The Buffy Effect... and MORE

[muenchjack_00]

"The Buffy Effect: Or, A Tale of Cleavage and Marketing" explores the idea of true feminism beyond the face-value assumption. Fudge describes that a woman it's a lot easier to wear "a 'girls kick ass' t-shirt than to learn how to defend yourself physically." Buffy represents a woman who not only "wears a girl's kick ass t-shirt" but actually kicks ass while "wearing" it. In this situation, Buffy doesn't just represent a strong woman figure, she literally is a strong woman figure. Like, literally, she kicks other guy's asses with her own strength. As we have seen, this is very apparent in the Buffy episode "Becoming: Part 2." However, there is much more to feminism in the ending of this episode than the physical "kickassery." After fighting with Angel, we witness Buffy kill him. POWERFUL! WOW! I WAS GOING INSANE! Insane, because this represents an aspect of feminism that I feel many creators leave out. Many portray a strong female character who compete with men, but few portray a woman with the quality the Buffy displays at the end of this episode: Emotional Maturity. This episode is clearly an allegory about completely breaking off a relationship. You might still love the other person, but you ultimately have to make the right choice for you and those around you. This precisely mirrors Buffy as, despite her deep love for Angel, she must kill him because she knows it's the right decision to make. It's a mature decision to make and she makes it. So for any creative feminist writers out there, don't sleep on emotional maturity. Because a woman doesn't have to sacrifice her emotions to be a COMPLETE BADASS!