To Be or Not to Be...a Feminist

Both Buffy and Carmilla can easily be construed as feminist expressions in entertainment, however I do not believe neither the show nor the story was solely centered, purposefully, on the dominance of women. It is apparent that both Buffy and Carmilla portray strong, capable women surviving and thriving without the aid of men, but I somewhat disagree with Byers and think that Buffy can be related to all genders, ethnicities, and classes. Buffy touches on numerous overarching themes of adolescence, such as surviving high school, talking to someone you like, getting good grades, and learning how to maneuver in the real world, through medians involving supernatural elements. These occurrences are experienced by both young men and women, black and white, and of all classes.

I do agree with Byers, however, when she says Buffy teaches us that women are not reliant on men, and are, in fact, sometimes the ones that need to save the males, like with Xander in "Inca Mummy Girl". Whedon encourages modern, female viewers to understand that women can be "powerful, independent, strong, smart" and also yearn for affection and to be taken care of, just as Buffy does, even though she kicks ass as a slayer (Byers, 173). Buffy loves when Angel cares for her and usually needs a little help from her friends to get by.

On the other hand, Carmilla is portrayed as the typical villain and monster, a role usually played by men. She is feared by all genders and even hurts the General with her physical strength, which surpasses his own. Her feminine beauty and contagious good nature draw people to her, which can be viewed as a deadly element of female sensuality and power. Similarly, Buffy is your typical, blond cheerleader who easily takes on male vampires and destroys them, which surprises many viewers. Both Buffy and Carmilla demonstrate role reversals between male monsters and male heroes and their female counterparts, while also embodying overlying themes for all genders to relate to.