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Rip her to shreds
There have been a lot of entires popping up on my flist of late about female characters, and about why fandom (which is largely female-dominated) can be so critical of them. And while there are certainly a lot of factors to consider (the quality and consistency of female characters, the fact that many female characters are written by men), I think one of the major reasons is that we are (most of us) women. I know, it seems counterintuitive, but bear with me.
In fandom, if not necessarily in canon, my "gateway" character is almost always female. One of the first things I'll look for when entering a new fandom is a female character with whom I can relate. And I know that sometimes, it can take me a while to get a fix on that character, especially in fandoms that have few significant female roles.
Sometimes, it happens straight away. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy was (obviously) the main character, and I identified with her immediately. Perky, blonde, ex-cheerleader high school student who kicks ass and loves to shop? I'm so there. She was simultaneously like me and better than me - close enough that I could relate to her, different enough that I could aspire to be her. It's a balancing act - one that's impossible to get right all the time, or for everybody at the same time.
When I started watching Stargate Atlantis, on the other hand, it took me a while to warm up to Teyla. For![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
talumin, not so much; she was hot, she was smart, she was tough. (Really, the first probably would have been enough - and if we're being honest with ourselves, how many male characters have we fallen in love with on that basis alone, without requiring the degree of scrutiny to which we often subject female characters?) But I had other considerations - was she too different from me? She was so calm; I could never be so level-headed. Her background and aspirations were different to mine, her values, her demeanour. Eventually, I focused on the things that drew me to the character (which, ironically, are things I've often seen her criticised for - she's too feisty, her clothes are too provocative, she's the stereotypical Wonder Woman/hot alien babe fantasy), and it didn't hurt that there was a ship to go along with her. Ditto SG-1; Sam is unlike me in a lot of ways, but for the first eight seasons, she's pretty much the only main female character, so she gets my "identification" pass by default.
In contrast, I require much less from "my" male characters. I'm not seeking to identify with them as closely, so they can differ from me significantly and still hold my interest. I'm not looking to them for a role model; they can be hugely flawed and not inspire the same sort of instinctive criticism that problematic female characters can. In short, I think female characters get the harsh treatment they do from fandom because we're too close to them. We're critical of ourselves, so show us a female character who resembles us too closely, and we'll pick her apart. We envy the women who have what we want, so show us a female character who is too perfect, and we'll rip her to shreds. We sugar-coat our own flaws, so show us a female character who is portrayed too realistically, and we'll jump all over her weaknesses. Show us a female character who is different enough from us that those criticisms don't apply, and we simply won't be able to relate to her.
(This isn't meant as a broad generalisation; some or all of those factors may apply to you, or none.)
And like I said, there are other factors here. Those who prefer to ignore female characters in favour of slashing the male characters of their choice may not be seeking to relate to the female characters at all; for them, the appeal of a character probably lies more in attraction than identification. Others may not be interested in single characters as much as they are in the interactions between characters; if a female characters is enjoyable in her own right but isn't involved in any satisfying (romantic or platonic) relationships, she may fail to hold their interest. And in many cases, objections to female characters are less personal and more objective; particularly in shows written by men, or with a largely male-dominated cast, the chances of finding an interesting, integral, well-written female character may be lesser.
But when female characters are consistently criticised, in disproportionate degree to the criticism of male characters; when there is vitriolic hatred directed towards female characters; when integral female characters are flat out ignored for no discernible reason - maybe then, we should ask ourselves how much of it is them, and how much is us.
In fandom, if not necessarily in canon, my "gateway" character is almost always female. One of the first things I'll look for when entering a new fandom is a female character with whom I can relate. And I know that sometimes, it can take me a while to get a fix on that character, especially in fandoms that have few significant female roles.
Sometimes, it happens straight away. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy was (obviously) the main character, and I identified with her immediately. Perky, blonde, ex-cheerleader high school student who kicks ass and loves to shop? I'm so there. She was simultaneously like me and better than me - close enough that I could relate to her, different enough that I could aspire to be her. It's a balancing act - one that's impossible to get right all the time, or for everybody at the same time.
When I started watching Stargate Atlantis, on the other hand, it took me a while to warm up to Teyla. For
talumin, not so much; she was hot, she was smart, she was tough. (Really, the first probably would have been enough - and if we're being honest with ourselves, how many male characters have we fallen in love with on that basis alone, without requiring the degree of scrutiny to which we often subject female characters?) But I had other considerations - was she too different from me? She was so calm; I could never be so level-headed. Her background and aspirations were different to mine, her values, her demeanour. Eventually, I focused on the things that drew me to the character (which, ironically, are things I've often seen her criticised for - she's too feisty, her clothes are too provocative, she's the stereotypical Wonder Woman/hot alien babe fantasy), and it didn't hurt that there was a ship to go along with her. Ditto SG-1; Sam is unlike me in a lot of ways, but for the first eight seasons, she's pretty much the only main female character, so she gets my "identification" pass by default.In contrast, I require much less from "my" male characters. I'm not seeking to identify with them as closely, so they can differ from me significantly and still hold my interest. I'm not looking to them for a role model; they can be hugely flawed and not inspire the same sort of instinctive criticism that problematic female characters can. In short, I think female characters get the harsh treatment they do from fandom because we're too close to them. We're critical of ourselves, so show us a female character who resembles us too closely, and we'll pick her apart. We envy the women who have what we want, so show us a female character who is too perfect, and we'll rip her to shreds. We sugar-coat our own flaws, so show us a female character who is portrayed too realistically, and we'll jump all over her weaknesses. Show us a female character who is different enough from us that those criticisms don't apply, and we simply won't be able to relate to her.
(This isn't meant as a broad generalisation; some or all of those factors may apply to you, or none.)
And like I said, there are other factors here. Those who prefer to ignore female characters in favour of slashing the male characters of their choice may not be seeking to relate to the female characters at all; for them, the appeal of a character probably lies more in attraction than identification. Others may not be interested in single characters as much as they are in the interactions between characters; if a female characters is enjoyable in her own right but isn't involved in any satisfying (romantic or platonic) relationships, she may fail to hold their interest. And in many cases, objections to female characters are less personal and more objective; particularly in shows written by men, or with a largely male-dominated cast, the chances of finding an interesting, integral, well-written female character may be lesser.
But when female characters are consistently criticised, in disproportionate degree to the criticism of male characters; when there is vitriolic hatred directed towards female characters; when integral female characters are flat out ignored for no discernible reason - maybe then, we should ask ourselves how much of it is them, and how much is us.