When I watched "Friday Night Lights," I thought Julie Taylor, the coach's daughter, was bratty and obnoxious. However, a little while after I finished the show I saw an article titled, "15 Reasons Why Julie Taylor Is The Worst Character on 'Friday Night Lights.'"
One of the first reasons was (spoiler alert) that she left Matt Saracen because she caught feelings for another guy. It continued on and said she was the worst because, while she and Matt were broken up, she had an affair with her TA "who was taken, obviously," as the article proclaimed. It rubbed me the wrong way -- there are so many worse characters on FNL, like J.D. McCoy in season four, Joe McCoy, Voodoo and so many others. The worst thing Julie brought to the show was the fact that she was bratty like a 15-year-old should be. However, this article writes about her as if her worth is in who she's with (Matt).
Even now, as I watch "The OC," I see the same thing. People hate Marissa Cooper and write articles calling her the worst but for the stupidest reasons. "All the Reasons 'The OC''s Marissa Cooper is Still the Worst After All These Years" says she's terrible because she's never seen eating, her constant near-death experiences and the fact she has to crash at her best friend's house for a year; however it fails to mention why, making her seem like a bad person. (FYI her family loses their home, so she moves in with Summer.) The fact that Mischa Barton has even said she regrets her time on "The OC" just makes it worse. I just have to wonder, if you're watching "The OC," do you really expect realistic plot lines? Also, just like with Julie, people hate Marissa because she didn't "appreciate" her boyfriend enough.
Why does this happen? Over and over again female characters are hated while their male counterparts are loved. There are hundreds of male characters who are mean, bratty, moochers, etc. and they are fan favorites. In "The OC," one of the running gags between Seth and Ryan is the fact he doesn't listen to or care about what Ryan has to say, but do people hate Seth? No. People want more diverse female characters but rip them to shreds when they have negative characteristics.
Not every character has to be a Strong Female Character, which is problematic in itself -- they just have to be real. Women want to see real representations of themselves on TV and have them be accepted by the general public. Can this be achieved? It's hard to say. However, it's definitely something to strive for.
