Too much of an okay thing gets boring quick
I think I've gotten to the point where I'm actively turned off by too much straight-white-male media.
I tried to play a game the other day. The protag was, of course, SWM. I quickly lost interest and went back to playing my lesbian Commander Shepard on Mass Effect. And later detoured to playing my gay male Hawke in Dragon Age II.
This summer, when I watched tv, it was either The Closer or Rizzoli and Isles.
I'm reading the Hunger Games series with my daughter.
Even my icons are steadily featuring more and more women.
I just need to see something different than the "default" as the star/main protag/lead to keep my interest. I like watching something which passes the Bechdel test. I like it even more when it passes in spirit instead of just in fact.
I spent a long time thinking about why love interests for the leading men on shows I tend to watch (mostly cop shows)irritate me and I think I understand why outside of my standard "don't care for romances all that much" line. I think I'm just tired of seeing women through the male gaze. I'm tired of seeing women whose sole purpose in a show is "love interest". Christ on a crutch, that's so boring (and a little insulting) to me.
If I have to see relationships, give me more Peter and El, who have a relationship that is supportive and healthy. El has a life outside of Peter and we've seen it. I like that. Give me Clair and Heathcliff Huxtable. Give me some sort of relationship in which there is decent treatment of both parties and I'm not sitting around here wondering why X is putting up with Y.
I don't feel like settling anymore for what's out there. If I want to give my time up for media, I want to be able to watch it with minimal rage. If I watch something, I want there to be significant time given to someone who isn't SWM. Even one of those things being different is enough to at least warrant a second look for me.
The truth is, I don't think this feeling is going to go away for me. I think it's going to get more intense. And I don't think there's a problem with it either.
I guess this post can be summed up with two words: moar inclusion.
(ps. dr appt was a bust. all i got was moar dr appts)
I tried to play a game the other day. The protag was, of course, SWM. I quickly lost interest and went back to playing my lesbian Commander Shepard on Mass Effect. And later detoured to playing my gay male Hawke in Dragon Age II.
This summer, when I watched tv, it was either The Closer or Rizzoli and Isles.
I'm reading the Hunger Games series with my daughter.
Even my icons are steadily featuring more and more women.
I just need to see something different than the "default" as the star/main protag/lead to keep my interest. I like watching something which passes the Bechdel test. I like it even more when it passes in spirit instead of just in fact.
I spent a long time thinking about why love interests for the leading men on shows I tend to watch (mostly cop shows)irritate me and I think I understand why outside of my standard "don't care for romances all that much" line. I think I'm just tired of seeing women through the male gaze. I'm tired of seeing women whose sole purpose in a show is "love interest". Christ on a crutch, that's so boring (and a little insulting) to me.
If I have to see relationships, give me more Peter and El, who have a relationship that is supportive and healthy. El has a life outside of Peter and we've seen it. I like that. Give me Clair and Heathcliff Huxtable. Give me some sort of relationship in which there is decent treatment of both parties and I'm not sitting around here wondering why X is putting up with Y.
I don't feel like settling anymore for what's out there. If I want to give my time up for media, I want to be able to watch it with minimal rage. If I watch something, I want there to be significant time given to someone who isn't SWM. Even one of those things being different is enough to at least warrant a second look for me.
The truth is, I don't think this feeling is going to go away for me. I think it's going to get more intense. And I don't think there's a problem with it either.
I guess this post can be summed up with two words: moar inclusion.
(ps. dr appt was a bust. all i got was moar dr appts)