Journal Article Analysis:
Frustrating Female Heroism: Mixed Messages in Xena, Nikita, and Buffy
Jennifer Mullins
HUMN 341
Mrs. Elizabeth Nixon
January 25, 2009
In my analysis of the journal article Frustrating Female Heroism: Mixed Messages in Xena, Nikita, and Buffy I found myself realizing what a feminist I am. This article was a very in-depth critique of these very average shows. I have only seen these shows collectively maybe a half dozen times but the critique was done in such a way to really create the scene for the reader.
Xena: Warrior Princess was analyzed first. In the show, Xena fights physically with evil combatants as well as romantic partners. This seems to be one of the reasons this heroin was selected for this analysis. The author appears to look negatively on the character having a strong will while also exhibiting a sense of sexuality. I think that is what makes women beautiful and separate from men. Being able to be both of these things at the same time is something that I think women hope to achieve. What is wrong with women being both? The author writes about how all of these characters are controlled and formed by men. “Men give them their strength, help them to channel whatever power they have, and are always lurking, either as potential lovers, as controlling father figures or bosses, as potential threats, or sometimes all three at once.” (Magoulick, 2006, p. 735) Let’s be honest. Xena is a television show that was a spin-off of the show Hercules; so, yes, she was technically formed by a man. The rest of the statement made by the author is not so far from reality. Does anyone have a controlling father? How about a lurking potential lover? Male boss? Is anything here really that extreme other than the fact she is fighting them off with an enormous sword? Not really.
The author then unleashes on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For starters, for those who don’t know, Buffy was a teenage vampire slayer. A female, teenage slayer – enough said. The author tells of a series of events throughout a couple of seasons. To summarize, Buffy meets a boy – actually a vampire; she then has her first sexual experience with him; he then becomes evil because she had sex with him. Again, this is not really all that far reaching from reality.
As with Xena, the only thing that seems out of touch with reality with Buffy is the fact that she is piercing the hearts of her enemies with a wooden stake.
The show Nikita, as strange as it sounds, is the most realistic show of all three. For me, that makes the analysis of Nikita the most justifiable. Sure the whole unwilling secret assassin thing is something none of us will ever experience, but it happens. Right? I suppose that the world of covert assassins is more of a man’s world but since Nikita was sort of thrown into it then it makes sense that she’s the odd-man (person) out. A woman in a man’s world. The author points out that these heroes are too often obsessed with or dominated by men. (Magoulick, 2006, p. 741). This happens all the time in the real world. What makes the show a success is that she picks herself back up, dusts herself off and moves on and is stronger for her experience. I think the show is what women want to see. It’s real to some extent but yet she has the strength that women in abusive situations would love to have.
I must admit that I found myself chuckling throughout this entire article. I don’t find any of this offensive or demeaning. It’s entertainment. Some people like to watch fools embarrassing themselves on reality shows, others enjoy a good mystery or even a slapstick comedy show. Some enjoy watching a beautiful, sexy female take a stand against evil.
References
Magoulick, Mary. (2006) Frustrating female heroism: Mixed messages in Xena, Nikita, and Buffy. The Journal of Popular Culture. Volume 39. Issue 5. p. 729-755. Retrieved from OhioLink EJC.
Schulian, John (Creator). (1995-2001) Xena: Princess Warrior (Television broadcast). New Zealand, United State: Broadcast syndicate.
Surnow, Joel (Creator). (1997-2001) La Femme Nikita (Television broadcast). Canada: USA Network.
Whedon, Joss (Creator). (1997-2003) Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Television broadcast). United States: The WB Television Network.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Weekly Written Analysis #5
Weekly Written Analysis #5
I am rather excited to blog this week because it is a fun topic. What am I talking about? Animated movies. I think my kids have seen every new animated movie that has come out in the past 5 years. They are great for today’s families who strive to keep traditional family values integrated into their homes. The movies are easy for parents to enjoy and the kids absolutely love them. These are very ingenious ideas by movie producers as well.
The clever things about these movies are they are geared for children but always seem to have some adult humor in them to keep the interest of the parents. Now I am not talking about anything raunchy, but just subtleties to give the parents the feeling that it is okay to watch the movies without even having any children nearby.
Children love these movies because of the prime advancements that technology has brought to the big screens with digital enhancements. These characters feel real to them in some sense because they don’t look like cartoons. They don’t move like cartoons and even the characters voices are far better than in years past.
With the new craze in animated characters came the mass marketing of those characters. They are everywhere. You see them on clothes, at fast food restaurants, toys, books, dishes, diapers, pencils, etc. You name and you can find an animated character on it. This is probably why movie networks are so involved in creating these movies now. The amount of money that is made after the release of the movie probably far out paces what revenues were 20-years ago. Which leads to the only downside I can see and that is that there is now an over abundance of animated movies. There are so many, in fact, that story lines are apparently becoming more difficult to come up with because the stories seem to be repeated more frequently lately. However, these movies are always a good family trip to the movies or even a popcorn night at home. Parents, don’t be afraid to sit down and watch one alone either.
I am rather excited to blog this week because it is a fun topic. What am I talking about? Animated movies. I think my kids have seen every new animated movie that has come out in the past 5 years. They are great for today’s families who strive to keep traditional family values integrated into their homes. The movies are easy for parents to enjoy and the kids absolutely love them. These are very ingenious ideas by movie producers as well.
The clever things about these movies are they are geared for children but always seem to have some adult humor in them to keep the interest of the parents. Now I am not talking about anything raunchy, but just subtleties to give the parents the feeling that it is okay to watch the movies without even having any children nearby.
Children love these movies because of the prime advancements that technology has brought to the big screens with digital enhancements. These characters feel real to them in some sense because they don’t look like cartoons. They don’t move like cartoons and even the characters voices are far better than in years past.
With the new craze in animated characters came the mass marketing of those characters. They are everywhere. You see them on clothes, at fast food restaurants, toys, books, dishes, diapers, pencils, etc. You name and you can find an animated character on it. This is probably why movie networks are so involved in creating these movies now. The amount of money that is made after the release of the movie probably far out paces what revenues were 20-years ago. Which leads to the only downside I can see and that is that there is now an over abundance of animated movies. There are so many, in fact, that story lines are apparently becoming more difficult to come up with because the stories seem to be repeated more frequently lately. However, these movies are always a good family trip to the movies or even a popcorn night at home. Parents, don’t be afraid to sit down and watch one alone either.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Weekly Written Analysis 42
Weekly Written Analysis #4
When I first started thinking of a popular culture topic I thought of the movie series Harry Potter. I can’t speak to that, though, because I have never seen it. I thought of numerous movies with similar passion from its audiences and then it occurred to me…….sequels. I found sequels all the way back to the 1930s and as new as this year with Saw VI.
As a viewer, I can say for myself that sequels appeal to me because there is some familiarity and not as much uncertainty. I know the characters and the general story line. I also think that, for the most part, if a viewer enjoyed the first movie then sequel(s) usually contains a similar level of satisfaction for the viewer. These are just generalities though. For some, the familiarity may be just plain boring if new characters are not introduced and the sequel isn’t always as good as the first time around.
For writers, producers and the like, it is most likely easier to go with something that they know works; hence, making a killing on the profits…..again. Consider using the same cast, similar storylines and ideas and they have pretty small task at hand. It’s also likely that they may get bored and become uncreative as a result.
None of these downfalls to sequels seem to stop them from filling the theaters year after year. There are five each of Rocky and Jaws movies; six Saw thrillers; three The Lord of the Rings; and a whopping seven Harry Potter movies. (Wikipedia, 2009) This is just a minute list of recent sequels. The idea of a sequel is something that excites audiences as though they are a part of something. They will continue to define our culture as people hang onto the edge of their seats and await the next in the line of sequels.
References:
Sequel. (2009) Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequels on January 31, 2009.
When I first started thinking of a popular culture topic I thought of the movie series Harry Potter. I can’t speak to that, though, because I have never seen it. I thought of numerous movies with similar passion from its audiences and then it occurred to me…….sequels. I found sequels all the way back to the 1930s and as new as this year with Saw VI.
As a viewer, I can say for myself that sequels appeal to me because there is some familiarity and not as much uncertainty. I know the characters and the general story line. I also think that, for the most part, if a viewer enjoyed the first movie then sequel(s) usually contains a similar level of satisfaction for the viewer. These are just generalities though. For some, the familiarity may be just plain boring if new characters are not introduced and the sequel isn’t always as good as the first time around.
For writers, producers and the like, it is most likely easier to go with something that they know works; hence, making a killing on the profits…..again. Consider using the same cast, similar storylines and ideas and they have pretty small task at hand. It’s also likely that they may get bored and become uncreative as a result.
None of these downfalls to sequels seem to stop them from filling the theaters year after year. There are five each of Rocky and Jaws movies; six Saw thrillers; three The Lord of the Rings; and a whopping seven Harry Potter movies. (Wikipedia, 2009) This is just a minute list of recent sequels. The idea of a sequel is something that excites audiences as though they are a part of something. They will continue to define our culture as people hang onto the edge of their seats and await the next in the line of sequels.
References:
Sequel. (2009) Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequels on January 31, 2009.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)