The Role Of Feminism In Buffy The Vampire Slayer

In many forms of media from the 90’s that contain a third wave feminist point of view, female characters are put through trials to showcase and prove themselves time and again to a male counterpart who has underestimates the character. This is seen periodically throughout the series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the feminist perspective and utilization of the feminist view to support the plots and characters in Buffy the Vampire Slaye. The series was created to subvert the horror genre which had depicted women as damsels who were only there to be saved or killed, often times having the virgin/whore dichotomy be the deciding factor. The series takes a feminist stance by placing a female lead in the position traditionally held by men in film and television, the hero, often times fighting her battles in abended buildings and dark alleys which women are traditionally told to beware of. By doing this the show is able use concepts such as the patriarchy, the virgin whore dichotomy, castration anxiety and more through the characters and plots to showcase a feminist story.

Buffy though strong and willingly to fight evil, does not sacrifice her own femininity choosing to do what would be expected from a young girl in media such as cheerleading, and wearing traditionally feminine clothing. As the series progresses Buffy shows resilience to conform to other perceptions of the right way to be a slayer, often time referring to the fact that she like to dress in girly attire. It’s the femininity of Buffy that males in the show use to undermine her abilities referring to her as just a little girl, which becomes the force with which she must figuratively and sometimes literally