As a part of my paper I am writing about female roles in media. At first I thought of simply writing about the changes in female characters over the ages and how feminism had affected this changed. In television history however there have always been strong women in every decade, though the character may be sarcastic or have a small role. Women with strong roles were always around though not as prevalent. I then tried to explain my uneasiness with strong female characters in media today. However, Mouglick's examination of the role of Xena, Buffy and Nikita voiced alot of the concerns I was having writing this paper. Mouglick did a great job expressing how the strong women we see in television series are still essentially being told that the strength is not worth it. She examined Xena, Buffy and Nikita's many relationships over the series and stated that these heroines always end up hurt both physically and emotionally by those they love. These heroines risk their lives daily and yet are still not guaranteed loyalty and love from others, now I understand that no one is guaranteed this in life, however compare this to shows with male heroes and they do not face the same concerns. These women are betrayed by those they love, physically beaten and humiliated verbally by those closest to them. Making viewers believe that strong women cannot hold strong relationships because they will eventually be hurt by them. Moreoever, Mouglick showcased that many of these women have very strong male support system, however the lack of female support in thier lives sends the message that the women are strong because of the men that put them there. Lastly, the lack of love and support and being controlled by men even as a strong character, makes the women feel trapped and always in need to escape their heroine life. All in all, these factors make female viewers think that being strong is not worth it! The actresses who portray strong women are still always burdened with responsibility with no support system essentially being told that this is the out come for being strong. The Mouglick article really cements in my mind the idea that women are always competing with societal ideals of what women should be, and therefore being strong in a 'mans world' is going to be a bigger problem than its worth. It was very interesting to read an article that voices how I have felt for a long time watching television series, and explain why I still felt uncomfortable with these seemingly strong female characters.
Magoulick, M. (2006). Frustrating Female Heroism: Mixed Messages in Xena, Nikita, and Buffy. The Journal of Popular Culture, 39(5), 729-755.
Magoulick, M. (2006). Frustrating Female Heroism: Mixed Messages in Xena, Nikita, and Buffy. The Journal of Popular Culture, 39(5), 729-755.