(***Spoiler Alert for "Becoming Part 1" and "Becoming Part 2"***)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer constantly opposes common gender stereotypes. The series's very first scene shows a blonde, seemingly innocent woman as the predator and a strong, muscular man as the victim, breaking gender barriers from the very start. While watching episodes in seasons one and two, I was surprised by each scene's outcome. Rather than being predictable and sticking to social norms,
Buffy continually keeps the viewer on the edge of his or her seat and
never keeps with common gender classifications.
One scene that shows such opposition to common gender stereotypes is the climax of "Becoming Part 2," when Buffy stabs Angel into Acathla and sends him into hell to close the vortex. Even though Buffy knows that Angel is back, she must give up her own happiness to save the world. In many other television shows, the main character would end up with her love. However,
Buffy shows a different result. Buffy's strength is undeniable in this scene. She sacrifices love and happiness, something the "usual" teenage girl would not do. She is not a love-sick, weak girl, but a strong, independent heroine, and thus, opposes common gender classifications.
Buffy not only has a powerful, independent teenage girl as its main character and hero, but it also includes many other strong female characters. Willow, Ms. Calendar, and Drusilla all have their own strengths, and are sometimes even portrayed as stronger than their male counterparts. Willow is much smarter than Xander, and she seems to be much more level headed and reasonable in times of trouble. In "Becoming Part 2," even though she is weak and in the hospital, Willow is adamant about trying the curse to change Angel back again. She proves her strength by persevering in a time when the "usual," weaker female character would simply give up. Ms. Calendar is also intelligent and powerful. She works with computers to translate the curse into English. While many other shows would show males as such intelligent, strong characters,
Buffy instead shows Willow and Ms. Calendar, two females that look meager on the outside.
Drusilla is also portrayed as a powerful female. Granted, she's crazy, but she is also very strong and is the definite head in her relationship with Spike. This in itself fights common gender stereotypes. Common social norms hold the male as the patriarch, the leader of a relationship who has the ultimate decision of what's right and wrong for him and his love interest.
Buffy, however, has Drusilla as this figure. Spike is the devoted, love-sick partner (a role which the female usually takes in many television shows) and Drusilla is the head who has an abundant amount of power over her partner. Therefore, their relationship opposes common gender classifications. Throughout
Buffy, many female characters are not what they seem; they are strong, independent women rather than weak and incapable, and in this way, they do not conform to gender stereotypes.
I agree with you that the show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" questions traditional gender roles. However, I think the show also enforces certain stereotypes. Take Buffy, she has the responsibility of saving everyone from vampires, reptiles, mummies, and other like creatures with the expense of her social life. However, she often complains to Giles about this; her social life being very important for a 16 year old. Furthermore, in the first episode, when Buffy was first introduced to Sunnydale High School, her main priority was being able to fit in, which involves her appearance. Another example is Cordellia, whose character is the stereotypical popular mean girl. She is obsessed with boys, clothing and makeup. Cordellia often criticizes Buffy and Willow for their choice of clothing, hairstyle, or makeup. Additionally, in the episode titled 'Reptile Boy' (Season 2 Ep 5), Cordellia seeks to date college frat boys. As a result, although "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" does break gender barriers with strong female characters, it also enforces some gender stereotypes at the same time.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I would think that a show that openly and obviously counteracts every gender or social stereotypes in existence would be confusing and boring. Certain concepts are played into so that the ones that are against the norm stand out more. Plus, Many people fit into a certain norm to some degree. Therefore, if a character is to be relate-able to real people, she must also play into certain norms.
ReplyDeleteAnother note about Buffy, yeah she stabs the love of her life to save the universe, but (spoiler) it overwhelms her and she leaves Sunndydale for the summer and takes on a completely new identity. I like this because it shows her dealing with the consequences of her actions. It shows perseverance through hard choices not just "yay, I took the moral highground and I'm okay"
Finally, Cordelia is somewhat(or alot shallow) in some of the episodes. However, she is also way more than a pretty face, an entertaining character because she plays into stereotypes, and is a crazy strong character in the spin off show "Angel" - which I highly recommend watching.
While I agree that Buffy must be a relatable character, the stereotypes that she embodies relate to extreme issues in gender normativity that need to be addressed. Buffy's fashion sense, looks, and Heteronormativity perpetuate an unfair standard of beauty that give women and girls the perception that being a real women means to conform to the standard of beauty that strong female characters play. Buffy's stereotypical femininity hurts the message of female empowerment because it creates the perception that beauty is a sign of power, and that it is a necessary component of being strong. In this sense, Buffy's relatability hinders the movement towards gender norm reversal and creates an image of beauty that is unattainable for most women.
DeleteWhile I agree that Buffy must be a relatable character, the stereotypes that she embodies relate to extreme issues in gender normativity that need to be addressed. Buffy's fashion sense, looks, and Heteronormativity perpetuate an unfair standard of beauty that give women and girls the perception that being a real women means to conform to the standard of beauty that strong female characters play. Buffy's stereotypical femininity hurts the message of female empowerment because it creates the perception that beauty is a sign of power, and that it is a necessary component of being strong. In this sense, Buffy's relatability hinders the movement towards gender norm reversal and creates an image of beauty that is unattainable for most women.
DeleteI agree with Maggie when she says that having a show that purely defied societal gender stereotypes without submitting to any would be so boring! A certain amount of stereotypes must be played into in order to show that these stereotypes can also be defied. I think the show does a great job of defying these stereotypes in a relatable way, giving the message that even a pretty, blonde cheerleader can save the world. If the show hadn’t played into her stereotypical feminine appearance in the first place, the fact that she is a girl selected to slay demons and defy societal stereotypes in the physical sense would not have had as strong of an effect.
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