Third Wave Feminism and Buffy

In the article, “The Third Wave’s Final Girl”, Irene Karras challenges the notion of second wave feminists that third wave feminists do not appreciate all that was done for them in the 60s and 70s as seen by the popularity of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She points out that Buffy challenges the typical stereotypes of the horror, action, and sci-fi genres. Typically women in those genres are victims, who are very often killed or terrorized with phallic symbols (knives, guns etc.). Buffy, however, rather than being a victim is the killer. Her use of stakes takes the traditional mode a girl dying by a phallic symbol wielded by a man and completely reverses it. She uses the phallic symbol to kill male and female characters alike. She is not as feminine as her name and physical appearance would suggest. Instead of letting men like Riley and Angel take control of situations, she acts first without hesitation. However, she is still a pretty teenage girl, not a masculine woman. She is not trying to be a man, but rather a stronger woman.

In Hush, there is a tension between Riley’s role and Buffy’s role. Riley is the standard action hero: good looking, home-grown American military boy. In fact, he is a Clark Kent/ Superman character. He is a mild mannered student by day who tries to retain some vestige of normal life by chasing after Buffy. His life in The Initiative is a secret, a burden he, as a hero, is forced to carry in order to protect all the poor fragile people around him. However, despite his qualifications, it is Buffy who saves the day. She realizes that the box is the key to the Gentlemen’s power. She tries to signal that to Riley, who does not understand and even after all of Buffy’s desperate communications breaks the wrong thing. He requires a second attempt to follow Buffy’s orders. Buffy is the person who screams and kills the Gentlemen. Riley just stands, looking completely surprised. Buffy completely reverses sexual roles on poor Riley. He is so used to being the best soldier and always saving day, that he does not know how to handle Buffy’s secret identity. Despite all her abilities, she is still a girl and Riley is unable at first to comprehend Buffy as both a female and a hero. As a third wave heroine, Buffy can be both a ditsy, cheerleader type and an ass-kicking hero.

Karras, Irene. "The Third Wave's Final Girl." Third Space 1.2 (2002). Third Space Journal. Mar. 2002. Web. 2 Oct. 2011. .