I recently wrote about how fan culture can be hostile and exclusionary to women.  While this unfortunate aspect of fan culture needs to be addressed and eliminated, I hoped to also address some of the positive ways in which women experience fandom.  Recently, the following video has been featured on sites like The Mary Sue and Jezebel, and presents a funny, sweet, and light-heartedly satirical look at “fan girls”.
It was immediately clear that for all of the jokes at fans’ expense in the video, the creator loves the fictional characters represented in the video and understands fan mentality.  (I definitely could relate to the plight of the Firefly Girls.)  I contacted Leigh Lahav, the video’s creator, to talk with her about her experiences as a “fan girl,” and what fandom meant to her, and her responses were quite intriguing.  (Note: This interview was conducted via email, rather than as a natural conversation.  The questions and responses are edited into a more traditional Q&A format, but answers may not lead directly into the next question.)

Sexy Feminist: The thing that really made me want to talk to you is that I noticed in the Fan Girl video that most, if not all, of the franchises depicted either had male title characters or were ensembles led by men. Is this a result of most media being about men, and thus there is more male-centered franchises to choose from, or is part of being a fan girl about showing appreciation for good-looking men?  (I thought it was the former, but a close friend of mine and self-professed fan girl thinks it’s the latter.)

Leigh Lahav: It’s no coincidence.  I deliberately chose these franchises.  I’m aware that there are women fans in EVERY fandom, but there’s something about these shows/movies in particular that have an interestingly large female fan base, and they do present a majority of leading men.
In an unavoidable way it IS a result of a “patriarch” media.  Female audiences got used to this and as a result are able to relate very strongly to both female and male characters.  It’s very male oriented even nowadays and that needs to be changed – we need more interesting female characters!  And I think that’s in progress.  A slow, frustrating one, but a progress nonetheless.  Having that basic fact, I’ll continue to elaborate on WHY I think the man-centered-fandoms I chose happen to have such an impact on ladies.

Yes, I can’t deny, it does have to do with the, quite bluntly put – usual “man candy” factor, but there’s more to it than that, in my opinion.  Most of these shows share alternative looks on masculinity, and present male characters and relationships that uniquely challenge social boundaries of gender and sex.  If it’s unusually passive, temperamental, and sensitive men, strong emotional male bonds and friendships that are mostly attributed to female relationships, and interesting gender role takes.  Take “Hannibal” for example.  Will Graham is the embodiment of the “damsel in distress” trope.  He is sensitive, passive, has qualities we perceive in society’s gender role perception as feminine.  Hannibal is very feline-like, seductive, sort of a male version of a Femme Fatale.  And not to mention their undeclared shared parenthood on Abigail.  You can also see a similar “married couple type” relationship with Sherlock and Watson.  These elements of “new masculinity” are very exciting and appealing.  It’s kind of how we wish to see our society – versatile and diverse in gender roles.  In a way, a world we as women can feel safer at, in terms of sex and gender.

I used this role-play also in how the characters looked – most of them wear gender-bendered cosplay – a feminine take on a male costume. A character we’d like to be, but in our own terms.
But at the end of day – these fandom are just GOOD. And attract women and men all the same.

SF: To you, what separates being a “fan” from being a “fan girl”? Is it the level of adoration? Writing fan fics? Something else? Do you see a separation at all?

LL: “Fangirl” is a term I used quite ironically.  It was and is mostly used as a degrading word, to diminish, to distinguish “true fans” from “fake, silly fans that are only here for the hotties.  “Notice also the use of the word “girl” and not “woman.”  It’s there to lessen the fan.  Some fans are offended and wish to distance themselves from that term because of these things (same goes with the word “fanboy,” but not as extreme).  I wished to reclaim that word and empower it in a playful, funny way.  Yes, we are fangirls.  Some of us are here for the pretty boys, some of us are here because of an undying love and appreciation for the fandom – and both of those things are okay.  Anything that makes us adore a franchise is welcomed and celebrated.  Whether you identify yourself as a fan, fangirl, fan-woman, or just a very enthusiastic pop culture geek.

SF: What sorts of ideas do you hope people will take from your videos (other than “hey, maybe I should check out this Doctor Who show I’ve been hearing so much about”)?

LL: If ONE person starts watching Doctor Who because of my “Fangirls” I’d be thrilled!!  I read viewers (mainly girls) were touched by my video and identified with it, and that made me very happy, because that’s the main thing I wanted to bring: a feeling of community and shared loves.  All the more so when it comes to lady-fans, who don’t get much appreciation and creations about their experience – I wanted to do so, in a light hearted poking fun (mostly harmless) way.  I hope it inspires geeky women to stand out and create themselves. And of course, never stop geeking out passionately if that what makes you happy, no matter what people might think or what changes you go through in life.

SF: In the course of your email, you both set up and then started to answer where I wanted to go next: when you mentioned that the term “fangirl” was created to diminish the people it was applied to, my mind immediately went to the idea of “fanboys,” which, as you said, is also somewhat of a derogatory term. But yes, I feel like both have been reclaimed to a degree (I’ve definitely called myself a Whedon fanboy in the past, and I have two friends who gleefully call themselves fangirls). However, and I would love to hear your thoughts on this if you feel differently, I’ve felt that “fanboy” was used more by people outside of fandom to make fun of all men who are into science fiction and fantasy, whereas “fangirl” is used to describe a certain type of female fan, the ones who vocally express their adoration for the good-looking men in their preferred stories. Which again shows a divide because how often do you hear guys being put down or shamed or seen as “not true fans” for expressing adoration for the beautiful women who act in films/shows?

LL: The word “fangirl” does try to stereotype a certain kind of fan – a screaming, silly, fanfic-writing, slash-shipping fanatic girl, a type of fan that has no true respect or knowledge of the fandom and simply likes it for the pretty boys, sexy slash fantasies and possible revealing cosplay.  For me it’s a new form of sexual oppression – as a woman you’re not allowed to have these sexual thoughts and desires.  If you do you’re a slut, an attention whore (think of reactions some men have towards revealing cosplay, i.e. the Tony Harris vs. cosplay incident).  ”Not only are your fantasies about “MY” favorite character/actor, but sometimes they’re with other men also!  How humiliating and castrating!”  Regardless of the fact it’s a horrible generalization, this not only hurts women, but the whole concept of sexual and gender fluidity.  This distancing bothers me for several reasons, and one of them being the “ownership” people (men and women alike) try to have of terms like “fan,” of fandoms, or characters.  They forget it doesn’t belong to them, and anyone can interpret them anyway they want.  There are different forms of adoration, and that’s a beautiful thing, when you think about it.  Why deprive it from anyone?

“Fanboy” in my opinion is more of a degrading nickname that’s unlike suggesting the person isn’t a true fan, it hints he’s an immature man-child and stuck in a playing-with-action-figures-living-in-his-parent’s-basement phase.  It’s different, because whereas “fangirl” is a “swear word” in the fan/geek community, “fanboy” is more a term of distance from “normal” society.  From the un-geeky world.

In both cases, as I said before, my opinion is we should claim those names and wear them with pride.  That’s the best way to make the difference between “fangirl” and “fan” as meaningless as possible, in terms of dedication to the fandom.

SF: Your explanation of the fluidity of gender roles in these fandoms is very intriguing to me. I love Sherlock, and the show itself certainly plays up the homoeroticism between Sherlock and John, but it also shows that John is definitely straight (and a bit of a player), while Sherlock falls somewhere between heterosexual and asexual. But the fandom loves to ship them, and ignores the parts of their characterization that shows they are straight. Same withSupernatural‘s Sam and Dean (which also requires ignoring the fact that the two of them are brothers). It’s interesting to think that these shows are pushing the boundaries of society as far as they can, making sure viewers know that their male heroes are straight while using them to subtly explore gender roles and non-heterosexual desires. (One of my editors recently wrote a book about The Mary Tyler Moore Show in which she writes about how that show would push social boundaries through unspoken, implicit suggestion; the show could not outright state that lead character Mary Richards used birth control or had premarital sex, but by placing enough hints, viewers could read between the lines and use their imaginations to fill in the details. It sounds like the same thing is happening now, only with gender role and sexuality.) Also, I’m hoping the Twelfth Doctor will be played by a woman; the show has now confirmed that Time Lords can regenerate to other genders. (Imagine how Rose would have reacted if the Ninth Doctor had regenerated not into David Tennant but into Helen Mirren.)

LL: Slash [note: “slash” is a term that refers to fan fiction stories that romantically pair two characters of the same gender] is a very interesting thing.  On the surface it looks like a simple unrealistic sexual fantasy (that some people find degrading and disrespectful to the fandom) but it’s a lot more.  It’s gender-games.  Society challenging.  It even gives a certain pleasure in exploring something naughty and unique society-wise, and has a lot of power to it.  In a way, just as a comic commentary to a fandom, slashing and writing about characters in that fashion is also a tribute, and both of them are served to abate a certain tension.  For example – writing a funny comics about the ever-so-serious- Lannister family from Game of Thrones, which makes a tense, dramatic situation into light-hearted comedy.  So does writing slashy fanfiction between Sherlock and Watson, which eases a certain tension in THEIR relationship in a sexual way. For some, their relationship is symbolic of a sexual relationship, just as Dracula is riddled with sexual meanings.

It’s also a form of creating a sexual safe zone – with two men you can be as creative and rough as you want ([eliminating] the way you may cringe at when a lady is involved).  You can role play in your mind and identify with either the dominant one or the passive one.  Just as I said previously, the unusual (in terms what society accepts) gender roles is very appealing.  It’s a whole fascinating philosophy that’s just too big to cover in one paragraph; I warmly recommend reading more about ithere and here.  A female doctor would be AMAZING!  I’d LOVE to see Helen Mirren in that role.  It would be just breathtaking.

SF: Continuing with gender roles and expectations, do you think it’s easier for women to cosplay because they have a larger range of characters available to them? You wrote about how the women in your video used feminine takes on male costumes, and I don’t think that is too hard to pull off because it is socially acceptable for women to wear men’s clothes. The opposite is not true, and seeing a man dressed as Chun-Li or Supergirl stands out more than a woman dressed as the Eleventh Doctor or Loki. I know that there are guys out there who dress as female characters (often done for purposes of humor and or saying “look at me, I’m dressing in a way I’m not supposed to,” rather than or in addition to genuine adoration of the character), but do you think that the fact that it is probably easier for both genders to show appreciation of male characters through cosplay choices than it is to show appreciation of female characters through cosplay choices influences what fandoms get more mainstream attention? (Also, for the record, if I had the time, money, and skill to make these costumes, I would love to make gender-bent Princess Azula/Asami Sato costumes; Azula is one of my favorite characters in all of fiction.)

LL: I mentioned the cosplay the girls in the video use not as a sign of some groundbreaking gender play innovation but rather to emphasize the unique way they see these fandoms.  The girls not only identify with the characters, but interpret them to their means – a way of expressing the flexible gender roles these fandom have.

It IS socially acceptable for women to wear a variety of clothing as opposed to men who are restricted to only manly clothes (which is very unfortunate if you ask me!  I’d LOVE to see more men in skirts!) and that also affects cosplay.  Also, women acting sexy and seductive is considered hot, while men doing so is considered silly and humorous.  (Think about the Old Spice and Zetsy commercials.  Sure the guys over there are handsome and sexual but they are very self aware and silly, and they poke fun at the genre.)  This relates to the conversation above: men are still expected to be the “wanters” with the sexual drive, and women the “givers” with the sexual appearance but no wants of their own.  This is true to how cosplay is seen too.  As a woman you’re either hot/an attention whore/probably trying to seek acceptance as in there’s no way you’re just enjoying the cosplay for yourself.  And as a man, if you’re pulling off a sexy/gender bender costume you’re trying to make people laugh/be silly.

As I said earlier, years of male-oriented media HAS made women more comfortable identifying with both men and women onscreen, and that’s surely another reason it’s easier for girls to pick from a verity of characters.

It may be wishful thinking here, but I have a feeling this is slowly changing.

Special thanks to Leigh Lahav for providing smart, insightful answers.  Her YouTube channel can be found here.

Last year, Nickelodeon aired the first season ofThe Legend of Korra, a sequel series to Avatar: The Last Airbender.  Taking place in a world where some people can control, or “bend,” the four classic elements (earth, fire, air, and water), the story follows Avatar Korra, the newest reincarnation of the spirit of the planet, as she learns how to fully control her abilities and stop a violent rebellion.  Over 12 episodes, the series addressed numerous themes and ideas, including the struggle to discover one’s identity, classism, racism, extremism, the need for balance, and how to embrace new innovations while respecting tradition.  Any one of these ideas could support an entire article, but I want to focus on something else: the incredible women who populate the show.  Avatar Korra, Police Chief Lin Beifong, and Asami Sato are all very well-written and well-developed characters, embodying different kinds of strength.  And while the three of them are very different, they have one thing in common: they all kick ass.

The presence of such great female characters on Korra should be no surprise to people who watched the original Avatar series.  A lot of digital ink has been spilled praising that show for its great women.  To add a personal example, the character of Princess Azula is one of my favorite characters (male or female) in all of fiction.  Korra does its predecessor proud by making its principal (and even its secondary) female characters strong and nuanced.  Korra, Lin, and Asami are all imbued with agency, desires, faults, quirks, and skill, and their motivations are always clear and understandable.

Unfortunately, Avatar and Korra’s use of female characters is an exception to the norm (which is why I am writing about them).  You may recall from my first piece published on this site that Nickelodeon nearly elected not to take Korra to series because executives feared that boys would not tune in to watch a show that starred a girl.  But when they focus tested the show, the boys didn’t care that Korra was a girl.  They just said she was awesome.  So let’s look at what makes these women so great.

“I’m the Avatar!  You’ve gotta deal with it!”  –Avatar Korra, Episode 1, “Welcome to Republic City”

Korra is an absolute gift of a character.  As the Avatar, it is her duty to serve as the world’s peacekeeper, a role that carries an enormous burden.  As a teenager who has led a sheltered life, she does not yet comprehend the full scope of her duties and the tough choices she will have to face when “keeping the peace” turns out to have morally grey areas, and it is the dissonance between the reality of being the Avatar and her views on what it means to be the Avatar that drives her story arc.  To her, being the Avatar means that she is the coolest person in the world.  There is only one Avatar at a time, and he or she is the most powerful and most important person on the planet.  Korra defines herself by her Avatar-ness, and she could not be more excited to go out and help people through the use of her considerable bending skills.  We learn very quickly that Korra was gifted with plenty of raw talent, but that her headstrong nature holds her back from her full potential.  She is competent and confident, but in many ways her own worst enemy.

Korra is the perfect combination of capable and flawed.  She is a good-hearted and strong-willed character who can back up her bragging with talent, and it is these qualities that more than make up for her flaws.  When we see Korra be headstrong or selfish or impetuous or naïve, we know that her heart is in the right place and at the end of the day, she will do the right thing.  And beyond that, her flaws are all very relatable, and end up endearing her to us more.

One of the most amazing parts of The Legend of Korra is the way it addresses gender roles.  First and foremost, Korra’s competence is recognized by everyone who encounters her, and at no point in the course of the series does anyone question her skill or the propriety of a her being the Avatar on account of her being a woman.  In other words, much like the focus-tested boys, no one Korra encounters cares that she’s a girl.  They just think she’s awesome.  Contrast Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which is one of my all-time favorite shows, but even as late as the 100^th episode, people still questioned how a girl could be their rescuer.  Not so with Korra; no one thinks twice that the Avatar is a woman.  No one thinks that Korra is unladylike for using brute force as a solution to most of her problems.  When people compliment Korra, they focus on her skill as a bender, her intelligence, and her physical strength.  If people address her beauty, the trait that our society places the most value on for women, it is brought up after those other qualities.  When the villains try to insult or belittle Korra, they never target her gender.  Even a rival athlete (in Korra’s world, the professional sports league is co-ed), who is set up as an archetypical bully, focuses on Korra’s naiveté and inexperience.

But perhaps most importantly, Korra is active.  She makes her own decisions and is never put into a “damsel in distress” situation.  Yes, there are times when she gets captured by the villains, but she is never helpless.  She doesn’t wait around for someone to come save her, she takes steps to free herself.  And much more often, she is the one doing the saving.  She truly wants to help people, and does not hesitate to act when she believes people are in trouble.  Even when she was at her lowest – after the villain succeeded in diminishing her Avatar powers, destroying the very aspect of herself on which she based her whole identity – she kept fighting because she knew that other people were still in danger.  Korra is a hero, plain and simple.

“That lady is my hero.” –Meelo, Episode 10, “Turning of the Tides”

When police chief Lin Beifong is introduced, she is presented as an opponent to Korra.  They meet after Korra is arrested for causing extensive property damage.  As viewers, we sympathize with Korra because the damage resulted from her attempt to stop gang members from extorting innocent shopkeepers and because Lin comes off as having a chip on her shoulder regarding the role of Avatar.  But Lin is a pragmatist, and the presence of a vigilante will potentially complicate her job.  As the season continues, she is revealed to be very much like Korra, except she has the benefit of years of experience keeping the peace.  Lin and Korra’s similar personalities cause them to butt heads at first, but Lin’s pragmatism, ability to think about the bigger picture, and drive to serve the people makes her an indispensable ally to Korra.

Lin is a no-nonsense career woman.  She is cold and rational, but highly competent and extraordinarily driven.  Like Korra, her bending skills are top notch and her mission is to ensure the safety of the public.  And in keeping with the world’s lack of hang-ups about gender, no one ever thinks less of Lin for not having a family or not being comfortable around children.  Her skills lie in being a bender and peace officer, and everyone recognizes that the city is better off with her as police chief, rather than forcing her into a role she’s ill-suited for.

Lin is a metalbender, meaning that her earthbending skills are so advanced, she can manipulate the mineral impurities in metal.  This rare skill is possessed by only the most talented earthbenders, and Lin is the best of the best.  (It is at this point I feel that I should mention that three skills that have become commonplace in The Legend of Korra – metalbending, chi blocking, and bloodbending – were all invented by women during the events of Avatar: The Last Airbender.)  Over the course of the season, without her fundamental character traits changing, Lin evolves from a gruff opponent to a necessary ally, and has one of the most touching/awesome scenes of the season (from which the above quote is taken).

“People usually assume that I’m daddy’s helpless little girl, but I can handle myself.” –Asami Sato, Episode 7, “The Aftermath”

If Lin is Korra-plus-experience, Asami is Korra’s opposite.  Asami conforms to our concept of feminine much more than Korra; she is mannered, wears make-up, cannot travel without a comical amount of suitcases, and knows how to use her feminine wiles to get what she wants.  (Contrast Korra, who won a belching contest against male friend Bolin and is very blunt and aggressive when it comes to her desires.)  In perhaps the only example of the show using our world’s views on gender, Korra initially assumes that Asami is a spoiled, helpless rich girl whose idea of fun involves shopping and makeovers, when really, she’s anything but.  Asami’s many skills make her essential to Korra’s team.  In a world where automobiles are a new invention, she is Korra’s sole ally who can drive.  As the daughter of the inventor of automobiles, she can drive exceedingly well, and provides Team Avatar 2.0 with a quick means of navigating the city.  Asami can also hold her own in a fight, and was able to singlehandedly save her bender friends from a crisis.  Asami keeps a cool head in stressful situations, never batting an eye during a rough automobile race, and remaining completely calm while simultaneously fighting and driving.

Of the three main women, Asami is probably the least developed.  She is not without flaws, but they are much less developed than Korra’s or Lin’s.  But despite this, Asami may be my favorite character on the show.  Her personality defies the expectations we develop about her based on her appearance and surface qualities, and she stands up for what is right in the face of terrible pressure.  Korra and Lin’s loyalties are never tested.  Korra’s test of character comes in the form of learning how to address problems with balance, rather than extremism.  Lin has to learn to let the past go and be open-minded.  Asami, as a nonbender, can sympathize with the anti-bender sentiment that drives the villains, and when she learns that her father is a member of the anti-bender faction, she is forced to choose between her morals and her love for her family.  Multiple times, Asami is tempted to switch sides in the fight between Korra  and the anti-bender revolutionaries.  That she never falters in choosing what she views as the moral choice underscores how strong she is in the face of personal tragedy.

“Let’s cut to the chase and settle this thing, if you’re man enough to face me.” –Korra, Episode 5, “The Voice in the Night”

The Legend of Korra’s second season will begin later this year.  I cannot recommend this show, and its predecessor, enough.  In addition to having an emotional and thematically rich (if somewhat flawed towards the end) plot, it has some of the best women on television (including, among those not mentioned here, a young airbender voiced by Mad Men’s Kiernan Shipka).  Korra, Lin, and Asami can stand proud next to Daenerys Targaryen, Joan Harris, and Hannah Horvath.  We need more characters like these three; not only are they great to watch, they are wonderful role models.

There have been quite a few strong female cops on television in the last three decades. Cagney and Lacey, Olivia Benson, Jane Tennison, Kate Beckett, Jane Rizzoli. On film? Not so much. Yeah, you’ve got a few FBI agents, like Clarice Starling. And Gracie Hart. But cops? Well… And female buddy cop movies? Nope.

That’s why “The Heat,” starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, which opened last weekend, is such a nice change. More, please!

Of course, being a pioneer in the genre puts tons of pressure on film-makers Paul Feig (who directs) and Katie Dippold (who wrote the screenplay). Fail, and they represent all women cops on film ever, and everyone goes back to thinking they won’t sell.

Luckily, “The Heat” is hilarious, and it’s not necessarily because of the plot, which is pretty basic police procedural. The two stars, particularly McCarthy, are what makes this watchable. (As are lots of smaller cameos from actors from SNL and “In Living Color.” Jane Curtin is hilarious as the pissy mom.)

Bullock plays very talented and by-the-book special agent Sarah Ashburn. She is great at solving cases, but sucks at working with others. One of her specialties is humiliating incompetent drug-sniffing dogs. When she sees a chance at promotion, her boss tells her her only chance is to find a particularly brutal drug lord working in Boston.

Off she goes, and soon runs into McCarthy’s Shannon Mullins, a very talented but very much renegade detective. Like Ashburn, Mullins is far from popular. She’s even pissed off her dysfunctional family by putting her brother Jason (Michael Rapaport) in jail for dealing drugs. She’s not wrong – it was a last-ditch effort to get Jason out of a life of crime, and unlike the rest of the family, he appreciates her for it.

When McCarthy and Mullins meet, it’s like the requisite oil and water. Each hates the other. But the grudging respect soon grows, and they turn out to be the perfect match at the end, etc., etc.

Both actresses throw themselves into the parts, and have great rapport, and great comic timing, which leads to some huge laughs.

For Bullock, it’s not such a stretch, since she’s done the whole uptight brainiac who softens before. “Two Weeks Notice” and “The Proposal” come to mind.

McCarthy, however – Mullins is very similar to Megan, the butch sister-in-law in “Bridesmaids.” She is even frumpier, though, and packs weaponry and lots more f-bombs. But the sheer joy with which McCarthy tackles the role (and every perp she can think of) makes it impossible to stop watching her, or stop her from stealing every scene.

That said, it would have been interesting if Bullock had played Mullins and McCarthy had played Ashburn. For Bullock it might have been too close to Gracie Hart in “Miss Congeniality,” but it would have been great for McCarthy.

Many moons ago, McCarthy played Sookie St. James in “Gilmore Girls.” Sookie was another strong, well-developed female character. She was also gorgeous, and her weight was never an issue (like it became a central issue in “Mike and Molly,” at least in the first seasons) , or an excuse for frumpiness or pity. Melissa McCarthy is a beautiful woman. Why is she only funny nowadays if she hides that?

What’s wrong with being gorgeous AND fat?

But anyway, “The Heat” is a lot of fun, and here’s hoping it will become a franchise, that will spawn other female buddy cop franchises. More, please!

With our own book coming early next year (that’s it, above!), we wanted to acknowledge our sisters in publishing — the best feminist books of the past year. Tell us if we missed one of your favorites! (We can’t read everything, alas.)