Joss Whedon, you are my Big Damn Hero.
In explaining why, let me start here.
Now, I consider myself a browncoat. Had I been alive in the Firefly universe (I am aware this is gramatically wrong, as the Firefly universe is set in the future, rendering that sentence a bit gramatically misleading - but consider that sentence to mean 'had I been alive in the fictional future' ..just do it, let's not quabble) - So, had I been alive in the Firefly universe, I would have set up my allegiance firmly in the camp of the Independents, I would have fought heart and soul in the battle of Serenity Valley and I would have picked a fight in an Alliance-friendly bar every U Day from then on. And had I ever encountered our Seargeant Reynolds, I would have spent the rest of my days following him around the verse where'er he may choose to go, with unfaltering faith and loyalty.
Yep, I like to think that I would have been Zoe. Strong, dependable, ovaries made of solid adamantium, capable of a lifetime of loyalty, bravery, and love. I don't quite have her Amazon thighs, but I do look mighty fine in leather.
Like many of Joss Whedon's female characters, Zoe is a 'strong female'. Many Joss critics seemingly deem him as anti-feminist, stating that he depicts women whose strength comes from fitting one charicature of 'female strength' which mainly involves wearing leather, kicking arse, and looking hot (Zoe, Buffy, Echo..)
The thing is, yes Joss Whedon writes blatantly 'strong female' characters - but what in the hell is wrong with that, exactly? Do we look at Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones and complain that his strength, humour and good looks are 'too obvious' and therefore disqualify him as a an example of 'iconic masculinity' to be admired? Is Rambo too toned, James Bond too suave? No! They can all be considered charicatures of some obsure notion of male 'strength', but that is part of the human condition - to look for traits which exemplify the very best in humanity, as we see it, and then make said traits into emblems of what defines a 'hero'.
Don't we all need big damn heroes?
But what Joss does so magnificently, is create characters with real strength and grit - and yes, I include physicality in that - where really is the harm in depicting women who are so adept at fighting, they could kick Rambo's arse right off his testosterone-fuelled brick shithouse of a torso? What, because us women are just so sick of that particular stereotype (!)
The thing that is often forgotten in these arguments is just how completely he writes his women - by also identifying their weaknesses; their varied, intricate, well-established, relatable weaknesses.
Now Zoe is a warrior woman. Your supposedly atypical 'strong female character'.
Ah man, how I would love to launch into a full blown character analysis here, but in case you needed a quick intro..
However, her very strength, and the origins of that strength, are put into question by Joss' storylines - her loyalty is questioned as blind flock-like faith, her emotional rock-hardness occasionally considered an inability to think for herself (cf: Battle of Serenity Valley), her priorities can be viewed as askew and her propensity to put herself in such regular danger mildly suicidal - all of this serving to make her strength a real, rounded relatable element of a person, not just using her 'strength' as a one-dimensional token 'label' to please the blind feminists, who would be apparently mollified for their female role models to just wear the outfit labelled "we are not weak.. see?", or the 15 yr old boys who get their jollys from leather-clad hotties.
It just so happens that in questioning Zoe's weaknesses to establish the authenticity of her strength, whether or not what we see as strength really is such, the answer is a resounding "HELL yes, in every way, and don't you ever doubt it, dong ma?"
Joss doesn't just write one kick arse leading lady and be done with it (lets not forget, Zoe isn't in fact a leading lady, she's just one of the Serenity crew) - no, he appreciates strength in all its' genderless forms.
Look, for example, at Kaylee - you could say that she is a 'weak' female character, the baby of the group - sweet, good-natured, fearful and feeble in combat situations, your gentle geeky spirit. But she has her own strengths - her kindness, honesty, her humour. And she inspires strength in the rest of the crew, by her very sweetness and sincerity - she is the selfless heart of the Serenity family. And her worth, in that regard, does not go amiss.
Joss' characters, male or female, have their own stories - their own strengths, weaknesses, hangups and failings - but in this particular 'women in the media' debate, what is most notable, rather than the validity of his depiction of 'strength', is the way Joss uses humour. Without going overboard on strident feminist ranting here, seriously - the way women are portrayed in relation to humour is positively archaic. For the most part, in popular tv and film culture, particularly American tv and film culture, the best you are going to get is a Jennifer Anniston humour - mild, anodyne, ditsy, characterless humour. And black women, ah you've got no chance - there is no such thing as an intelligent, witty black woman - just sassy mamas or eco warriors. (I sound like I'm over-reacting here, but I'm not - look around)
Whereas the Whedon-creation Zoe, Mal's second in command, is not only sexy and a physical powerhorse, who owns her femininity as well as her sexuality, but she is intelligent, and has a real droll wit, implying she has a sense of humour. And she's black. A black woman. I know - you wouldn't think this would be too much of a stretch, but in the current state of female characters in popular culture, it's verging on revolutionary.
(I tried to find a clip of the wonderful "Quiet Jayne, you'll scare the women" line from Bushwhacked, but can't seem to find it - but to me this is a bang on-point example of Zoe in all her real glory - dry, perceptive, calm, sardonic, and with a keen eye for the truth in any situation)
Anyway, this is just turning into a love letter to Firefly, which believe me I will be writing one day, as this is but a droplet in the ocean of love that I have for the 'verse, but my point for now is this:
In a world of lazy, one dimensional, misogynistic and down right dangerous depictions of women - in a world of your Jennifer Anistons and Penny 'lets-not-bother-with-a-surname's from Big Bang Theory and even Misfits (seriously, look again, you'll see the lazy lack of care they put in their one dimensional female characters - a point which seems to have escaped the general public and media alike) - in this world of anodyne, humourless, weak, bland, second rate, second class even, examples of 'women', Joss Whedon writes witty, intelligent, complex, varied, and yes - strong - female characters And he writes them well. Wonderfully, in fact. Why do I know this? Because he writes good characters. Joss Whedon is a brilliant sci fi / tv / script writer, and he creates brilliant, believable worlds, and characters - and he makes you fall in love with them, just as he has. And how does he write his female characters? As if they were people.
Over to you, Cap'n Whedon.
In explaining why, let me start here.
Now, I consider myself a browncoat. Had I been alive in the Firefly universe (I am aware this is gramatically wrong, as the Firefly universe is set in the future, rendering that sentence a bit gramatically misleading - but consider that sentence to mean 'had I been alive in the fictional future' ..just do it, let's not quabble) - So, had I been alive in the Firefly universe, I would have set up my allegiance firmly in the camp of the Independents, I would have fought heart and soul in the battle of Serenity Valley and I would have picked a fight in an Alliance-friendly bar every U Day from then on. And had I ever encountered our Seargeant Reynolds, I would have spent the rest of my days following him around the verse where'er he may choose to go, with unfaltering faith and loyalty.
Yep, I like to think that I would have been Zoe. Strong, dependable, ovaries made of solid adamantium, capable of a lifetime of loyalty, bravery, and love. I don't quite have her Amazon thighs, but I do look mighty fine in leather.
Like many of Joss Whedon's female characters, Zoe is a 'strong female'. Many Joss critics seemingly deem him as anti-feminist, stating that he depicts women whose strength comes from fitting one charicature of 'female strength' which mainly involves wearing leather, kicking arse, and looking hot (Zoe, Buffy, Echo..)
The thing is, yes Joss Whedon writes blatantly 'strong female' characters - but what in the hell is wrong with that, exactly? Do we look at Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones and complain that his strength, humour and good looks are 'too obvious' and therefore disqualify him as a an example of 'iconic masculinity' to be admired? Is Rambo too toned, James Bond too suave? No! They can all be considered charicatures of some obsure notion of male 'strength', but that is part of the human condition - to look for traits which exemplify the very best in humanity, as we see it, and then make said traits into emblems of what defines a 'hero'.
Don't we all need big damn heroes?
But what Joss does so magnificently, is create characters with real strength and grit - and yes, I include physicality in that - where really is the harm in depicting women who are so adept at fighting, they could kick Rambo's arse right off his testosterone-fuelled brick shithouse of a torso? What, because us women are just so sick of that particular stereotype (!)
The thing that is often forgotten in these arguments is just how completely he writes his women - by also identifying their weaknesses; their varied, intricate, well-established, relatable weaknesses.
Now Zoe is a warrior woman. Your supposedly atypical 'strong female character'.
Ah man, how I would love to launch into a full blown character analysis here, but in case you needed a quick intro..
However, her very strength, and the origins of that strength, are put into question by Joss' storylines - her loyalty is questioned as blind flock-like faith, her emotional rock-hardness occasionally considered an inability to think for herself (cf: Battle of Serenity Valley), her priorities can be viewed as askew and her propensity to put herself in such regular danger mildly suicidal - all of this serving to make her strength a real, rounded relatable element of a person, not just using her 'strength' as a one-dimensional token 'label' to please the blind feminists, who would be apparently mollified for their female role models to just wear the outfit labelled "we are not weak.. see?", or the 15 yr old boys who get their jollys from leather-clad hotties.
It just so happens that in questioning Zoe's weaknesses to establish the authenticity of her strength, whether or not what we see as strength really is such, the answer is a resounding "HELL yes, in every way, and don't you ever doubt it, dong ma?"
Joss doesn't just write one kick arse leading lady and be done with it (lets not forget, Zoe isn't in fact a leading lady, she's just one of the Serenity crew) - no, he appreciates strength in all its' genderless forms.
Look, for example, at Kaylee - you could say that she is a 'weak' female character, the baby of the group - sweet, good-natured, fearful and feeble in combat situations, your gentle geeky spirit. But she has her own strengths - her kindness, honesty, her humour. And she inspires strength in the rest of the crew, by her very sweetness and sincerity - she is the selfless heart of the Serenity family. And her worth, in that regard, does not go amiss.
Joss' characters, male or female, have their own stories - their own strengths, weaknesses, hangups and failings - but in this particular 'women in the media' debate, what is most notable, rather than the validity of his depiction of 'strength', is the way Joss uses humour. Without going overboard on strident feminist ranting here, seriously - the way women are portrayed in relation to humour is positively archaic. For the most part, in popular tv and film culture, particularly American tv and film culture, the best you are going to get is a Jennifer Anniston humour - mild, anodyne, ditsy, characterless humour. And black women, ah you've got no chance - there is no such thing as an intelligent, witty black woman - just sassy mamas or eco warriors. (I sound like I'm over-reacting here, but I'm not - look around)
Whereas the Whedon-creation Zoe, Mal's second in command, is not only sexy and a physical powerhorse, who owns her femininity as well as her sexuality, but she is intelligent, and has a real droll wit, implying she has a sense of humour. And she's black. A black woman. I know - you wouldn't think this would be too much of a stretch, but in the current state of female characters in popular culture, it's verging on revolutionary.
(I tried to find a clip of the wonderful "Quiet Jayne, you'll scare the women" line from Bushwhacked, but can't seem to find it - but to me this is a bang on-point example of Zoe in all her real glory - dry, perceptive, calm, sardonic, and with a keen eye for the truth in any situation)
Anyway, this is just turning into a love letter to Firefly, which believe me I will be writing one day, as this is but a droplet in the ocean of love that I have for the 'verse, but my point for now is this:
In a world of lazy, one dimensional, misogynistic and down right dangerous depictions of women - in a world of your Jennifer Anistons and Penny 'lets-not-bother-with-a-surname's from Big Bang Theory and even Misfits (seriously, look again, you'll see the lazy lack of care they put in their one dimensional female characters - a point which seems to have escaped the general public and media alike) - in this world of anodyne, humourless, weak, bland, second rate, second class even, examples of 'women', Joss Whedon writes witty, intelligent, complex, varied, and yes - strong - female characters And he writes them well. Wonderfully, in fact. Why do I know this? Because he writes good characters. Joss Whedon is a brilliant sci fi / tv / script writer, and he creates brilliant, believable worlds, and characters - and he makes you fall in love with them, just as he has. And how does he write his female characters? As if they were people.
Over to you, Cap'n Whedon.
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