Okay, LJ seems to be shitting out, so this is probably a very silly time to do this. But I'm bored, and I'm kind of in a funk, and stuck in some terrible writer's block
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Backlash is such a bitch. On the one hand, I do get where the vitriol comes from. I do. I get the unfortunate implications that can have. I get the social expectations. I really do get it. I get how, as a trend, it can be annoying. I get that! Sometimes it's done really, really badly, so that it seems like that particular female character's only purpose was to sacrifice for that particular penis-possessing person's sake. And that sucks. Sometimes it's just not done well and it seems like it was just tacked in because the writer couldn't think of anything better to do. And that's disappointing
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I get where the anger and frustration comes from too. One of my favorite genre is fantasy, and maybe I'm imagining it, but a lot of women in fantasy seem to exists to motivate/teach something to/love the male protagonists. I certainly understand the rage and disappointment. I love RPGs, and it is extremely difficult to find any with truly well-rounded female characters.
But at the same time, I hate it when people declare any women who shows any type of weakness in regards to a man weak and stupid and stereotypical. It's also weird how women get ragged on if the find motivation or drive because of their relationship with a man. One of the weirdest arguments I've heard is that River Tam failed as a character because she was a victim who only found strength because of her brother. And that's strange to me.
Now with the right account!sarolynneDecember 6 2009, 02:14:42 UTC
Yeeeeeah, that's particularly weird. I mostly read fantasy when I read for pleasure, so I very much understand that feeling. Oh, look, she's there for him to fall in love with and to help motivate him, and pretty much everything she actually accomplishes is just to make sure she deserves the hero.
I don't even know.
I'd like it if women found motivation from a variety of sources. I totally would. They should be! The lack of variety is a problem. But loving a man and being motivated by that isn't exactly a fail. Being affected by that isn't a fail. It's kind of scary how stereotypically masculine--being ruggedly individualistic, emotionally inaccessible and John Waynesque--that demands female characters be.
Re: Now with the right account!ellenel13December 6 2009, 02:23:53 UTC
Also, whenever men are motivated by women it's okay. The whole "reluctant hero finds determination and courage because the villains hurt/killed/raped his girlfriend/wife/mother/sister" trope has been beat to death. When was the last time anyone argued that a male character was a failure because he only found his motivation because of a woman? It's a double standard that gets to me.
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But at the same time, I hate it when people declare any women who shows any type of weakness in regards to a man weak and stupid and stereotypical. It's also weird how women get ragged on if the find motivation or drive because of their relationship with a man. One of the weirdest arguments I've heard is that River Tam failed as a character because she was a victim who only found strength because of her brother. And that's strange to me.
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I don't even know.
I'd like it if women found motivation from a variety of sources. I totally would. They should be! The lack of variety is a problem. But loving a man and being motivated by that isn't exactly a fail. Being affected by that isn't a fail. It's kind of scary how stereotypically masculine--being ruggedly individualistic, emotionally inaccessible and John Waynesque--that demands female characters be.
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So that kind of tells you who takes the blame.
(Other than the author.)
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