Opinions on Buffy the Vampire Slayer Paper

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Sorry it is kind of long

When asked what is my favoritetelevision show, I proudly reply “Buffythe Vampire Slayer.”  Mystatement is usually met with a dubious “Why?  Isn’t that a show about some blonde chick killing vampires?”  But what loyal viewers of the showknow, it is so much more than that. Although many people are under the impression that it is just aninsignificant television series, Buffythe Vampire Slayer is a profound series that examines the triumphs andtragedies of the human experience.   While Buffy theVampire Slayer explores remarkably serious issues through metaphors andmakes penetrating comments on social issues, the main contribution of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is in the areaof feminism.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s feministqualities have been widely noticed by its critics and fans.  The basic premise of the show was aradical idea for its time—a girl who continually saves the world with little helpfrom her male counterparts. Creator of the series Joss Whedon’s desire to create the show came fromthe very common stereotype in horror movies where the blonde girl is always thevictim.  In a video commentary,Whedon stated, “I’ve always been a huge fan of horror movies. And I saw so manyhorror movies where there was that blonde girl who would always get herselfkilled.  I started feeling bad forher.  I thought, you know, it’stime she had a chance to take back the night. And so the idea of Buffy came from just the very simplethought of a beautiful blonde girl walks into an alley, a monster attacks her,and she is not only ready for him, she trounces him.“  And from that idea Buffywas born.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer starts byintroducing the viewers to Buffy Summers, a bubbly sixteen-year-old girl whosurely doesn’t look like she could handle herself in a fight much less save theworld from countless vampires and monsters.  Our first impression of Buffy is that she is going to be agirl who is weak, can’t think for herself, and will get herself killed.  We soon find out that there is muchmore to Buffy than we originally thought. We quickly realize that she will be the girl who is going to stand up,annihilate the demons, and save countless lives.  We discover that Buffy is the slayer—the one that all thingsthat go bump in the night are petrified of.  The slayer is the one who is expected to fight evil and savethe world.  The idea that Buffy hasthe weight of the world on her shoulders, so much so that it is her actionsthat the survival of not only her friends but the survival of universe dependson, is a testament to the positive feminist representation on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Some peoplecriticize Whedon by saying that over the course of the series Buffy Summers hadfallen into the stereotype of being a helpless female.  While it is true Buffy did not look herbest when she was helplessly in love with Angel or when she was carrying on anoften violent and tumultuous relationship with Spike, those errors in herjudgment didn’t make Buffy less than a hero.  Buffy has had her character tested so many times and shenever lets her family, friends, or the viewers down.  These flaws that Buffy has only makes us like her morebecause it shows us she is human, and she is just like us.  We can see ourselves in Buffy Summersand that gives us hope that we too can overcome all of our weaknesses andchallenges and become heroes against all odds. 

The show’sfeminism is blaringly obvious when you look at all the strong female charactersthat the show has produced.  Buffy,a woman with supernatural abilities, is only one member of an elite and dynamicgroup of women.  To name just a fewof these extraordinary women with power, there is the remarkably powerful witchin Willow, the tenacious and undefeatable hell god in Glory, and the mentallydisturbed, but extremely adept vampire in Drusilla.  Not only are these women portrayed as being strong, they aredepicted as being stronger than the men on the show.

Feminism in Buffy goes beyond the portrayal of remarkablystrong female characters.  The showdedicates several episodes to address significant issues that women commonlyface.  In “Ted,” Buffy’s motherJoyce starts dating Ted, a successful and seemingly nice guy.  Buffy is not fooled by Ted’s charmingexterior that her mom and friends seem so enamored by.  When Buffy voices her suspicions aboutTed, her friends who have fallen under Ted’s spell tell Buffy that her warinessis just due to resentment.  Tedthen becomes abusive towards Buffy. In the end Buffy’s mother and friends sees Ted for who he truly is anabusive misogynist.  In “ReptileBoy,” the show tackles the issue of sexist fraternity boys.  The villains in seasons 6 and 7, Warrenand Caleb, respectively are the epitome of misogynist men.  Both characters meet gruesome deaths atthe hands of powerful women. Warren meets his agonizing death when he is skinned alive by Willowafter he murdered her girlfriend Tara. Caleb, a sexist priest who represents the traditional patriarchalreligious disdain for women, is dissected by Buffy.  The episode “I Was Made To Love You” represents the misogynyin society in robot form.  Itdemonstrates how many men just view women as objects when Warren creates afemale robot named April who does everything he tells her to do.  The fact that most of the villains onthe show who represent a patriarchal hierarchy all come to their demise bymeans of supremely powerful women reinforces the idea of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a feminist text.

Unlike many commonsuperheroes, Buffy doesn’t take orders or asks anyone for permission when sheis working on a mission.  Batman frequentlyenlists the help of Commissioner Gordon; Superman takes orders from thePresident.  The slayer is supposeto do the will of the Watchers’ Council, but Buffy thinks she knows what’s bestwhen it comes to her supernatural powers, and she is right.  Tired of taking orders and refusing torecognize their profligate power, Buffy tells the patriarchal Watchers’ Council“The council is not welcome here. I have no time for orders.” Buffy’s final renunciation of the Watchers’ Council transpires in theseries finale “Chosen” when she enlists Willow’s help to emancipate not only herself,but the world, from constraints of the patriarchy by allowing Buffy to shareher power with all of the Potential Slayers in the world.   Buffy approaches the PotentialSlayers with this proposition: “What if you could have that power? Now.  All of you.  Inevery generation one Slayer is born because a bunch of guys that died thousandsof years ago made up that rule. They were powerful men. (Points toWillow) This woman is more powerful than all of them combined.  So I say we change the rules.  I say my power should be our power . .. From now on, every girl who could have the power will have the power.  Who can stand up, will stand up.  Every one of you, and girls we’ve neverknown, and generations to come . . . they will have strength they never dreamedof, and more than that, they will have each other.  Slayers.” Willow then completes the spell and all Potentials Slayers are nowslayers.  This action of throwingaway the rulebook and sharing power empowers these women because they have now reachedtheir full potential and have taken control of their own lives by not havingthe patriarchal hierarchy of the Watchers’ Council dictate their powers.

Throughout Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the theme of feminism is notably prevalent.  The series’ feminist qualities can beobserved in the show’s fundamental concept, through the power the women exert,through the storylines that focus on issues specific to women, through Buffy’sauthority she exercises over the patriarchal men, and through Buffy’s willingnessto share her power with the Potential Slayers.  The whole series provides many examples of femaleempowerment, which solidifies Buffy theVampire Slayer as a feminist text.