Belinda Week 10

So, why do we study Buffy?

I wanted to take a small exploration into why BTVS was able to evoke such a strong cult status, and why our blonde heroine Buffy was such a Pandora’s Box of complexity.  BTVS tackled the controversial such as Identity, stereotypes, witchcraft, religion and even feminism and injects them into the episodes in a way that captures audience attention. It resonates with fans who are able to identify with the topical issues, that perhaps in some way reflects their own life (Dial-Driver et al. 2008). It has staying power.  

Since the first season, she was cute, sweet and her name alone ‘Buffy’ is almost bouncy or fluffy and befitting for a cheer leader. But all of that is a bipolar of what she truly is. She is essentially a slayer. A killer, who sets out to eradicate the vampires/demons of Sunnydale armed with a wooden stake and some bad ass martial arts, who still has to deal with the everyday norms like High School and homework, keeping good grades. But she is a young female, and that is where it all begins. 

Buffy isn’t your typical blonde air headed bimbo. She is intelligent, strong and lives to fight evil and challenges the ideologies of a heroic stereotype. I watched her kick vampire/monster ass. I supported her when she decided it was time to do the deed with Angel.  I was present on numerous occasions when Xander shifted into ‘Shaggy’ mode and befuddled a task given to him; and when Willow decided to partake in a little sorcery I thought “oh, this could be interesting”. I was mildly pleased when Tara entered as Willow’s love interest, though not surprised as they seemed to be tackling the issues we face as individuals. 

What stood out as perhaps the more pervasive theme in BTVS is the issue of feminism. Buffy is a courageous warrior, who like a typical male hero often displays acts of masculinity in her strength and ability to fend off and kill vampires and demons (who are predominantly male); but she maintains her feminine ideals. For example Buffys dialogue with Xander; clearly Buffy plays a double identity role within the series, but she takes it on the chin and tries to live as normal life as a teen.

Buffy: Alright...Yes, date, and shop and hang out and go to school and save the world from unspeakable demons. You know, I wanna do girlie stuff. 

"Faith, Hope & Trick" imdb (1998)

There was some argument as to whether Buffy could be claimed as feminist because of Gellars physical appearance (Dicker & Piepmeier, 2003). Throughout the series seasons, there is a definite transformation in Buffy‘s dress sense.  I remember thinking how much cleavage she was beginning to display, and crossed  fingers in the hopes that the series wasn’t going to conform to typical Hollywood standards and mould her into a big busted vampire slaying femme fatal and focus on her physical assets rather than maintaining the already solid storylines that was the root of their success.  

The men were made redundant in their roles as being naturally superior. Xander was in my opinion more effeminate than normal, Giles was soft and subtle, Angle was aloof more often than not and Riley was just that, Riley and Spike was of similar vein. Buffy lost her virginity, shed some sexual inhibitions and she exuded dominance over Spike during coitus. Seasons went by and Buffy bore the role of a slayer like a true heroine, overcoming mountains of trials and tribulations. She was surrounded with females who outnumbered the males. Willow the practicing sorcerer, Tara her lover, Dawn her sister, and Anya. She was the embodiment of a strong female role model, which would have appealed to the female viewers. I remember when Buffy came back from the dead, I felt she seemed a lot darker, and perhaps cynical about life. She just seemed overly aggressive. This was one of the more memorable episodes because you could visually see the change in her. Even the fight scenes were brutal.

My view of BTVS NOW compared to THEN is way out of left field than I had expected. The resources available are unlimited. Scholars study Buffy, Universities have courses dedicated to the study Buffy; there are countless websites, not to mention the conferences, there has also been a focus on the language of Buffy. The show has a strong cult following because it draws attention to issues that normal people face and therein lays the tie between audience and Buffy.  We see Buffy and the scoobies in their element as they make choices. Some good and some not, but they trudge along and we see how they deal with the choices they've made.

We study Buffy because the show allows us to explore the controversial issues mentioned earlier, as well as media studies and pop culture. We want to understand what makes it so appealing, and why and to whom. There are so many angles to BTVS from my little exploration; it leaves me with more questions than answers. 

References

Buffy the Vampier Slayer. (1998). Retrieved October 19, 2011, from imdb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0533422/quotes

Cooke-Dicker, R., & Piepmeier, A. (2003). Catching a Wave: Reclaiming Feminism for the 21st Century. Massachusetts: Northeastern Univeristy Press.

Dial-Driver, E., Emmons-Featherston, S., Ford, J., & Taylor, C. A. (2008). The Truth of Buffy: Essays on Fiction Illuminating Reality. North Carolina: McFarland.