Buffy, Joss and His Feminist Mother

For my first post, I thought it would be best to go back to one of the first television shows where I felt a connection with the main protagonist and was inspired by the show and it’s central characters. Sad to say when the Buffy the Vampire movie came out in 1992, my 14-year old self reveled in its cheesy story line and catchy dialogue (and possibly Luke Perry….). Years later when the tv show started, it had a darker tone but still captured my interest. I watched it throughout college and was hooked. It wasn’t until my early 30’s that I went back to watch the series in its entirety (thank you, Netflix!) and realized the impact that the show had on my life and society as a whole.

I have told people that Buffy gave me a false sense of my own physical strength. In this I meant that I saw myself in Buffy. Watching a young woman who had such physical and mental strength in a public medium was not very common. More than that, her visible struggles with her own strength, expectations from others, and personal relationships made her story relatable. She was not perfect, but was still a good person who tried to do the right thing. But her portrayal was not negative and this was new to me. I did not care too much for superhero stories because they all seemed the same and a bit unrealistic.

A friend of mine recently brought up what she thought was the most feminist show on television. I started thinking about what mine would be and what criteria I would use to make the call. Certainly there would need to be a female lead or at least a strong and realistic portrayal of women, as well as acknowledgment of inequalities women often face. My thoughts immediately went to Buffy because the show did those things very well. However, could a show be the most feminist when created and controlled by a man? I went back and forth.

Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy, has worked on some of what I would consider to be very feminist television shows – Roseanne, Buffy, Dollhouse. And his father was a writer for the Golden Girls. I just mentioned the Golden Girls, Roseanne, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer all in one paragraph and there was a connection beyond my love of all of them! Those are some impressive credentials right there.  Whedon credits his understanding and inclusion of feminist theories to his mother, Ann Lee Stearns. (Why yes, I have been reading the Joss Whedon biography. Why do you ask?) I think it’s pretty dang feminist to influence a young white man to include such things throughout his work. Though a man created Buffy, he was a man who was able to incorporate feminist themes in a manner that was realistic and respectful. 

There was a scene in the final episode of Buffy that sticks in my mind when considering the feminism in the show. The final season was one where Buffy was no longer the lone slayer (or one of two). There were “potential slayers” who would come into their slayer strength when Buffy died. She found a way to share her strength with them while alive and this is the scene where they began to feel it. So beautiful!

I still don't know if I would classify Buffy as the most feminist show but I rank it highly. Watching the show as a young woman who had seen few female characters with depth, Buffy reached me in a deeply intimate way. Beyond anything else Buffy has shown me the importance of positive portrayals of all types of people in boosting confidence and inspiration.