This is officially the most brilliant article ever

[lirazel]

...and all of you who have even the slightest interest in Buffy Summers should go read it now. It's attacking the idea of Buffy being whiny, and the whole thing made me want to shout, "YES!"

It's been posted at ontd_feminism, but there are only 14 comments at the moment and they already make me upset, so I thought I'd post it here so we could have a friendlier discussion where we don't have to defend our love of the later seasons and of Spike and whatever else is being bashed over there.

So! Go forth and read it! You'll be glad you did!

Comments

[blackfrancine.livejournal.com]

Gah! I totally read the article on ontd_f, and I was all excited. Then the comments were a total buzzkill. The comments on the article itself are a bit arduous as well. WHY? Why can't we all just see how awesome the things I like are, and agree?

Anyway. It was nice to see this article--it needs to be said that Buffy isn't whiny as often as possible and in as many venues outside of my brain as possible.

It's kind of interesting when you think about it. The only superhero I can think of (though, admittedly, I'm not all that into the superheroes as a genre) with obvious emotional issues is Batman. And he deals with his emotional issues by completely closing off--which reminds me quite a bit of how Angel deals. They both seem to be received as all the more sympathetic for their inability to function as emotional beings. Their stoicism is perceived as both a marker of the tragedy and pain they've endured and of their strength of character. But Buffy--when she's stoic and emotionally closed off, she's excoriated for it. And when she's emotionally expressive she's excoriated. I would argue that it's about fitting into "acceptable" emotive expression stereotypes for the genders--but I don't think that's it. Because Buffy seems damned if she does and damned if she doesn't. I almost think it's that Buffy is actually SO accessible as a character, that she loses all that superhero elevation worship that Batman and Superman and even Angel get. And then she's just subject to the criticism that all women are--you're a bitch if you aren't a super-sensitive spring of emotions; and you're a whiny girly girl if you express emotions.

[angearia.livejournal.com]

Don't let it kill the buzz, bb. Comment with me and SCHOOL them!


WE CAN DO IT!

[blackfrancine.livejournal.com]

I want to! But when I tried to join the community I was rejected! Boo. (I didn't have any posts on my journal at the time, so maybe that's why, but--the rejection, it stings.)

I went and read your posts! I was SO clapping my hands and bouncing up and down as you schooled that person with the SMG acting comment!

Holy crap. SMG in the Body kills me so dead.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's probably why you were. I have some pull with one of the mods, though; I'll see if I can talk to her. No guarantees, though--I don't know what the rules are.

[blackfrancine.livejournal.com]

I reapplied. But I doubt I'll hear back very soon. But at least now I have a couple of journal entries. And one entry even has the word misogyny in the title. So... you know, that should help, right?

If I'm allowed to join this time, at least I'll be prepared for the next Buffy-related post there.

[angearia.livejournal.com]

Yay! I'm glad I made a good argument and called out that person what they were trying to pull. NOT COOL, stranger, NOT COOL.

Gah, SMG ~kills~ me in The Body, too. She's so brilliant. I love both her and Buffy.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I know! And there was that person tearing apart SMG's acting, and I was all, "OMG EMMIE'S GOING TO KILL HER!"

it needs to be said that Buffy isn't whiny as often as possible and in as many venues outside of my brain as possible.

Exactly!

I don't really know much about superheroes outside of their movies (which I'm a big fan of), so I can't address it in that context, but I love what you have to say here.

But Buffy--when she's stoic and emotionally closed off, she's excoriated for it. And when she's emotionally expressive she's excoriated.

EXACTLY.

I almost think it's that Buffy is actually SO accessible as a character, that she loses all that superhero elevation worship that Batman and Superman and even Angel get. And then she's just subject to the criticism that all women are--you're a bitch if you aren't a super-sensitive spring of emotions; and you're a whiny girly girl if you express emotions.

This is really fascinating. I think you are correct.

[blackfrancine.livejournal.com]

I was all, "OMG EMMIE'S GOING TO KILL HER!

Hahaha! I thought the EXACT same thing! (And then Emmie swooped in with her righteous blade Buffy defending and cut that person in two!)

[local-max.livejournal.com]

Most Marvel superheroes have serious emotional issues. Peter Parker/Spider-Man is the biggest example, but he's often criticized heavily for being whiny. Joss Whedon is obviously a Marvel guy (and his run on Astonishing X-Men has him very explicitly deconstructing all the characters and having them confront their deepest fears, etc.).

At any rate, I agree that Buffy's accessibility changes how people view her in comparison to other superheroes, and tends to lead to people ignoring her heroism and focusing on her "faults," like actually being emotionally affected by emotional devastation.

[blackfrancine.livejournal.com]

Huh. That's interesting that Spider-Man is criticized for being whiny. That might show that it's actually that we're demanding our superheroes to be a caricature of masculinity and strength. Because, as a society, we're accustomed to our saviors being strong, silent-type men on white horses. But if that were true, then people should be more receptive to Closed-off!Buffy. (Sorry, I'm thinking aloud here).

Are there any complaints levied against other female superheroes? I'm just curious whether the kind of criticism Buffy gets is received by other female characters.