Feminism in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and "Carmilla"

Until reading Michele Byers's article "The 'Feminist' World of Buffy the Vampire Slayer," I actually hadn't put a lot of thought into Buffy as a feminist text.  We've spoken about it once or twice in class, usually in reference to the paradox between Buffy's appearance and her ability to kick-ass as a slayer, but I believe there is a lot more that could be said about this topic.  In her article, Byers addresses the legitimacy of Buffy as a feminist text and how modern feminist critics often dismiss it as one because of the conventional beauty of its characters.  While she admits that the characters in Buffy fit into the "Hollywood" convention - they are, "Young, white, beautiful, and very thin" - she asserts, "These characters are more than pretty bodies on the television screen; they also raise interesting questions about gender and the potentialities of third wave feminism" (175).  She is correct, for Buffy's beauty doesn't detract from her physical and mental prowess.  In fact, as Sydney observed in her post, it makes her more powerful.  We certainly saw that today in "Inca-Mummy Girl," where Impata derived most of her power from her beauty, which grew increasingly apparent as the episode continued.  By allowing herself to be seen as a "damsel in distress," she is able to draw Xander in, gain his trust, make him fall in love with her, and set him up as her defender and champion, even against his friends.  Similarly, her beauty allows her to seduce a strange boy away from the dance, so she can use her supernatural powers to suck out his life force.  Although she is ultimately unsuccessful, her beauty allows her to disarm those around her without exerting herself.  In other words, people underestimate her power because of her beauty.  As we have already seen, Buffy benefits from a similar misconception.  Similarly, Carmilla uses her beauty and her apparent feminine weakness to insinuate herself into the lives of her victims.  Laura and her father only allow Carmilla into their schloss because she gets hurt and, as proper nineteenth century people, assume she, a beautiful aristocratic woman, needs to rest and recuperate for several days.  Likewise, her mother's whispered confidence that Carmilla isn't crazy but has a weak constitution, along with Carmilla's open admission of this fact, enables her to draw close to Laura and to insinuate herself as Laura's best friend.  Additionally, her apparent weakness protects her from any suspicion when the attacks on the villagers begin.  Carmilla maintains this façade for a reason.  As with Buffy and Impata, her apparent weakness hides impressive physical strength.  Carmilla realizes that it is her best interest to cultivate her beauty because it gives her power over the hearts and sympathies of the men protecting the women she preys on.  In fact, the General admits he only allowed her into his home because, as a man, he felt the need to protect a beautiful, helpless young woman.  Thus, Buffy and "Carmilla" are both feminist texts.  While "Carmilla" paints active femininity in a negative light, it still allows a woman to act outside the traditional limitations imposed on women by the Victorian era.  Also, by making Laura the narrator and making her obviously intelligent, LeFanu provides a positive example of active femininity.  Additionally, Buffy is truly a feminist text because, despite its obvious limitations, "In the Buffy world, competence, strength, and independence are precisely what is being offered to women, not just breasts, abs, and lip gloss" (Byers 177-178).