I recently became addicted to the show Supernatural, which is about two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester, who go around the US killing supernatural entities to avenge their mother's death and to find the thing that killed her. It's a great show, it's funny, scary, and overall amazing in my opinion. However, one thing I noticed after finishing the first season was that there were no female leads. After thinking a little more, I noticed that there, in fact, was a female character in every episode, and although she was always different, she usually played the same role: a single girl, sometimes a mom of young kids, who has been affected in one way or another by the supernatural entity in question, she's pretty, has a spunky personality, and is attracted to one of the brothers; or if she's evil, she's pretty, controlling, and pretty "bad," if you know what I mean. So I did some research, and I found the article Is Supernatural a Misogynistic Show? by Red Newsom.
The article goes on to explain something I did not notice until now, the language is often very Misogynistic. Dean especially uses derogatory terms for women, calling them sl**s, b*****s, and wh***s. "Even when facing down dudes, it’s always 'you son of a b****'," says the article. On top of this, Dean always teases Sam for not being as manly and macho as he is, for being sensitive and possessing more feminine traits than he does.
I don't think that the writers hate women, or have purposefully misogynistic views in any way. I think that Supernatural is a good show with a bit sexist undertones. I know that later on in the season (thanks for the spoilers, tumblr!!!) things get better, as there are better female characters and even a lead or two.
No comments:
Post a Comment