ifeelbetter (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ifeelbetter) wrote2010-11-21 04:32 pm
ifeelbetter) wrote2010-11-21 04:32 pm
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Sir, this may be a good time to talk about your sense of humor.
Top 10 Strong Female Characters of Television
Because I am--apparently--still doing this.
10. Battlestar Galactica - Kara "Starbuck" Thrace
BSG was an awesome show for strong female characters, whatever else you might have to say about it. Part of that comes from Starbuck being originally conceived of as male (hence the cigar-smoking, boxing, cussing, rock'em-sock'em-ness of her) but part of that also comes from a very basic assumption: this was not a show that allowed itself to assume female characters were gentler or softer than their male counterparts. And it seems absurd to remark upon something so basic but it is something that is often lacking.
9. Star Trek: Voyager - Captain Janeway
This is another one that you can argue over other points about the show itself and the problems with gender elsewhere (hellloooo, Seven of Nine, you mass of problems you...and howdy-doooo, Kes) but Janeway remains such a pivotal moment for a staple of television. She was the first female captain on any Star Trek show, I'm pretty sure, definitely the only female captain to carry a show. And the show just let her be a strong figure. All the time.
8. X-Files - Agent Dana Scully
Yes, this show went south. It is one of the great tragedies of television history that it did so. And Scully in particular took a nosedive when the show started insisting on her religiosity being the balance to Mulder's obsession. That was a Not Smart choice. But...do you remember its heyday? Do you remember how cool it was to see a short, beautiful, feminine woman stand her ground?
7. Gilmore Girls - Lorelei Gilmore
I'm probably going to miss this show for the rest of my life. Rory was problematic for a certain type of girl who grew up watching the show, true, and I know loads of that type of girl and I know exactly how hard it has been for them to shake off her influence. Rory should not have been taken as seriously as a large number of young women took her. LORELEI, though. She should have been taken a lot more seriously. Because there was a lot about her that was silly--the coffee, the patter, the romantic hi-jinks--but none of that interfered with the fact that she was an independent woman who raised her child on her own, built herself a niche out of a life that seemed predisposed to cut her down, and did it all with charm and vivacity.
6. Mary Tyler Moore Show - Mary Tyler Moore (and company)
It seems pretty dated these days but it was so important for the realistic portrayal of women on television. I Love Lucy and Betwitched are fun shows, sure, but it took Mary to give us look--overly optimistic though it was--of something more based in reality.
5. Veronica Mars - Veronica Mars
I'm not sure I even need to explain this one. The show had such strong feminist ties and its viewers got to come of age believing that it wasn't necessarily vicious or rage-y to believe that women deserve an equal share of life.
4. Farscape - Aeryn Soon
Aeryn and Starbuck share a lot of the same qualities but Aeryn did it first and she's set the standard of strong female characters in sci-fi since, I think.
3. The West Wing - C. J. Craig
Because C.J. is now, and forever will be, the best of the best. And the show gave her multiple opportunities to express her position on a variety of gender issues and never tried to minimize her contribution.
2. Cagney & Lacey - Cagney and Lacey
I'm saying both because it was the combo of the two that made this show so strong for female viewers. And it's such a good counterargument to that stupid ad from the 80's about how women could "do it all" and still make dinner or whatever.
1. Sarah Connor Chronicles - Sarah Connor
The show has the advantage of having been canceled too quickly for it to follow the route blazed by so many other shows that started with their feminism in the right place. Because Sarah was never anything other than completely capable and strong and devoted all at the same time.
I went scrolling through the wikipedia lists of television shows to make this list and, now that I've finished, I've realized how infrequently women are portrayed with any kind of depth or strength in non-sci-fi/action shows. There are some notable exceptions (see list above) but it is still more than a little disconcerting. Especially since sci-fi and action are traditionally aimed at men, not women. And its women who need to see stronger depictions of femininity on television, not men.
Because I am--apparently--still doing this.
BSG was an awesome show for strong female characters, whatever else you might have to say about it. Part of that comes from Starbuck being originally conceived of as male (hence the cigar-smoking, boxing, cussing, rock'em-sock'em-ness of her) but part of that also comes from a very basic assumption: this was not a show that allowed itself to assume female characters were gentler or softer than their male counterparts. And it seems absurd to remark upon something so basic but it is something that is often lacking.
This is another one that you can argue over other points about the show itself and the problems with gender elsewhere (hellloooo, Seven of Nine, you mass of problems you...and howdy-doooo, Kes) but Janeway remains such a pivotal moment for a staple of television. She was the first female captain on any Star Trek show, I'm pretty sure, definitely the only female captain to carry a show. And the show just let her be a strong figure. All the time.
Yes, this show went south. It is one of the great tragedies of television history that it did so. And Scully in particular took a nosedive when the show started insisting on her religiosity being the balance to Mulder's obsession. That was a Not Smart choice. But...do you remember its heyday? Do you remember how cool it was to see a short, beautiful, feminine woman stand her ground?
I'm probably going to miss this show for the rest of my life. Rory was problematic for a certain type of girl who grew up watching the show, true, and I know loads of that type of girl and I know exactly how hard it has been for them to shake off her influence. Rory should not have been taken as seriously as a large number of young women took her. LORELEI, though. She should have been taken a lot more seriously. Because there was a lot about her that was silly--the coffee, the patter, the romantic hi-jinks--but none of that interfered with the fact that she was an independent woman who raised her child on her own, built herself a niche out of a life that seemed predisposed to cut her down, and did it all with charm and vivacity.
It seems pretty dated these days but it was so important for the realistic portrayal of women on television. I Love Lucy and Betwitched are fun shows, sure, but it took Mary to give us look--overly optimistic though it was--of something more based in reality.
I'm not sure I even need to explain this one. The show had such strong feminist ties and its viewers got to come of age believing that it wasn't necessarily vicious or rage-y to believe that women deserve an equal share of life.
Aeryn and Starbuck share a lot of the same qualities but Aeryn did it first and she's set the standard of strong female characters in sci-fi since, I think.
Because C.J. is now, and forever will be, the best of the best. And the show gave her multiple opportunities to express her position on a variety of gender issues and never tried to minimize her contribution.
I'm saying both because it was the combo of the two that made this show so strong for female viewers. And it's such a good counterargument to that stupid ad from the 80's about how women could "do it all" and still make dinner or whatever.
The show has the advantage of having been canceled too quickly for it to follow the route blazed by so many other shows that started with their feminism in the right place. Because Sarah was never anything other than completely capable and strong and devoted all at the same time.
I went scrolling through the wikipedia lists of television shows to make this list and, now that I've finished, I've realized how infrequently women are portrayed with any kind of depth or strength in non-sci-fi/action shows. There are some notable exceptions (see list above) but it is still more than a little disconcerting. Especially since sci-fi and action are traditionally aimed at men, not women. And its women who need to see stronger depictions of femininity on television, not men.