“Feminism can be about many things, but central to it is the idea of advancing and rendering visible the lives of women, in all their diversity” (Byers 183).
If Byers’ assertion in her article “Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Next Generation of Television” is true, which I believe it is, then both Carmilla and Buffy can be considered feminist texts. Both highlight women who are operating outside of what would conventionally be considered their “place.”
Lefanu varies from what is popularly thought to be the “typical” vampire story by having Carmilla chose women as her victims. He further departs from this norm by creating Laura not to be solely a victim, but to be a companion for Carmilla. While the sexual tension between the two girls likely scandalizes some readers, it should not obscure the fact that Lefanu is giving validity to the idea of a close female friendship, with all the passion and tempestuousness that such a bond entails. By focusing on the relationship between Laura and Carmilla, instead of on one between Laura and a male vampire, Lefanu ensures that the focus remains on the female. In this way, the story is considerably more feminist than a contemporary story like Twilight, which suggests that a teenage girl’s main desire is to please a man, at the expense of all else.
Similarly, Buffy can be viewed as a feminist text because of its focus on women. The episode “Inca Mummy Girl” depicts the showdown between two “chosen ones”: Buffy and Ampata. This episode inverts the expected gender roles of a hero story by making the beautiful women the “chosen” instead of the reward for the “chosen” male, as is the case in a traditional story like the Illiad. In fact, the most prominent male in this episode, Xander, is portrayed as a hapless goofball at the mercy of the attractive women who surround him.
Though both Carmilla and Buffy undoubtedly depict strong women, and therefore can be considered feminist, these women are of the dominant class. Laura and Carmilla are literally of the aristocracy and Buffy is white and middle class. The only conceivable exception to this rule is Ampata, and even she becomes part of the ruling class of high school because of her beauty. Thus, while these texts are feminist, their feminism is one that may alienate certain members of their audiences.
Claire, really good points. I especially like your ultimate discussion on social class, in which Byers is also quite interested. However, Impata is not of a different social class. In fact, she was an Incan Princess while she lived. Even in Impata's case as an "other," her status shows that the powerful, female characters on this show are of the more "dominant classes."
ReplyDeleteYou interpreted Byers's article really well and did a great job of combining the three disparate elements into one post. Like Sydney said, your conclusion about the social class of the main characters portrayed in these texts is exactly what Byers is interested in. You are completely right about Impata. While she clearly isn't white or from the upper class, her beauty effectively places her in the upper class of the high school hierarchy. In many ways, the high school hierarchy is more rigid than that of the nineteenth century, for high schoolers are even less willing to let people move up in "society" than nineteenth century aristocrats.
ReplyDeleteI think your last paragraph is very important because you touched on Byers’s point about the differences between the second and third wave feminism and the lack of diversity within feminist venues. In addition to social class, Byers also mentions in her article that there is an absence of racial variety in most modern American television shows, including “Buffy”. She believes that because the majority of cast members are white, traditionally beautiful, upper-middle class, and confident, that many women of minorities cannot relate. Therefore, I very much agree with your last sentence in which you said that some forms of feminism “alienate certain members of their audiences” who simply do not live similar lives or are not placed under comparable conditions.
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