(no subject)

[fan_eunice]

Watching more Ghost Whisperer has led to an inexplicable crush on Jennifer Love Hewitt. Inexplicable because my reaction to her in the past has ranged from indifference to irritation, so suddenly finding myself all, oh hey is...odd.

But mostly, I am really enjoying this show y'all. And being reminded how satisfying it is on multiple levels when a show I am enjoying has a female centered narrative. It isn't that I don't have mad love for my many shows that are dude centric, 'cause I do and I wouldn't give them up for the world. But it troubles me that almost subconsciously I sometimes pass over or dismiss shows right in my zone that are female centered, even though they give me this hit. Like, okay, look Charmed is an incredibly cheestastic show of often questionable writing. But that describes a number of shows I've handwaved those same qualities because they have SPACE or MAGIC and are fun. It has MAGIC, and it's fun, and a has a number of the exact same draws to it as other shows I have loved. I have sat and had cheestastic glee watching it in the same way. And yet? I'm more likely to scoff at it or dismiss it...and if I'm being honest, I am led to wonder how much of that has to do with it having a primarily female cast. Like...I'm more self conscious about enjoying, and less likely to just kinda wave my hands and go 'flaws, whatever, Piper just blew some shit up with her *hands*' Or in this case, 'flaws, whatever, there are GHOST STORIES'

Not sure where I'm going with this other than to ponder that I may be locking myself out of experiences I enjoy by not pulling myself up on this. Which is stupid. I'm not going to force myself to watch something that isn't fun for me or that I'm not interested in for the sake of feminism. But seeing a pattern of being internally and/or externally dismissive of things I do enjoy that hold a common factor of 'centers women' is...bugging me. I do not have the same standards for dudely shows that I do female ones. That kinda sucks.

Comments

[klia]

This is just my opinion, but I think it's a lot to do with Hollywood not dedicating much time, effort, or money into female-centric shows, period. The ones that do get produced aren't geared toward female audiences, anyway, since everything is made for the approval and consumption of the coveted 18-49-year-old male demographic. And even on male-centric shows, female characters tend to be, at best, stereotypical, and at worst, badly-written, fetishistic male appendages (only there for titillation or as love interests).

I *love* Dana Delaney and was looking forward to her new show, but several friends whose opinions I trust watched the pilot and immediately warned me away because they know I can't handle asshole characters. And I tried Rizzoli and Isles last year and hated it because Rizzoli was an incompetent, immature asshole.

And that's why I've really enjoyed shows like Ghost Whisperer and The Closer (and Burn Notice, though Fi isn't the main character). Those women are very three-dimensional, and even when they have predictably female habits (like Brenda's obsession with sweets), they still seem like real people you'd meet in the grocery store. And they're not assholes. *g*

[fan_eunice]

I have more patience for asshole characters, well, some of them anyway. And, yeah, it is absolutely true and frustrating as fuck that the female narratives can be kinda slim pickings. I think what's bugging me right now is that it's more...shows that I either do enjoy or would enjoy, I think my default is to be more critical or dismissive of them (often without ever seeing them) in ways I'm not about dude narratives.

Like, why haven't I watched Rizzoli and Isles yet, despite it being on my list of shows to try (and the above mentioned patience for assholes)? Yah, there are a lot of shows on my list of Things To Watch that I haven't got around to, but I think there is a pattern to my own prioritization that makes me go 'shit' if I look at it closely. And more, why am I so willing to cede flaws, like I'm ashamed of liking some shows when I don't do the same with their dude counterparts. And mostly right now I'm going "HEY, SELF...remember that you LIKE watching shows centered around women, why are you dodging things that give you pleasure? WTF?'

Those women are very three-dimensional

I cannot tell you just how much I love that Melinda is a business owner, that she has strong female friendships, that her primary mentor was her grandmother, and I really adore that her husband's primary role on the show is emotional support for her. I am so used to the role of 'supportive spouse who basically shows up to shore up main character's confidence/provide hugs/pep talks' going to the wife, that it is REALLY NICE to have it flipped here.

[klia]

but I think there is a pattern to my own prioritization that makes me go 'shit' if I look at it closely.

I know I tend toward male-centric or team shows because the way most female characters are written and portrayed drives me completely nuts, and it's been that way since I can remember. I can probably name my life's worth of favorite female TV characters on one hand. Imprinting on Emma Peel at a very young age has affected how I view other female characters, big time, and precious few have ever measured up to her.

Yes, I love those things about Melinda, too. And I always found it disappointing that the show and character have been sort of dismissed as sentimental fluff. I think she's awesome.

[franzeska]

Little pint-sized me was always really fascinated by Charlie's Angels despite it nominally being about T&A for a straight guy audience. (Little pint-sized me also had a not so pint-sized crush on Sabrina, often described as "the thinking man's angel", but probably better described as "the one with all the lesbian subtext". Hellooooo, Kate Jackson.) It pains me to see how many fans of other bad, old crime shows assume Charlie's Angels must be so offensively cheesecake-y that a female audience couldn't even sit through it. Not that it isn't ridiculous and full of bikini shots, but since there are almost no guys at all, aside from disposable love interests of the episode, many of whom turn out to be evil, the women spend a lot of time saving themselves and each other, and it just never did most of the things that annoy me about female characters on crime shows about guys. And yet, the shows I own on DVD and have done fandomy things for lately are all of the guy shows. Oops?

[fan_eunice]

Yup yup. It is the 'and yet' that bugs me about myself. When presented with two equally cheestastic or flawed shows I really am more likely to be critical or dismissive of the one with vaginas front and center. Or to glom on to the women in dude-centric shows while not speaking up about the ones playing first fiddle on their own. Which, yes those women who are supporting characters are awesome and deserve my clappy hands of glee, it should along with, instead of. Not to prove a point, but because it's actually true in terms of what I enjoy, what hits my buttons, what makes me happy. I'm troubled that my own reaction to that is to immediately start tearing it down, or assuming no one wants to hear about it or cares, and stomping on my own squee to myself.

[franzeska]

Hah. Well, I for one am much more likely to want to hear about Ghost Whisperer or Charmed just because people haven't already pestered me about them for years on end. ;-P

...And I am totally buying and rewatching Charlie's Angels. The one where Sabrina's apartment gets blown up! Oh my god! Unsubtle pretending to be dead fakeouts! Awful Most Dangerous Game episode! Undercover at the circus!