In honor of the twentieth anniversary of the television show, I thought I would write an article about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the TV series. I remember watching reruns of the series growing up, but I didn't actually start watching the series until two weeks ago. I am already on season six. Though the show definitely has its problems, I really liked the content. Some episodes are way better than the others, and there are even a few that I could do entirely without. But what I most liked about the series was in the subtle ways that it broke gender roles. And no, I am not just talking about Buffy, because there is a lot more at work in this series than what may originally meet the eye.
1. Buffy: The Strong AND Feminine Slayer
There have obviously been female heroes in television shows before Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but what I find most amazing about Buffy is that she is super strong, as well as a skilled fighter, yet she remains the ideal of what femininity means to our society. She even wears skirts and high-heels while staking vampires and killing demons. While she is bad-ass, she still is seen as feminine. While this may seem as a "Well, duh!" moment, I think this actually super important as well as subtle. Most women who join the military, who work as construction people, or really any job that is a "man's", are typically desexualized, or neutered in some cases. Mostly because of our society's idea that 'feminine' does not equal 'strength'. When it comes to this, Buffy is a paradox. She is not neutered by the men or women in her life, in fact, she is more desired because of her strength. She also doesn't let men run all over her. Sure, she's had her bad relationships, most of them ending with the guy's death or with him being revealed as an evil creature, but for the most part, Buffy takes a stand for herself. She's not perfect, but she was a definitely a step towards a stronger female heroines.
2. Giles and Xander: The "Manly-Men"?
Throughout the series, Giles and Xander are not the 'ideal' of masculinity. Xander is the weakest link of the Scooby Gang, so to speak. He has his strengths, which are mostly in the fact that he can show up with random help for most of the Scooby Gang's problems. Giles is more of a studious nature, though he can kick some vampire butt when the occasion calls. But both of them are also very emotional. Both have cried on screen, and they rely heavily on the women in their lives. According to our society, men are not supposed to cry. Yet Xander and Giles seem to break these rules. Xander hides behind women in some battles and Giles often turns to the women to ask for help.
3. Willow and Tara: TV Lands Favorite Lesbian Couple
I was so excited when I finally got to the season when Tara and Willow became a couple. Everything was very subtle leading up to their announcement, and after that everyone in their life treated this as a normal fact. They both break the gender norm in the manner that neither of them conform to what a heterosexual society would think they would have to act like. Typically, people ask gay couples "who's the man" or "who's the woman". What they fail to see is that gay couples do not have to conform to social construction of masculine being feminine. Willow and Tara's relationship is breaking what other would think is 'normal'. Willow and Tara are both feminine and do not conform to any societal standards of what their relationship should be like.
4. Action: Who's In Charge?
For the most part, the women in the show seem to be in the most control. Giles helps with his research, but from day one, Buffy made it quite clear she wanted to do her own thing. Xander also takes the backseat when it comes to planning and action scenes. Willow and Tara are witches; Buffy is the slayer. Anya was an ex-demon. Each had their own powers, and in some ways, they were more powerful than the men in the show.
5. Normalizing Awkwardness
This may not seem like it's breaking any gender roles, but this actually really great. The show does not ignore the fact that most of these people are teenagers. They are awkward; they don't always know what to do at first. When we watch television, we have grown to expect people who always know what they are doing. Men and women both have to know what to say and do, they should never have questions. That is kind of thrown out of the window in Buffy.
All in all, I have really loved the series. There are some moments that make with cringe, especially the plot lines for some of the "throw-away" episodes in between the larger plot ones, but I really did like the general nature of the show. Even with supernatural events and monsters, the show had a sense of realism to it. If you took the Vampire Slayer out of the title, the tv show would be a really good sitcom about teens growing up. The show's subtle comments on our society were also a great bonus.
