(Another) Ode to Black Widow
I saw Avengers again this weekend. It lost a little impact on second viewing because I think a lot of the film's power comes from misdirection, like [spoiler]thinking Natasha really needs rescuing in the opening scene or [spoiler]worrying that Thor can't pick up the hammer because he lost his power. That said, I mostly marveled at how perfectly the line before each cut leads to the next scene. Also, Tony Stark is really, really entertaining.
And Natasha Romanoff is awesome. I am lucky with my flist because I have seen nothing but unabashed Natasha love, but I am disappointed by rumors that some people think she's sexist beause she shows emotional vulnerability. marinarusalka has a much more articulate post about that here, but on the whole, I am disturbed by the assumption that showing emotion inherently makes a woman weak. There's a really creepy double standard in these criticisms of Natasha -- all the characters in the movie show emotional vulnerability at some point, but when Natasha does, she's singled out as weak, even though she's the only one who's able to use her feelings to her advantage. Everyone else has to get over their anger, sadness, grief, frustration, whatever, but she puts her guilt and regret to work in her favor. When she shows fear, it doesn't stop her from doing what she needs to do. And that's what makes her awesome. She doesn't have any superpowers of her own; she's an assassin and a spy, and she's way out of her depth. Like most human beings, she has feelings about this, and that's what makes her interesting to watch. In fact, it's what makes her feel like she's at the very center of the movie. I don't want my female characters without emotion. They'd be reduced to slinky robots wearing black leather, and that will do nothing to eradicate female stereotypes. Strong female characters who have moments of vulnerability will do much more to end the perception that having emotions makes women weak.
And Natasha Romanoff is awesome. I am lucky with my flist because I have seen nothing but unabashed Natasha love, but I am disappointed by rumors that some people think she's sexist beause she shows emotional vulnerability. marinarusalka has a much more articulate post about that here, but on the whole, I am disturbed by the assumption that showing emotion inherently makes a woman weak. There's a really creepy double standard in these criticisms of Natasha -- all the characters in the movie show emotional vulnerability at some point, but when Natasha does, she's singled out as weak, even though she's the only one who's able to use her feelings to her advantage. Everyone else has to get over their anger, sadness, grief, frustration, whatever, but she puts her guilt and regret to work in her favor. When she shows fear, it doesn't stop her from doing what she needs to do. And that's what makes her awesome. She doesn't have any superpowers of her own; she's an assassin and a spy, and she's way out of her depth. Like most human beings, she has feelings about this, and that's what makes her interesting to watch. In fact, it's what makes her feel like she's at the very center of the movie. I don't want my female characters without emotion. They'd be reduced to slinky robots wearing black leather, and that will do nothing to eradicate female stereotypes. Strong female characters who have moments of vulnerability will do much more to end the perception that having emotions makes women weak.