The Radical Feminism of Dollhouse

[caitri]

Echo is a blank slate; she is programmed by what others want her to be.

Women in modern society are pretty much programmed too: wear uncomfortable clothing to be found attractive; if you do not conform you will be sent away (I remember reading about a high school girl who didn't wear a bra to class and was sent home) and/or punished. In your professional career, to succeed is to be "like a man;" if you fail it's because you're a woman and too soft/emotional/bitchy. If you get your way, and you're a man, you're strong and know what you want, a go-getter; if you're a woman, you're a bitch. If you manage to succeed professionally and also to have a home life, you have the "second job" at home of primary care-giver to children and maker of meals. If you don't, you are selfish and a careerist.

Echo is trying to find out who she is.

What would a woman be without society's handicaps?

Comments

[100wordspermin.livejournal.com]

This sounds a lot like a half-baked idea that I've had for the last few days:

Echo in comparison with River Tam, particularly in the realm of identity (Joss's favorite thing to explore, other than how many times he can get Summer Glau to be barefoot on camera). After all, River's "programming" happened in a medlab/chair type setup too, though it was much more violent--but not more violent that Sierra's "first time," as the wanna-Andrew guy put it. River says more than once that she's not a "real girl"; no more so is Echo.

OR, to go in a rather different direction:

Cylons and dolls and identity: comparing multiple versions of the same "person" versus one version who can be multiple "people."

What do you think?

[caitri.livejournal.com]

I buy the River comparison, but for some reason I'm more hesitant about the Cylon one. I think it's because the Cylons (well most of them anyhow--seemingly) aren't programmed: they just have lots of sets of memories.

E.g. the Eight in Season 4.0 who massages Helo's neck. He protests saying his wife does that, and she says she knows, she accessed Athena's memories. And Helo is fairly squicked.