some lady meta.

[annwyd]

So I was going through old metafandom posts and I ran across this little gem:

The idea that I automatically have to like a woman because she is a woman is absurd and the idea that I have to automatically like a female character is equally absurd (especially since that would mean I had to like every single writer's views of women and consider every writer

Comments

[a_white_rain]

YES

[annwyd]

Mai/Zuko icon is approved for great maikout justice.

[a_white_rain]

HOW GREAT IS IT TO SEE TV WHERE TEENAGERS ACT LIKE TEENAGERS AND MAKE OUT A LOT.

[annwyd]

PRETTY DAMN GREAT. Mai/Zuko may not be an Epic Romance For The Forever Ages (although hey, maybe it could be, I hear good things about TBR), but it's definitely a good example of teenagers being dumb and dorky at each other in adorable ways. XD

[heron_advocate]

Signed~

[annwyd]

♥

lulz at your icon. ILU dweeb!Zuko. Need a Zuko icon myself, dammit.

[heron_advocate]

Have you seen "The Western Air Temple"? It is seriously my favorite episode ever because Zuko is SO fucking dweeby. ♥

[annwyd]

Not yet. I keep getting distracted by other stuff even though alfjkdklfsd I want to get to TBR for the OMG SOKKA/SUKI GOODNESS.

[annwyd]

Um...ICHIRUKI IS TTLY CANON ORIHIME IS A DUMB WHORE?

Ow. My brain.

[annwyd]

You know I am a linkwhore, bb.

[scuttling]

Agreed re: the nasty intersection. It's incredibly unfortunate that statments like the one you quoted are so prevalent, and a brief glance at most fandoms really says a lot about how far culture still has to go. Woo hoo, objectifying! Only, not.

[annwyd]

It's true. There's a whole set of problems that attend the portrayal and reception of women in fiction. It frustrates me when I see female fans not acknowledging that the more critical reception of women in fiction is something they should be working to change, that simply saying "oh, well, we just have to always make sure we write female characters just so to avoid them being Mary Sues or weak or bitches" is ultimately less productive than trying to break down the standards that insist women have to be practically freaking magical to not be Mary Sues or weak or bitches. :/

...of course, if we could all just, you know, treat women as people first, that would fix the problems in both portrayal and reception. It is goddamn ridiculous that this seems to be such a hard thing for society.