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Prompted by recently reading somewhere negative commentary on the Wonder Woman film because her power was love and compassion. Also ass-kicking, but also love. And right now I'm rereading Tamora Pierce's Alanna books and reading for the first time her Protector of the Small books, all of which involve girls wanting to be knights and performing heroics. But all of their heroics are centered around martial arts and what we would consider traditional bravery in terms of standing up to bullies, fighting literal monsters, and so on.
And what struck me is how we kind of have this narrative of heroism = violence, and therefore women heroes have to either 1) be born warriors (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Wonder Woman), 2) be traumatized and become warriors (Jessica Jones, River Tam), or 3) choose to be warriors For Reasons (Agent Carter, Gabrielle from Xena), etc.
But like, there isn't much of a narrative for non-fightey heroics?
And then on the flip-side, slightly, you get stuff like Pacific Rim that does switch it up, with Raleigh being the emotional nurturing one, and Mako being the Traumatized and Opting for Warrior one.
And so I guess my main thought is to wonder: What does a non-fightey woman hero look like? Is she possible?
And what struck me is how we kind of have this narrative of heroism = violence, and therefore women heroes have to either 1) be born warriors (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Wonder Woman), 2) be traumatized and become warriors (Jessica Jones, River Tam), or 3) choose to be warriors For Reasons (Agent Carter, Gabrielle from Xena), etc.
But like, there isn't much of a narrative for non-fightey heroics?
And then on the flip-side, slightly, you get stuff like Pacific Rim that does switch it up, with Raleigh being the emotional nurturing one, and Mako being the Traumatized and Opting for Warrior one.
And so I guess my main thought is to wonder: What does a non-fightey woman hero look like? Is she possible?
