Why the Bad Wolf Is Bad-Ass

[midori_yee]

I HAD AN EPIPHANY! The reason that people don't like Rose Tyler is that she has basically zero flaws. She's "too heroic." So maybe that ultimately makes her flat as a character.

Comments

[fatty_fat]

yeah, i guess rose has a little bit of the 'mary sue' about her, but she's always had enough goofy moments to offset it. also, she's not conventionally intelligent like the doctor. she worked in a clothing store. sometimes she gets jealous. and she's not conventionally pretty w/ long legs and a tiny waist and huge boobs. so i feel like she has just the right balance of 'flaws' (in quotes because they're just flaws if you're looking at it from a mainstream POV, lol) and virtues.

SO PROUD OF YOUR GIF USAGE LATELY.

i love that you turned it around w/ the fact that men can be imperfectly represented in media, but idk if we're quite at that level yet with women. as in, i don't know that the world is ready for an amy pond. I WASN'T. too soon. that wound is still too fresh. hahahaha. that's a character that has a lot of power over the minds of a lot of little girls. she's supposed to be a role-model. all of the companions have been role-models of strong women and for women, even if they were flawed in other ways. amy is just weakly written. i get what you're saying, but it doesn't excuse her in my eyes. ...LOL

maybe when feminism isn't still getting its legs under it we'll be ready for more of a range... and be able to understand it for what it is, which is imperfection. lots of people probably think there's nothing wrong with amy's character, and THAT'S where the problem lies. not that people don't ascribe completely unfair expectations to men as well. ugh. cultural expectations are such a total downer. hahahahaha.

we'll see what moffat does with this new female character. no real hopes, tho. luls

[midori_yee]

Ugh, you are so right about the "too soon" in terms of weak female character representation thing. I mean, thanks, we have plenty. And UGH I just don't get Amy Pond because most of her personality is reacting to what's going around her...like in a passive way.. I still can't quite articulate what bugs me so much about her. I guess to me she comes across as inauthentic. It's like, PICK A LANE, are you going to be assertive and bad-ass or wailing for the Doctor? Like, it's super inconsistent from one episode to the next.

Some women actually LIKE baking and wearing make-up and staying home with their brood of children, driving them to soccer practice and all that. It's like, not a socialized brainwashed sort of thing--they actually TAKE JOY and PLEASURE in living like this. And I'm kind of mad at feminists for being so narrow-minded and looking down on women who make those choices consciously, are happy and in no way feel oppressed. Mostly I think about Hillary and Faith's mom, whom I really respect. She quit college, didn't graduate, had 12 kids and hasn't "worked" in the traditional income-generating sense since. But she is intelligent, she's loving, she's super cool, a leader in her community...and she loves her life.

I hope that feminism becomes more about self-acceptance, learning who you really are and what you really like to do (apart from 1. the feminist idealized unattainable "superwoman" or 2. the dominant narrative of being a brainless object of male conquest). Let's just all find ourselves and then affirm each other, whatever our path may be.

UGH I'm mad that adiosbarie.com is down but they just posted this awesome article written by this cisgender femme lesbian woman who talks about how she gets "pushback" for conforming to gender-normative female presentation. It's just THABEST because it's a reminder that even "oppressed" communities can create their own norms that they feel like they have to impose on their own kind. It's like feminists saying to themselves, YOU HAVE TO BE SUPER INTELLIGENt AND OVERCOMPENSATE AND MAKE HELLA MONEY AND BE THE BEST DAMN WOMAN ON THE PLANET PROVE YOURSELF AND MAKE US PROUD, DAMMIT. I mean, talk about pressure!

I don't think it's a contradiction necessarily to be a feminist and a stay at home mom...Or to be a feminist and being an openly sexual person or whatever. I mean, if what we're ultimately aiming for is LIBERATION, shouldn't people be FREE to be themselves? FREE2BE YOU&MEEEEEEE!

I really wish I'd taken an intro Women's Studies course during undergrad. *sigh*

Hahaha GIFs. "Movie reference." Abed would be proud my self-expression through TV lines.

It's been interesting to watch the DW confidential about series 1 because the intention and the way the actors played their roles were with the assumption that Rose is "equal if not better" (Eccleston's words) than the Doctor in every way except for scientific knowledge. You're right; it's not like Rose is especially book smart or anything. But really to be equal to the Doctor on all other planes is kind of amaaazing.

[fatty_fat]

re amy's character, i feel like the doctor is portrayed somewhat inconsistently as well. the whole deal with river song just doesn't make sense. unclear motives, yet again. I COULD PROBABLY RAIL ON ABOUT THIS FOREVER. why does he like her? when do they fall in love? what. is the deal. all she's done is be confusing and appear out of nowhere. what happened in that episode you haven't seen yet still doesn't justify it for me (the s4 one w/ tennant in it).

i totally agree. i'll admit that its hard for me to reconcile homemaker with feminist, but i know it's just me tacking on other assumptions to one role. it doesn't mean she isn't intelligent or open-minded or worldly or not a consumer of fox news. also, there's that 'otherness' to the whole idea that is also hard for me to get over. just because i can't imagine being happy doing that doesn't mean someone else isn't.

omg, can we plz read caitlin moran's 'how to be a woman' together? I FEEL THAT THIS WOULD BE PERFECT. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10600242-how-to-be-a-woman
she's hilarious and has some really awesome thoughts about ladyhood. since it's too late to take the w studies class, haha.

adiosbarbie is back up, btw. imma look for that article you mentioned.

discussion has been slightly derailed.

it's interesting that they thought of rose that way (almost equal). i feel like that sort of goes away with tennant. nine had all this anger and bitterness that made him all dour (when he wasn't being sassy lol). rose was lightness to his brooding. but ten is like a creampuff compared to rose, hahahahaha. it's only when he loses her that it's toned down a little. then it gets to turn into a clever 'smile to hide the pain' thing.

anyhoob.

[midori_yee]

KEWL, I put that book on hold. I read about it on NPR.org awhile ago. LOL. :) I'm hold 150 on 50 copies or something like that. Hahaha

http://www.adiosbarbie.com/2012/09/femme-invisibility-on-passing-right-by-your-people-and-not-being-recognized/

Haha Ten IS a creampuff (in what I've seen so far). It was interesting to watch Rose in series 2 with Ten cuz I thought she got kinda needier. ACK I really need to catch up.

ALSO I HAD ANOTHER EPIPHANY. Eleven is like Smeagol. NOT GOLLUM, Smeagol. Think about it. "Come along! Come along! Lots to see." Okay, so maybe this comparison is completely unsound, but the cajoling two unwitting companions along on a journey sounds just about right. Hahaha

AND YES RIVERRRR. How are you supposed to root for a love story between them when they don't have any episodes with just the two of them? Why don't they break her out of "jail" to come along on all of their adventures, eh? I mean, she's his freaking wife--shouldn't she be invited? It doesn't make sense! They went from a reluctant kiss (on his side) to weird verbal flirtation to marriage. Huh.

LOL anyway, I love you for your mind. 'night.