BTVS, Gender ‘Equality’ and Gender ‘Complentarity’
I just recently read an article by Cathleen Kaveny called “What Women Want: ‘Buffy,’ the Pope, and the New Feminists.” The article is very interesting because it addresses problems modern women face and the doctrines of the Church. Although I am not certain I share her view of Buffy as a compromise bet
ween Christian morality and the modern world, she had some very compelling points.
Kaveny discusses the problems of conceiving the concept of a ’strong woman’ in the modern world via Buffy. Although society often advocates the idea of gender ‘equality’ (that is, the view of women and men as equal beings with equal stengths and abilities in the same areas) this idea functions best in the abstract realm. It is difficult for a women to embody both strength and femininity. Kaveny cites how Buffy struggles to find a balance between these two ideas: “On the one hand, her fragile appearance, and even her name, do not correspond well with her vocation as a vampire slayer. On the other, her powers haven’t proved to be a guy magnet. Even basically decent boys in the Buffyverse tend to resent strong girls, or at least to shy away from them.”
The new, feminist alternative, embraced by Pope John Paul II is gender “complentarity.” In this model, “men and women are different but that they need each other.” Kaveny believes that:
It is this aspect of “gender complementarity” that may seem useful to girls like Buffy, who take for granted their equality with men but worry about preserving their attractiveness to them. Buffy knows that from time immemorial, for reasons now inscrutable, the Slayer must be a young woman. She therefore knows the deep and real compatibility of her femininity and her strength, but she learns from experience that some boys can be so threatened by the latter that they cannot see the former. In their eyes, her strength means their weakness, their weakness means their lack of masculinity, and their lack of masculinity means her lack of femininity. Frustrated by the fragility of the male ego, Buffy wonders whether her love life would be more satisfying if she could become a stereotypically feminine “fancy girl.”
In the episode “Halloween”, Buffy finally gets her chance to find out. When she and her friends are selecting costumes from the new store in town, she chooses a dress that is “nothing short of fabulous: a satin-and-lace confection in shades of rose and pink, with pretty pink bows adorning the ivory lace framing its bodice” (2). Of course, every costume from this shop also happens to be cursed, causing their owners to literally become the character symbolized by their costume while their own personalities are suppressed. Unfortunately, the character suggested by Buffy’s costume is weak, helpless, and vulnerable without a strong, virtuous man to protect her. Throughout the night’s experiences, Buffy learns the hard way how dangerous and foolish it is for a woman to rely on a man for protection. She encounters Spike, who remarks “Look at you. Shaking. Terrified. Alone. A lost little lamb. I love it.” But as he leans in to bite her neck, she snaps out of it, ‘gracefully arises and deftly fends him off, signaling her rejection of a dependent and vulnerable role. Yet, in a recognizably contemporary twist, she retains her femininity in the fight; the beautiful dress survives intact. Picking up her stake again with relish, she remarks, “It’s good to be me.” ‘
Kaveny also addresses the ways in which Buffy rejects conventions and traditions. As, a strong, modern woman, she not only fulfills her calling; she updates it:
According to ancient prophecy, the Slayer must forgo all connection to family and friends, all home of intimacy and warmth. Only then will she be able to fight the forces of darkness effectively. In other words, she must be the female equivalent of the Marlboro Man: strong, independent, and solitary. But over the course of the series, Buffy figures out how to get the job done in another way. She loves both her family and her friends. Far from being a hindrance to her work, they become indispensable in her fight against evil. For example, in one episode, Buffy allows her own physical strength to be combined with the superior mind, heart, and spirit of her friends, in order to defeat an otherwise invincible foe.
In the show’s final season, Buffy takes this upgrading one step further: she rejects the undoes the very structure surrounding the tradition of the Slayer. With the help of Willow, her Wiccan friend, Buffy transforms all ‘potential’ Slayers into actual Slayers. In other words, Buffy has undone the tradition that “in every generation, there is a chosen one. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.” Thanks to Buffy, Slaying will never again be a burden for one girl to shoulder alone.
Buffy provides young women with a strong role model and a vision of healthy, balanced womanhood. She has the ability to thwart antiquated gender conceptions and traditions, balance strength with feminity, and to accept and modify her vocation with grace. She also displays intelligence, morality, and sacrifice. She is a phenomenal role model for young girls. Even the Pope thinks so.
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