Buffy Versus Bella: The Quest for Female Role Models

In a world of whirling media stimulation and a hazy identity, role models are becoming more difficult to define and therefore more difficult to find. David Gauntlett, in his summary chapter, describes how media role models are being defined and identified. Two particular teenage female characters have stuck out to me in the recent months. The world has been taken by storm with Stephenie Meyer’s four part Twilight saga. What started out to be a one book ordeal became a four novel world-wide phenomenon. The science fiction aspect of the novel is quite astounding and peculiar. However, the romance and characters are the focus of the fans. Despite the craze for Bella’s romantic life, some women and men are questioning rather she truly is a good role model. Leonard Sax wrote an article for the Washington Post entitled “‘Twilight’ Sinks Its Teeth into Feminism.” This article focuses on the whether or not Bella is a feminist character. He specifically states “that Bella’s ideas about gender roles are decidedly unfeminist.” He argues that her nature disrupts the feminist movement. The Twilight saga is set in a modern day atmosphere that embodies traditional values. Sax argues that she represents a digression of modern gender roles. Bella is a woman who takes care of her father and pines over Jane Austen books. (Do not get me wrong, Pride and Prejudice is a classic and fitting example to illustrate in these novels.) It is the men who are muscularly sculpted and the literal saviors in these novels. They are constantly saving Bella from peril. Even though I agree that Bella is always in mortal danger to the point of humorous dramatics, I feel it is almost unfair to compare her against Edward and Jacob because Edward is an immortal vampire and Jacob is a werewolf. No human man could be compared next to these two fictional beings, let alone a woman.
Sax’s article is referenced in Jan Czech’s editorial “Bella Swan – A Feminist’s Nightmare: Is the Twilight Heroine a Wimp?” This short, but honest article poses the main question that I have been getting to in this blog entry. Is Bella a role model? Czech opens her article by saying: “She [Bella] adores sexy vampire, Edward Cullen but is Bella her own woman? She’s willing to give up everything for love. Does that make her a princess or a doormat?” Catchy, but her argument is controversial for the Twilight admirers as many have responded to this article with fangs dripping with revenge. After the article is about twenty pages of people commenting on it and voicing their thoughts regarding Bella as a role model. The comments page, entitled “Some biting remarks about Twilight’s heroine as a role model” is fully loaded with those who passionately believe Bella is a role model or simply do not care about the topic and simply write to defend their Twilight heroine. Most of the comments included some sort of personal stab at the writer and accused her of being incapable of reading a book for fun. I enjoyed reading the venting Bella lovers and developed my own personal opinion on the subject. As a literature enthusiast and avid reader, I must form two opinions: one as a literary critic and one as a hopeless romantic. From an avid reader of romance, science fiction, and vampire lore, I could not get enough of the Twilight saga. Not only was I officially addicted to the novels from the beginning, but rounded up troops to join in my obsession. My friend Bia, from Brazil who read them in Portuguese, had debates with me about rather we were on team Jacob or team Edward. Also, while I was studying in England I was so desperate to get my hands on the next book I bought it in Oxford with pounds. (At that time the conversion was 1 U.S. dollar to 2 Pounds, but I was that desperate!) Now that you have a feel for my personal view, I will examine the text from a literary critic’s perspective. I agree in many ways with Czech in that Bella is not really a fitting ‘role model’ for teenage girls. At some parts I cringed at how explicit Stephenie Meyers was in the sexuality of her character and I am often disturbed when I see very young girls and boys (ages 10 to middle school) reading the later books. I appreciate that the Scholastic Reader brochures caution that these books are for mature readers. On the note of the role model, I find it difficult for Bella to embody the ideals a teenager should embrace because she really does not do anything terribly extraordinary until the last book. (I realize she becomes a powerful vampire and saves the day at the end of the last book, but that happens not because she is the same human woman as in the other books, but because she has also assumed supernatural powers.) In her article “Taking a Bite out of Twilight” published in Ms. Magazine, Carmen D. Siering states that Bella “is merely an object in the Twilight world. Bella is a prize, not a person, someone to whom things happen, not an active participant in the unfolding story.” Not only does Bella require constant saving, she can only be rescued by supernatural men. This dramatic flair delights readers, but does nothing for the reputation of the heroine.



As stated in my title, I am prepared to pose a counter example for the Twilight’s questionable role model. Along the lines of a similar genre and themes, Joss Whedon brought the world Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the 1992 film and later in the seven season series beginning in 1996. For the sake of the already lengthy blog, I will keep my points short since I am currently writing a paper on the subject of Buffy and am not shy on ideas to convey. Both Buffy and Bella fall for gorgeous vampire men. However, Buffy’s struggle in the relationship is more profound and healthier than Bella’s. Bella desires sex and cannot partake in fulfilling the height of love in the relationship because she is a weak human. Buffy is sexy and is by no means weak. However, sexual relations are more difficult because it breaks a curse that frees Angel from his soul. (Season 2 “Innocence”) Buffy is not the typical horror genre blond that needs rescued every time she peaks around a dark corner. Buffy is the antithesis of the stereotype and therefore reforms the horror genre. The first pre-requisite of being a slayer is that the person must be female. This is a crucial element to the lore. There are interesting gender dynamics throughout the seasons of Buffy. Buffy, the female, saves the day and usually the feeble men in the process. Her friend Xander and Watcher Giles mean well, but always end up needing to be saved by Buffy. The only exception to this trend is her vampire boyfriend Angel. Being superhuman he has a tendency to be able to take care of himself. One last point and in my opinion the most important aspect of the role model debate between Bella and Buffy is their depth of character. I would argue that Buffy is a much stronger role model, not just in the physical sense, but also regarding her personality. Despite the fact that Whedon has seven seasons to develop his character and Meyers has four books, Buffy proves her range of emotions and depth of character within the first season. When her vampire lover leaves, Buffy is crushed and has a difficult time moving on, but she finds a way to recover. Bella cannot function and attempts to commit suicide several times after Edward leaves. Buffy provides witty dialogue to the fight scenes when Bella embodies the stereotypical horror female. The irony about the question of finding the better role model between these two females is that Bella is the most recent character chronologically, but most regressive in terms of gender roles.

The Evolution of Men's Magazines

As I read Cosmopolitan, Miss Magazine, and Better Homes and Gardens, I could not help the tingle in my toes that something was missing...where are the magazines for guys? Do guys wonder how to have great sex like the bold headlines for women in Cosmo? Are guys concerned about health and food ( I mean I know the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but is he interested at all about what he is eating?) Who tells men what to wear to a business meeting or interview if not a magazine?

These very questions were addressed in David Gauntlett's book, an article by John Beynon regarding "The Commercialization of Masculinities" as well as "Advertising and the Construction of Violent White Masculinity" by Jasckson Katz. To reflect on the last question regarding who informs men of modern questions and concepts, Gauntlett mentions that it is a common facade that men just know what to do. I thought that very thing before reading this article. I know that my father and brother would read hobby magazines about cars, boats, rockets, wood working, and whatever was this week's interest. However, their articles, photographs and advertisements were vastly different from my magazines of choice. I never saw male peers in junior or senior high school discussing the latest fades or dating tips from glossy magazines like my fellow female cohorts. So what are men reading behind the glossy covers of their monthly periodicals?

Gauntlett goes into great depth regarding the material covered in a man's parallel to Cosmo. Men have similar fears with sexuality, relationships, appearance, and style like their female partners. Gauntlett describes how in one issue of Maxim, topics from food addictions, sex, drugs, recovering from hangovers, becoming more intelligent, job interviews, fatherhood, massages for women, and romance were covered. So much for the completely put together look of masculinity. This comment is by no means a negative thought towards men, but a reassuring fact that men do struggle with every day problems like women. Though not identical, it equalizes the playing field. Men are influenced by advertisements and articles just like women. In this way, Gauntlett says that "Men are therefore addressed as consumers - traditionally the role of women - although here it seems that ultimately it is a sense of masculine pride which is to be bought." Men see the sexiest new sports car and view it not as a feminine ideal of consumerism, but a new level of defining their masculinity and status among other men. After all that is all an expensive sports car is...a status symbol to flaunt at the country club. Notice how car advertisements tend to include a scantily clothed lady in the ad. So which body are they really selling? Just a thought to muse about. Another advertisement that struck my interest was one describes in Katz's article. He portrays a scene were a man clad in football athletic apparel is running towards the camera while a lady is in the background holding a cake with candles. Who would have guessed this was advertising Clinique perfume for men? Here is a similar ad.
This ad is stressing that Clinique is now for men and if women believe their man is masculine, they need to buy this product for him. So now both men and women can be "Happy" with Clinique.



One idea that I have been mulling over the past few months is the media's effect on the male identity. It was not so much a matter of if but really how it has changed. I have discussed the alteration of feminine roles and identity through the decades so it is naive to think that men would not have had an equally altered identity. Men have had to blend into female roles because women are overlapping into male's traditional roles. There have been new visual representation of men. Now instead of just the female body being the lure of the male gaze, men have become sexually objectified in advertisements, television and movies. Why else would chick flicks involve gorgeous men with ripped bodies if not to be on display for the female public?

Since the old roles of a patriarchal society where only men worked outside of the home have been slowly diminishing, men must find a new image in this 21st century. The media is helping to sculpt that perception and create a whole new masculine identity.

She will, she will slay you!

As the prologue reiterates, the slayer is always female. This is a significant part to the vampire slayer lore because only a woman can possess the superhuman strength to defeat the vampires and other forces of darkness. Since the show aired in 1996 (and the original movie a few years before), Buffy has given girl power a boost. In a "heroine starved"culture, Rachel Fudge argues that Buffy is the beginning of a female revolution on the television. Before and around this time, there were not many shows that portrayed women as the dominant protagonist that could stand up for herself. The only others were La Femme Nikita and Xena the Warrior Princess. Buffy crossed over from the big screen to kill bad guys for an hour once a week and continue to thrill audiences for seven seasons.

This article written by Rachel Fudge has amazingly been referenced by many scholars who have analyzed Buffy as a revolution in the horror genre. I found this shocking because I personally did not perceive Fudge to have made a profound argument regarding the Buffy show. In regards to portraying a genuine female role model, I believe that Buffy is a wonderful character. She kicks butt and looks pretty for her date. Fudge's main grudge against this peppy blond is that she shows a little cleavage. Has she seen Lara Croft lately? At least Buffy lives in California where skimpy skirts and halter tops are at least realistic. Regarding Buffy's wardrobe, it is more than just clothing for this young slayer - it is her signature. While Superman has his cape and tights (no one ever criticizes Clark Kent for blue tights!), Buffy marches to the Hellmouth in her halter. In the episode "The I in Team," Buffy disregards adorning military garb saying that "this halter has seen many patrols." Buffy's wardrobe is not just an eye-catcher, though Laura Mulvey (a media critic known for her analysis of the male gaze) would argue otherwise. Also, this slayer's clothing is her statement to the world. Teenagers would not take her seriously if she did not dress like them. What teenage idol become popular with conservative clothing. This show became popular on the WB network and fans of all ages and genders could not get enough of Buffy. It was not her cleavage that attracted audience members, but her wit and spunk. She was not created to become a feminist controversy, as some have made her out to be, but a role model in a genre were women were the screaming victims. David Gauntlett quotes Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy. "Buffy is a good role model for not just girls but for everybody, because she has to use her wits and her physical strength to win. Yet, she still has to get high marks in all her courses at school." I am not sure about the accuracy with the grades aspect since she rarely is passing high school and struggles in her college psychology class, but he states his point and gets across the idea that she is a role model for the modern teenager. The interesting fact is that most people believe that Buffy is a female craze, but it has been the men in my life who have gotten me addicted to the phenomena known as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I love to watch the shows not only to see a woman as the heroine, but to analyze all of the aspects within the show. This may sound extreme that I analyze a television show, but it is really hard not to. Some of my favorite college memories have been discussing Buffy with my roommate and making an argument about how powerful the character is not just for women, but for revolutionizing an entire genre. Horror has not been the same since Buffy came slaying into the big screen with her halter top and witty comebacks. In a genre that sent women screaming from monsters and away from the television, Buffy has attracted women to the horror and science fiction genre. Now horror is not just for men. Through Buffy, the horror genre has become a communal gathering of both men and women. Now this may seem warm and fuzzy for a girl who slays anything but fuzzy demons. However, her fan gathering has been rather surprising given the nuance of the trend.

Another feisty lady to cross the medium border was Lara Croft. Originally a video game that allowed both generations to enjoy the game console, Angelina Jolie brought this character to life on the big screen. Creating a highly sexualized woman for the screen, Lara Croft transformed the dirty work of tomb raiding into high energy, smoking hot action. The perspective of Lara Croft that is most favorable for both genres is not her looks, but her intelligence. She is not just a sexy body for the big screen, but a smart woman who uses her physical strength as well as her brains. Being an archaeologist definitely wins her bonus points. So many times women have been portrayed as just an object. Here, Lara is the commanding subject who can outwit a group of specialized men all by herself. Throw in the latest cool gadgets, a sharp wit, and awesome artillery and the action is good to go!

These two fictional ladies have assisted in spicing up the heroine world for the entertainment of both men and women.

gender and race bias in media

How does race affect gender in magazines and other forms of media? Gayle Wald, in her chapter entitled “Just a Girl? Rock Music, Feminism, and the Cultural Construction of Female Youth” emphasizes the “white authority” within the medium of rock music. She defines “girlness with whiteness.” With just these two segments of her chapter, the reader begins to feel a particular race bebecominging dominate within this medium as well as possessing the power throughout the entire chapter. This particular article focuses on the successes of women in music, but also focuses on a specific race. Lisa Duke, in her chapter “Get Real! Cultural Relevance and Resistance to the Mediated Feminine Ideal” focuses on the effect dominantly white magazines have on young African American women. Duke surveys the reactions of Black female teenagers on images presented in popular adolescent magazines. The “fashion discourses” presented in images within this area of media are either predominately White women or show Black women in unrealistic settings. For example, Duke presents the situation where one of her surveyors commented on an advertisement of a Black woman in a Paul Mitchell advertisement. The young girl cannot identify with the model because that particular brand would do more harm than good for her hair. In a sense, the model is a rather hypocritical figure for other females of her race.

Cases like these demonstrate the difficulties of racial identification. Duke references Helms and the “five-stage process of racial identity.” Helm’s model outlines the processes of: “preencounter, encounter, immersion/emersion, internalization, and integrative awareness.” Preencounter is the stage before a person is introduced to a medium that reflects or detracts from one’s racial paradigm. In the encounter stage, a person is familiar with other races and the physical differences, but does not cognitively connect the distinctions. WIth Immersion/emersion, the girls begin to identify with their own race and begin to observe and analyze others of their race and the process of racial identification. The internalization stage engages a young female’s thoughts of Blackness with her identity. These characteristics are combined within her life. The final stage, integrative awareness, the girls identify with her own race as well as commune with those of other races.

Beauty Evolution to Body-Image

I think this clip says it all.

When people, especially women, see models on billboards or other types of media, they are cut down by the expectations of beauty that are placed in front of them. I can speak from experience that these images flood my mind and subconsciously create a physical perfection that I am told to obtain. As a society, we are bombarded with images of expectations that we desire to fulfill. It does not matter how confident a person is about his or her self/body- image, advertisements strike at our self-confidence in ways we do not always realize. I consider myself to be fairly confident with who I am. However, when my media class discussed the distortion of beauty I found myself deeply disturbed at the end of the session. Even though we tended to bash physical perfection, I felt this weight of imperfection bare down on me. I left class with a burden that was not there in the beginning. The area of body-image is such a touchy and difficult subject to grapple with no matter how much you accept your body. (This may not be true for every single person, but I believe it is a fair statement for the majority).

Going back to the dove clip, my first impression of the woman was that she looked like me. There was nothing terribly glamorous about her. I did not feel threatened or challenged to look like her. However, as she was going through the "changes," I found myself grimacing at my own appearance. When the hair and make-up artists were finished, I felt a strong desire to explore my cosmetic bag. Then when I saw her appearance being computer generated to make her neck longer, shoulders thinner, and eyes larger I was defeated. There was no way I could compete with a perfected computer image. This is just one example of how media distorts and harms the self-image of men and women.

The Fashion Facade

Popular women’s magazines like Cosmopolitan and Glamour restrain the body-image of females in their publications. The expectations they portray for women to fulfill at the most basic level can be described as unattainable. Both David Gauntlett and Diana Crane have concluded that fashion magazines depict an unrealistic and severely unhealthy ideal for women to meet. How can a magazine that is supposed to promote female self-confidence in fact portray the contrary? These magazines claim to empower women, but in reality they only create a barrier between a woman’s healthy self-image and the image that is suppose to support this ideal. There is so much pressure on the modern woman to use the right make-up, wear clothes that will flatter her body, fix her hair to attract men, and keep up with the latest fad diet. How do these pressures embody female self-esteem? Basically, these magazines put on a fabulous façade.

These types of magazines mainly targets younger women (teenage years to twenties). In her article Gender and Hegemony in Fashion Magazines, Diana Crane describes how older women admit that they have come to the realization that they will never be able to achieve such a body as the models on the front cover. These women did not see it as a personal failure, but as a misconception within the magazine itself. This is a very healthy outlook in regards to these glaring images that are being flashed in every form of medium. Females are beginning to be portrayed more as an empowered business woman. This is a wonderful reflection for older women as well as a role model for younger women to aspire.

For the most part, I have avoided these types of magazines because I am aware of how vulnerable I am to their subliminal messages. As a middle school and high school student I was able to steer clear from their powerful images. (However, this does not mean I was not affected through other media or friends). Now that I am engaged, I live for Bridal magazines. I love pouring over the advertisements of the countless designs for wedding dresses, the articles on how to budget, tips for the honeymoon, and guest list etiquette. Also, included in these magazines are article about brides and dieting. I remember one editorial being very down to earth and truthful about the dieting craze in the bridal world. One bride said she could not wait to get married not because she wanted to be with her husband, but so she could stop starving herself to fit into her dress. I laughed at this article in good humor, but as the wedding draws closer the pressure is on. Ever since I have ordered my dress people have asked if I have started to lose weight, or make sure I will be able to fit into my dress. Talk about being on the stop while I am downing my morning latte!

Ad tricks

In her article Sex, Lies and Advertising, Gloria Steinem describes the gender manipulation and bias in today's advertising. She tells how certain products are links to a particular gender. Food advertisements are associated with females because they are the primary clients for these products. However, it is becoming more offensive for food advertisements to be linked with recipes because it suggests that women must work for these meals. These associates of women and recipes are becoming more of a turn off for a working mother. They do not like to be reminded that despite their outside career, they are expected to be the one who cooks for the family. On the other hand, electronic advertisements are geared towards men. Steinem states that even when women buy electronic products, they consult their male partners before making the purchase.

These are the reasons behind the reasons for the advertisements, but how do they fit into the magazine industry? While interviewing my Uncle's staff at a magazine company, I discovered their reasoning. My uncle, who is the senior vice-president at AOPA Magazine, brought me to his office so that I could have the opportunity to learn about the various processes that go into the production of a magazine. The one man who stood out the most during my experience described the reasoning behind advertisements. Advertisements essentially pay for the magazine because it is a large source of income for the company. However, the company chooses where to place the advertisements to increase their sales. He said that the company places quite a few advertisements before the table of contents page so that it takes the customer a while to find the page numbers for the articles. What usually happens is a person picks up a magazine while waiting in-line at a store. While they are attempting to sift through the countless advertisements, they find themselves at the counter before discovering the article they were looking for initially. Therefore, they buy the magazine so that they can find the articles at home. I tested this theory the next time I waited in line at the grocery store. Sure enough, I did not find the desired article before it was my turn to check out. The more I browse through magazines, the more I find that this is true. The magazines I have found the most advertisements in were my bridal magazines. Have you every looked through a bridal magazine? Some are over four hundred pages! Do you know how much is actually information versus advertisements? Only about one hundred pages and that is being generous in some occasions. In this respect, it is the advertisement industry that is funding the magazine production in more ways than one.

How to Lose a Dude

In the movie How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Kate Hudson plays a spunky journalist who works for Composure, "the fastest growing woman's magazine in the country." Hudson's character and her coworkers gather information about woman's desires and interest in order to sell magazines. Hudson's character Andie Anderson writes a column about the problems of dating. Her inspiration is her friend who keeps getting dumped. Andie helps her friend by dating a guy and driving him away with the mistakes many women make while being in a relationship.

The events in this movie are similar to classic headlines found in many Cosmopolitan magazines. Laura Ouellette, in her article Inventing the Cosmo Girl: Class Identity and Girl-Style American Dreams, discusses the phenomenon of woman's periodicals. Helen Gurley Brown is the founder of Cosmopolitan Magazine and author of the bestselling book Sex and the Single Girl. This book "sold more than two million copies in three weeks" (Dines 118). Her target audience is single women. She writes for the woman who wants to know how to be beautiful and have relations with men. Many have criticized her for promoting twenty-first century prostitution. Female sexuality has exploded since the publication of her book. Between her novels, magazines, and countless authors who have mimicked her genre, women have defied their inhibitions of sexual relations with men who are not their husbands. When the bold, capitalized headlines posted on the monthly Cosmopolitan magazine proclaim the latest sex tricks, it is no wonder women have been less timid to explore their sexuality. The sanctity of sex in marriage has been slid to the back burner for a light simmer while promiscuous relations are at a rolling boil.