the show is with Riley, with whom she has no chemistry whatsover. *g*

[gabrielleabelle]

I think that's definitely a part of it. I think it also gets wrapped up in the Forbidden Love aspect of the Buffy/Angel relationship (which acts a demonstrative vehicle for the SEX IS BAD message).

It's kind of ironic that the only healthy sexual relationship Buffy ever has on the show is with Riley, with whom she has no chemistry whatsover. *g*

That's why Buffy totally boffed with Spike in the fade-to-black in Chosen in my head-canon. *nods*

[norwie2010]

That's why Buffy totally boffed with Spike in the fade-to-black in Chosen in my head-canon. *nods*

Totally! Including candle wax! (Spike references this in his last scene on the show: "It kind of stings"... *nods*)

[gabrielleabelle]

You, sir, have single-handedly made my morning. Well done!

[pocochina]

I don't know. I... I mean, (they sit on a bench) 'want' isn't always the right thing *to* do. To act on want can be wrong.

I'm really trying not to hold the show to too low a standard, because there's a lot to unpack. But given the absolutist way female sexuality (particularly for teen girls) is usually condemned, I think this line fundamentally shakes some things up. Because she's not saying that acting on want is categorically wrong, just that it's not always a good idea, and she's not sure here, which I think shows some very mature perspective.

Buffy declares attention to detail as being "manly". More importantly, she attempts to use “manly” as a compliment to offset what could be perceived as her griping about Giles. The designation of masculinity is supposed to assuage any insult.

It's also specifically contrasted with the "obsessive compulsive" comment, which by implication casts anxiety disorders as both feminine and embarrassing.

Enyos: So you just forget that he destroyed the most beloved daughter of your tribe?! That he

[gabrielleabelle]

It's also specifically contrasted with the "obsessive compulsive" comment, which by implication casts anxiety disorders as both feminine and embarrassing.

Good point, yes.

I don't know if the way this story is eventually fleshed out in AtS makes it better or worse.

I think it complicates things. Though, to be honest, my memory of the AtS flashbacks of this event are fuzzy, so I'm gonna defer to you guys on this one. :)

[eowyn_315]

First, we get an affirmation that, while Angel probably wants sex, he's "not the type" to push for it. Sexuality in boys/men is seen as predatory and dangerous so a man who isn't pushy, but who still wants sex when the girl wants it, is desirable.This is interesting to me in a few ways. First, because it's seems kind of... obvious? I mean, of course a guy who isn't pushy is desirable - the alternative is a guy who pressures or coerces you to do something you don't want to do. Who wants that? But the fact that Buffy and Willow feel the need to bring it up indicates the low expectations we have of men, that not being pushy is noteworthy

[gabrielleabelle]

Men who openly want sex get called predatory; women who want openly sex get called sluts.

Ah, good point! That's something that comes up in Phases, actually, come to think of it.

Third, I'm kind of rolling my eyes at they irony of Angel being a guy who's not pushy. Instead, he's manipulative, to the point that Buffy doesn't even realize she's being seduced. Which, in a way, is actually worse, because it makes Buffy think she has more agency than she actually does.

True.

Maybe it's not supposed to make sense, because Buffy's just flailing for a compliment, but it seems like a weird thing to consider manly. If I had to assign a gender to "attention to detail," I think I'd probably go with feminine.

Definitely, especially with the history of women being pushed into working in textile factories because with their nimble fingers, they're better suited to such repetitive, detail-oriented tasks.

[debetesse]

I get the feeling that I'm going to be spending a lot of font-space saying, "Yes, but the Willow/Oz relationship serves as a counterpoint to that, and (at least at this point), it's portrayed as a really healthy relationship," over the next season-and-a-half.

I also wonder how much that was intended to be the aspirational relationship on the show: the one that the female fans at home said, "I want that." I know I found Oz more appealing than Angel.

[drknit]

This is not quite related, but I just saw this clip from Siskel & Ebert dissecting slasher films from a feminist perspective in 1980, and thought you would love it.

In her blog post about the clip, the author points out how cool it is to see this kind of analysis in mainstream media.

http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2011/12/09/a-feminist-movie-review-siskel-ebert-1980/

[gabrielleabelle]

Oh! Late reply! Been a busy weekend!

I kinda adore that link. Thanks for the pointer. :)

[debetesse]

I think it's hardly a surprise that the show is kinda faily on the portrayal of Roma. At the same moment, this episode does put Jenny firmly in the category that most of the characters end up in (eventually): Turning their backs on the path that they were "meant" to follow, according to their families or tradition. When you look at Buffy and Willow's (and I'm gonna stop that list there because otherwise it gets too long), this looks like a major signifier on the show of the "strong female character

[gabrielleabelle]

(Fair warning that I'm sick and so not with the smart discussion at the moment)

Turning their backs on the path that they were "meant" to follow, according to their families or tradition. When you look at Buffy and Willow's (and I'm gonna stop that list there because otherwise it gets too long), this looks like a major signifier on the show of the "strong female character".

Huh. Interesting point. I'm gonna have to think on that.

(I think it's better starting in Season 4, and, to some extent, the end of 3 ::points to post, above, about Willow/Oz::).

On the one hand, I agree that Willow/Oz provides a counterpoint to a lot of the "aggressive male sexuality" stuff. Phases is a great episode for that. On the other hand, in S4, we get Oz's wolf sexuality overcoming his morals so that he cheats on Willow with Veruca. I think, in the end, we're still getting a portrayal of male sexuality as being predatory with Willow/Oz, unfortunately.

I do think it's worthwhile to look at the cultural context of the time when this was airing (what,

[debetesse]

Huh. Interesting point. I'm gonna have to think on that

I'm happy to explicate further, if it would be helpful. I've got examples and everything.

the "aggressive male sexuality" stuff

On that, I quite agree. I meant more the "sex is bad!" implication that seems to lurk (or stand about) in season 2.

There's a thing I was thinking and trying to think of a way to say it that makes sense but is not "not okay"...I think I came up with something that may work

Looking at the 4 relationships on the show at this moment, and their personality types, if you will. I'm phrasing it as leaders and followers, but that's not exactly what I mean (and, no, it is not a D/s euphemism). It's sort of assertiveness, but not exactly that, either.

Buffy/Angel--Both leader-types
Cordy/Xander--She's a leader, he's a follower
Willow/Oz--Both followers
Giles/Jenny--Symmetry wants to make him a leader and her a follower, but I don't know that the text really supports that.

Ok, apparently, I cannot haz brane.

[debetesse]

That is not the icon I intended to use. Please don't read anything into it.

Mostly, I've been trying to be consistent, for ease of recognition.