Female Heroism - Are Males Behind the Heroine?



Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a show which has reached cult status, after running for 7 years, among many people. The show's creator, Joss Whedon, has proclaimed himself a feminist on many occasions - and the premise for the show, indeed, seems like one that would appeal to many feminists. A young teenage girl, Buffy, has magical powers which permits her to be the only slayer in the world. Therefore, it is up to a girl to fight against the evils of the world and essentially save it on a day-to-day basis. Sounds like a promising feminist series, doesn't it?

The great thing about Buffy is that it is able to create its own world for its audience- called the Buffyverse. This idea of a created world isn't exclusive to Buffy, as "cinema is an especially powerful visual medium because a film can create a total world for its audience" (Rose, 108). But it is important to note the fact that it is through cinema/the camera that this world can come into existence. We must therefore pay close attention to what the camera does - how is it representing females in the Buffyverse? We obviously see a lot of Buffy herself, considering her role as the slayer/main character. And perhaps it isn't surprising that a series would exist where a female is the heroine who often has to fight against evil; "TV Shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Alias, and the professional boxing legacies of Ali and Foreman passed down to daughters, physical fighting has a real presence in popular media and specifically in girls' popular culture" (Brown, 3). This popular presence of girls fighting perhaps has to do with appellation. That is to say, the creators of these types of series want their female audience to be able to identify with the female on the screen - this is what brings the audience in.

Now that I have discussed the basic premise of the show, and given a little bit of insight to our female heroine, it is time to take a closer look at the series. There are two episodes in particular which I will be dealing with - Surprise and Becoming, Part I (both in season 2 of the series). The one thing that is a bit alarming in both of these episodes is the extreme male dominance in them. For a series that spouts such feminist ideals, why is it that males seem to be running the show? Let us first begin with the relationship between Buffy and Giles, her watcher. A watcher is someone who looks over the slayer and gives them sound advice on what to do. Interesting, then, that the show would choose to cast a male as her watcher.

Why is it that Buffy needs a watcher in her life in the first place? Considering she is a completely apt heroine, who is the only one that can fight vampires and save the world, it would seem that a watcher is simply extra baggage. "Buffy is the action hero who, even though female, disdains literacy and is helped by her more bookish literate sidekicks Willow Rosenberg and the librarian Rupert Giles" (Williams, 5). It would seem that because Buffy is fulfilling a "masculine" role, she must give up things that are located in the "feminine sphere" - such as literacy. In other words, because Buffy is the heroine, she must give up on other aspects traditionally "female," in order to be saved by men. Buffy couldn't be what it is without the book-worm character of Giles, who pushes literacy onto both Buffy and the audience. The series, then, offers a different sort of superhero; someone who doesn't need brute force to be able to save the universe, but rather someone who uses literacy in a "morally complex universe" (Wright, 64). This is thus the beginning of the male domination that Buffy faces.

There is a clear differentiation between male and female roles in regards to the characters of Buffy and Giles - one is the brute force, and the other is the "the brains." We can consider these roles by looking to psychoanalysis - "psychoanalysis is centrally concerned with the process through which sexual difference is established and (often precariously) maintained" (Rose, 113). It is obvious that Buffy is attempting to break the stereotypical male/female roles by doing this backwards flip-flop of duties. However, one still must consider the fact that Buffy needs her watcher - because every slayer does, and she wouldn't be knowledgeable enough to fight demons without him. These concerns over the fact that Buffy may not be as feminist as it seems are brought up by Magoulick, who questions the fact that Buffy was both written mostly by men and occurs in a "still male-dominated world" (1).

Why is it that so many people have overlooked the idea of a male watcher, who essentially controls Buffy's life, in favor of seeing Buffy as an independent female heroine who doesn't need males to be strong and powerful? Perhaps we can consider preferred reading, which leads audiences to come to a conclusion based on the most popular consensus (Rose, 98). In other words, audiences will overlook this male dominance because they probably see it as normal - because we have been culturally brought up to think that other people (often males) have the ability to control our lives. This, then, renders Giles' role as Buffy's guide completely normal; and this is why it is often overlooked. However, it is important to remember that "in [Buffy], the women are all controlled and formed by men. Men give them their strength, help them to channel whatever power they have, and are always lurking, either as potential lovers, as controlling father figures or bosses, as potential threats, or sometime all three at once" (Magoulick, 7).

This idea of men giving strength to female characters is particular pertinent with Giles; as he is the one who continually tells Buffy how to defeat the evil she is battling against. Without him, she would be powerless. Let us also consider this other role that Magoulick brings up of "potential lovers" - this brings us to another male character in the series, Angel. Angel is a vampire who has regained his soul and is therefore now one of the "good guys" - who also happens to be Buffy's lover. In the beginning of Surprise, we are transported into Buffy's dream where she is at a strange party. Buffy walks around aimlessly, very confused - until she sees Angel, who is the only one that can take that confusion away. In her dream, she eventually sees Angel "dusted" (the Buffyverse term for when a vampire is killed) and automatically runs to the other male figure in her life- Giles. It seems that these two characters have a monopoly on Buffy's life; Angel runs it (she bases her actions on her fears of losing him), and Giles tells her what to do (guides her).

As she tells her concerns to Giles, she states, "I should keep my slayer cool, but it's Angel....which automatically equals maxi-wig." This sentence (although literred with cheesy 90's slang) perfectly describes the way in which men are running her life for her - she is unable to perform as the calm slayer, because her concerns for the other male figure in her life, Angel, has taken away her "slayer cool." With all of this evidence showing that males are seemingly running the show in Buffy, one has to question whether or not this show is sending out a pro or anti-feminist message. It is thus important to analyze Buffy's role - is she really performing her "masculine" role and destroying phallocentrism, or does she simply fulfill a typical submissive female character whose only role is to be looked at? I will discuss these concerns in the next section. Continue to the next section

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