Bad Boys can bite me
Rant prompted by some interview with some comic guy where that tired old meme of "Women love bad boys" crops up yet again to 'explain' women's mysterious attraction to Spike.
One phrase I wish I could banish from the world is "Women love bad boys" and all variations thereof. You know why? Cause it's stupid and it makes women look stupid.
Let's take a more accurate phrase instead: Some people love bad (fictional) people.
Yes, some women love unabashedly evil!Spike and lament his being softened up later in the show.
Others love redeemable!Spike. Wanna know what scene seems to have created most Spuffy fans? It ain't when Spike chains Buffy up in Crush. Nope. It's the porch scene at the end of FFL. When Spike is decidedly choosing not to be a Bad Boy.
Oh! Guess what else! This isn't exclusive to women!
Some men love unabashedly evil!Faith.
Some men love redeemable!Faith.
Some men love vamp!Willow.
Some love Dark Willow.
Some love Crayon Breaky Willow.
Why? Why does this always get reduced to "women like bad boys" as if women are just stupid little creatures who have no comprehension of just how EVIL a particular fictional character is?
Well, I have ideas as to why we see that reduction (they revolve around sexism, an inability to separate fiction from reality, devaluation of female sexuality, and not a small amount of Nice Guy defensiveness), but I'm disinclined to go into it because this Spike fangirl is busy courting a completely nice, not-bad-at-all guy. So I'm gonna go let my mere existence prove the phrase wrong. kthxbai. Fuckers.
One phrase I wish I could banish from the world is "Women love bad boys" and all variations thereof. You know why? Cause it's stupid and it makes women look stupid.
Let's take a more accurate phrase instead: Some people love bad (fictional) people.
Yes, some women love unabashedly evil!Spike and lament his being softened up later in the show.
Others love redeemable!Spike. Wanna know what scene seems to have created most Spuffy fans? It ain't when Spike chains Buffy up in Crush. Nope. It's the porch scene at the end of FFL. When Spike is decidedly choosing not to be a Bad Boy.
Oh! Guess what else! This isn't exclusive to women!
Some men love unabashedly evil!Faith.
Some men love redeemable!Faith.
Some men love vamp!Willow.
Some love Dark Willow.
Some love Crayon Breaky Willow.
Why? Why does this always get reduced to "women like bad boys" as if women are just stupid little creatures who have no comprehension of just how EVIL a particular fictional character is?
Well, I have ideas as to why we see that reduction (they revolve around sexism, an inability to separate fiction from reality, devaluation of female sexuality, and not a small amount of Nice Guy defensiveness), but I'm disinclined to go into it because this Spike fangirl is busy courting a completely nice, not-bad-at-all guy. So I'm gonna go let my mere existence prove the phrase wrong. kthxbai. Fuckers.