Feminists
In reply to the discussion: Overheard on another board: Female characters in fiction [View all]justiceischeap
(14,040 posts)That doesn't mean though that gives author's room to create these totally absurd caricatures of women (and men). I read a lot (too much) of urban fantasy and I see a recurring them in this genre as I explained in the OP. The female hero is kicking ass and taking names and then a god-like man walks into the room and bam!, she becomes this really gross portrayal of some "other" weak-kneed woman who would do anything for this man to save her.
What often makes it worse is the author will throw in a couple of other guys to create tension (and don't get me started on the whole alpha werewolf/rape thing that goes on). Instead of using action or adventure to create tension, now they're using sex and, to me, that is the sign of a lazy writer (no offense meant if your book has romance) or publisher's trying to cash in on the romance market.
At the end of most of these books, the message I get is that these female hero's are good for only two things: throwing themselves into incredibly dangerous situations and winning because they have Super Hunk helping them now and second, they are for the amusement of Super Hunk (because the hunky guy is usually much more dominant than the female protagonist). It's the Mary Sue syndrome.
Maybe I shouldn't expect so much from the urban fantasy genre (and thrillers and mysteries) but it'd be nice to see something that doesn't follow that formula for female protagonists. I think you can still write entertaining fiction without resorting to these types of tropes.
It would be really nice to see a book with a female and male protagonist that doesn't lead to romance. It's almost saying, if you read too much into it like I'm probably doing, that men and women can't be friends without sex involved. I don't have sex with my male friends, nor do I see them sexually--of course, I'm a lesbian, so maybe that makes a difference (but I don't view my female friends that way either) but I doubt all straight women walk around salivating over their attractive male friends. You know, just waiting for the moment they can kiss his luscious lips and feel his rock-hard body against theirs while falling deeply into his soulful eyes.
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