A Penny for My Thoughts
One of Joss Whedon’s recurring character types is the strong, independent, and smart female.
I was not, and am not, a big fan of Buffy. Not a small fan either. In fact, not a fan at all. But one cannot deny she was indeed a strong female lead. His other works are also littered with examples of strong females, all working to create positive examples for women.
I believe the culmination has to be Zoe, from Firefly. Some might argue River. That would be River in Serenity, the movie. River in the series was a mixed bag, and we got very few glimpses of what she could be.
Given his track record, it was with great disappointment I came across Joss’s latest effort. Some of you might think I am referring to Dollhouse, and that was in fact a great disappointment. For the life of me I cannot see what anyone, and especially Joss, sees in Eliza Dushku . . . actually, based on her outfits, one can see a lot, so maybe I can guess what he and others find attractive. But, that is a story for another time.
No, I am referring to Penny. Yes, the sacrificial lamb in Joss’s Dr. Horrible Sing-Along Blog. First let me say I like the actress, Felicia Day, and this is not a reflection on her.
Her character, however, was cast with one end in mind; to be fodder. She is unassuming and weak. And not just weak of body, but of mind as well. This person is presented has having no initiative, no self worth, no desires, no personality. Sure, she is presented as nice, as innocent . . . well, not really innocent. She’s willing to get it on with the first man that asks her, and she is blind to the fact he’s a jerk.
So, aside her personality being as limp as a wet washcloth, aside possibly having little or no morals, she has no will of her own and is easily manipulated. . .
. . . and then she dies. Not a purposeful death, but rather one devoid of all meaning save to serve a cheap plot point. A convenient death, for an unimaginative turn to the story. Nothing more than a trick, really.
What kind of an example is this for young women out there? What kind of role model is Joss presenting to viewers of the female persuasion? Why, it’s that of the traditional film female; that of a person of little consequence save to stroke the egos (and as hinted at, potentially more) of the male characters. Nice.
Now, some may say the story rivals great moral tales strewn throughout human history from the time of verbal recounting, to the glorious age of books, to today’s vacuous on-line offerings. Bull! Joss was bored, and decided to mess with his audience. An audience who is apparently as blind and as willing as Penny to follow him whichever direction he yanks the chain of their figurative nose-rings.
Enough, I say. With this piece Joss has shown me he is no better than any other chauvinistic male out there. Sure, I had some inkling from Dollhouse, but this cements it in my mind. For all his talk of admiration for strong independent-thinking females, his colors may finally be shining true . . . come to think of it, there’s very little shine there.
MY TWO PENNYS
I do agree with your point about Joss, yet I believe your points are completely opposite.
Joss has made a name for himself by his female characters in particular Buffy and Zoe as you said.
Yet, I would agrue that they are not savior of women in sci-fi, but its downfall.
Buffy, is often seen as a strong female role model, because she is in the male super power role of moster killer. She has the power of the slayer and just like Superman, she not just get credit because their powers which were given to them. Moreover, if Buffy is going to step out of the old roles men have put her in could we once see a heroine not pick the bad boy over and over again? She is super powered but makes the same pathetic decisions as one of the women from sex and the city.
Zoe, also is just a swap of a traditionally male solider role. What we know of Zoe is her military background and her marriage to an insecure, physically weak, petite pilot. While there surely should be a range of roles women should play, Joss’s weak character development of women here is just having a woman play a man.
Making a woman play a man is not enlightened, its insulting.
If you want a strong women role let it come from a place a woman comes from the bottom up. Penny, from Dr. Horrible actually is the closest that Joss has come to real character developement for a strong woman. Penny, we find has had a diffcult time in life and instead of turning to despair like Dr. Horrible or to ego like the Hammer, she turns to help others. She does realize from the start how cheesy the hammer is and at the end actually gets up and leaves him on stage, while the rest of society continues to praise him. She is the only non-bias person to see through him. In the end, she becomes a victim not from some macho facade or school girl crush on the bad boy, but because men unlike women cannot see past themselves to what is true. That is insight, courage, determination, faith, and hope…all which make her a very strong woman.
Interesting viewpoint regarding what constitutes a strong woman. I guess differing opinions per force reflect our own perceptions of both ourselves and the world/people around us.
I cannot speak to Buffy too much. I watched the movie, and that personage has been eclipsed by the TV characterization with which I have little familiarity, and can speak little to (other than expressing an antipathy for the lead actress).
But I do take issue with the characterization of Zoe as strictly a male role played by a female. That statement speaks not to the strength of the person, but rather to gender roles. Yes, traditionally that character might/would have been played by a man. No good reason for it other than accepted gender bias. I applaud the choice in casting.
You gave a definition of what constitutes a very strong woman, so I will give you mine. It does include courage and determination, but adds not faith and hope, but independence and self-reliance. In that, Zoe meets all qualifications (omitting for a moment her loyalty to Mal). Inara and Kaylee are also strong characters, but presented differently; it’s not the part/role they play, but the characteristics they exhibit.
You say it is insulting to have a woman play a man, but that belies a cultural and gender-specific bias one may well see just as insulting. I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but saying Zoe is a woman playing a man automatically assumes man’s role is that of the stronger character.
I say strength of a person does not come from playing to their specific roles, but from the makeup of the individual. Males can be weak, females can be strong, and vice-versa, but that does not mean they are playing within or outside their respective roles. They are individuals with specific characteristics, and it is those characteristics which makes them strong or weak, not their genders.
Which brings me back to Penny. Not determined; we don’t know of her courage; is not presented as independent. She is somewhat self-reliant since she does her own laundry, but that is the extent of her characterization. She becomes a victim because she is presented as a victim. And I’ll repeat my strongest objection . . . she is not a character onto herself; her sole purpose is adornment for when the guys are around.
OK, yes, she does have a solo number, but I cannot point to the end of the show and say she has grown any, or has any self-import other than to be an object of contention/desire for the two leads. I’ll stand by my statement she could have been replaced by a cute animal or even an inanimate object. In fact, it might have made a better story; Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer as rival brothers vying for a family heirloom of little value save for bragging rights as to who has it.