The problem I had with that scene is what I call Buffy Syndrome.
Cannoli Send a noteboard - 18/01/2012 05:10:59 AM
I've never been one who considers women somehow inferior to men. Yes, on average, women are physically weaker than men. That's just nature. Things like this have a purpose in nature. So, with that said, I never understood how anyone could view women as somehow "weaker" than men. Men have no inherent superiority over women. But, generally, the human race has ruled by strength. This probably led to thinking that women were inferior. When this thinking is slowly corrected, which I believe it largely has, it can led to something I call "over-correction." We have perhaps become so vigorous in our attempt to make up for our past that we go overboard. This brings me around to my topic of women in action roles. Namely, that we have given women abilities that they do not possess.
And in addition to that, they tend to glorify the use of force and power by women as a desirable end in itself, due to that over-correction of viewpoint which you mention. Thus, in properties like Song of Ice & Fire, Wheel of Time and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the questionable use of power by attractive teenage female characters is applauded because they are exerting themselves and using force or exerting authority, when an examination of their reasons, justifications or rationales, or the results and effects, or their attitudes toward that power, all fail to stand up under scrutiny. I call it after Buffy, because on that TV show she was portrayed as a hero, despite not being very heroic. Random chance gave her great power and she was urged to use that power to fight evil, but most of the show was about her trying to reconcile the conflict between using her power to do good and save lives, and her desire to slough off those responsibilities to indulge herself in frivolous teenage activities. The worst of example was ironically during a story arc that is widely considered the creative peak of the show, where her boyfriend turns into an evil vampire. When they have their initial fight after she spoils his dastardly plan, he taunts her with the ending of their relationship and she kicks him in the crotch, but is unable to kill him. That moment is generally applauded by fans and critics as "awesome" and "girl-power" and whatnot, because she put the oppressing male in his place. Over the course of the next few episodes, the villain she failed to kill because of a selfish sentimental attachment is shown to repeatedly murder innocent human beings, with no real effort on her part to rectify the situation, until he kills someone in her inner circle of friends, and after that, she goes on a vendetta to stalk and kill him. The focus on the entire arc is about her feelings and dealing with the tragedy and how wonderfully strong she is, when all she is doing is belatedly stepping up and doing what she should have, and correcting a mistake. Yet, she is both handled with kid gloves, treated like she's much weaker and more fragile, and hailed and praised for her heroism in doing what she should have in the first place, and averting a danger she should never have allowed to happen. I feel fairly certain that a male character making similar mistakes would not have been given so much narrative sympathy. As in the case of exaggerating the strength and physical prowess, her heroism, virtue and sense of responsibility, various intangible qualities that is, are exaggerated, almost entirely because she is a girl. She is routinely placed in situations calculated to manipulate the audience into pitying her, despite the theoretical theme of female empowerment underlying the entire show. That is the most egregious, in-your-face example but there are many other intellectual properties that do the same thing, and it is solely because the moral scale is rolled back to accommodate anything a woman might take it into her head to do, often selfishly, but because she is the one doing the acting upon, it is considered acceptable. Let me clarify. Have you ever heard of reverse-racism?
A loathsome term. There is only racism. That term itself, in the context in which it is used is racist, because it implies that only blacks can be victims of racism. I believe this is the same concept. In this present culture, we have gone beyond the equilibrium and have actually become somewhat condescending to women. Case in point: I finally got around to watching Captain America (2011) on DVD. There is a scene where new Army recruits have shown up for basic training. In this scene, Hayley Atwell, playing Officer Peggy Carter, cold-cocks this new recruit and lays he out flat, like you see in a dozen war movies depicting basic training. The problem with this scene? Hayley Atwell is all 5'6" and about 110 pounds. She hits this guy with a closed fist and he's knocked out flat. I'm sorry, but this woman has no super powers. Most likely, the guy's head would have turned with the punch and it might have stung. And she would have probably broken her hand.
And what is worse, an egregious abuse of authority (which she did not actually have anyway, as a foreign national and commissioned officer of a foreign military force) and an uncalled for over-reaction and a complete misunderstanding by the writers (and by extension her character) of the basis of military authority, which has nothing to do with physical force or power. A male officer in the same position would not be remotely right or justified and few films would portray him as such. Even setting aside issues like respect and command authority, this "badass" moment of "proving herself" did not come as a result of fair combat or anything remotely resembling a genuine proving of her toughness or fighting spirit: she effectively ORDERED him to step into her punch and hold still! That in no way shape or form proves anything about the toughness of any individual who does that (aside from the guts/discipline of the man who can TAKE that punch), but because she is a girl, that's all that matters! A girl hit a guy! Whoo hoo! Grrrl Power! Yay!And what about later in the film, when she catches Steve Rogers kissing another woman (despite absolutely no relationship existing between their characters in any overt or explicit form) and she promptly expresses her jealously by firing a gun at him without warning? The scene in the carefully edited trailer made it look like he was being cocky and questioning the efficacy of the shield she was arming him with, and too teach him a lesson, demonstrated its sturdiness in a way that made him flinch. The actual scene in context strips the cool, badass connotation implied in the trailer, and makes her a petty, emotional woman who overreacts to a romantic disappointment, and pretty much confirming every sexist stereotype of that era about "dames" and why the men have to do the fighting and whatnot (not to mention the only other woman in the film being an insatiable slut who can't restrain herself from pouncing on Steve and kissing him at the first opportunity - which was basically the extent of her characterization). But all of this is forgiven, because in the movie, the girl shoots bad guys! She throws punches! She is Badass and A Pioneering Feminist Icon! In reality, she is condescendingly held to a lower standard of behavior, discipline and emotional judgement than any male character in similar straits would be.
This got me thinking about all the other action movies I've seen featuring sexy, thin actresses playing action heroes. Can you imagine an typical Hollywood actress getting into a fist fight with a MMA fighter? I don't care how much martial arts training a character has, she would get torn apart by a professional figher. Yet, we constantly see small, thin women beat big, burly fighters in fist fights. Isn't that a little condescending to women? We went from saying that women are inferior creatures to that they can beat us big, bad men in a fist fight. How realistic is that? When I see previews for this new movie called "Haywire," I just have to shake my head.
Again, women are in no way inferior to men, other than basic genetic stuff that nobody has any control over, and vice versa. I know it's just movies and tv shows. It's fantasy, I get it. But I don't like the reasoning behind it. It almost feels like the entertainment industry leaders are winking at the audience. Perhaps they are simply cashing in on the fact that maybe women want to see a movie where a woman kicks ass. Whatever the reason, I think it's pretty condescending. But yeah, that's just me.
No, it isn't. I went on at length about this as just one aspect of the erroneous portrayal of combat ethics, military honor and virtues and the exercise of power and force in that same movie on this very MB. It was not well received, so maybe it IS just us.
Again, women are in no way inferior to men, other than basic genetic stuff that nobody has any control over, and vice versa. I know it's just movies and tv shows. It's fantasy, I get it. But I don't like the reasoning behind it. It almost feels like the entertainment industry leaders are winking at the audience. Perhaps they are simply cashing in on the fact that maybe women want to see a movie where a woman kicks ass. Whatever the reason, I think it's pretty condescending. But yeah, that's just me.
Cannoli
“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.” GK Chesteron
Inde muagdhe Aes Sedai misain ye!
Deus Vult!
*MySmiley*
“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.” GK Chesteron
Inde muagdhe Aes Sedai misain ye!
Deus Vult!
*MySmiley*
A thought about women in action roles
17/01/2012 10:42:28 PM
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The actress in Haywire is a former MMA fighter.
17/01/2012 11:13:03 PM
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How many men did she beat in those fights?
18/01/2012 01:47:04 AM
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Haywire may not be the best example
17/01/2012 11:33:31 PM
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So: Action roles should have bigger women.
18/01/2012 03:29:38 AM
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Actually, Buffy is worse because it implies women need magic to be useful.
18/01/2012 05:34:09 AM
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Joyce comes to mind. And Tara - she hardly ever uses her magic. Oh, and Darla.
18/01/2012 10:58:57 PM
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I really doubt the outfit did much to make Xena look big.
18/01/2012 06:53:59 PM
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Lucy Lawless is pretty much Amazonian.
19/01/2012 09:28:11 AM
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It's true that she's not as tiny as others.
19/01/2012 05:46:59 PM
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"Not as tiny as the others" is about the best you can say for her.
19/01/2012 08:54:03 PM
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Re: A thought about women in action roles
18/01/2012 04:13:27 AM
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Indeed. See for example, any Robin Hood made in the last 20 years. Maid Marian HAS to fight. *NM*
18/01/2012 05:35:19 AM
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The problem I had with that scene is what I call Buffy Syndrome.
18/01/2012 05:10:59 AM
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Re: A thought about women in action roles
18/01/2012 07:50:28 PM
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She is some kind of super hero in super hero movie, is't she? *NM*
19/01/2012 07:30:50 AM
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I don't think she's technically supposed to have super powers.
19/01/2012 08:58:40 PM
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I thought Sarah Connor in T2: Judgment Day was a realistic portrayal of the action heroine.
20/01/2012 05:57:08 AM
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So did anyone actually see Haywire this weekend?
23/01/2012 02:34:43 PM
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It just depends on how much you're willing to accept.
23/01/2012 04:23:36 PM
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You're nitpicking and drawing an arbitrary line. All action is ridiculously unbelievable. *NM*
24/01/2012 04:53:40 AM
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Maybe. I just feel there's a distinction between "one in a million" and "impossible."
24/01/2012 03:53:35 PM
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