HAMSTER WHEEL! That's my new favorite term for Mr. Manpain.
It's really fascinating to read your introspection about what appeals to you in female characters, especially as someone who has vidded SO MANY. I think you're interested not so much in some monolithic category of "strong female characters" but in lots of different kinds of strength. Meanwhile, there's nothing wrong with kicking ass while being pretty. :)
I sometimes get the impression that all valued and upstanding female characters have to be positive... A lot of female viewers insist that character has to be outstanding and upstanding at all times because that female character is representing them.
This has been called the "burden of representation" -- it's an issue for various under-represented groups. I am still shaking my tiny fist about an argument I got in back in the day with someone who thought Admiral Cain is a homophobic/bad lesbian portrayal because she's unsympathetic/evil. It's a kind of backhanded oppression to say that because there aren't ENOUGH "positive" images only "positive" images are ALLOWED.
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Date: 2012-11-04 11:45 pm (UTC)It's really fascinating to read your introspection about what appeals to you in female characters, especially as someone who has vidded SO MANY. I think you're interested not so much in some monolithic category of "strong female characters" but in lots of different kinds of strength. Meanwhile, there's nothing wrong with kicking ass while being pretty. :)
I sometimes get the impression that all valued and upstanding female characters have to be positive... A lot of female viewers insist that character has to be outstanding and upstanding at all times because that female character is representing them.
This has been called the "burden of representation" -- it's an issue for various under-represented groups. I am still shaking my tiny fist about an argument I got in back in the day with someone who thought Admiral Cain is a homophobic/bad lesbian portrayal because she's unsympathetic/evil. It's a kind of backhanded oppression to say that because there aren't ENOUGH "positive" images only "positive" images are ALLOWED.