Day Three: Female Character Meme
Mar. 9th, 2011 11:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ishtar79Day Three: A female character you hated but grew to love: Lana Lang
I bet there's at least one person on my flist whose head will explode from my answer, but it just goes to show how our fannish opinions can change and evolve through experience.
I'm kind of embarrassed now, looking back at the level of dislike I harbored for the character. There were many reasons: she was getting in the way of the (truly epic levels of) slash, the show runners were rather creepily (considering the actress was 17 in season 1) obsessed with her and, let's face it, early Lana was on the annoying side. None of those were an excuse for the truly vehement hatred the character and, more disturbingly, the actress, seemed to attract from fandom.
I've recently been rewatching the show and, in the context of extra self-examination and unpacking of slasher misogyny the years that preceded the first watch afforded me, I've learned to appreciate Lana a lot more. She'll never be one of my objectively favourites, as I'm all about the snarky and assertive ones, but I've found myself sympathising with her a lot more, and realising just how much shit, lying and creepily paternalistic behaviour the character has been subjected to (ask me how pissed off I get at Clark and Lex in later seasons). Even the earnestness and naivete of early Lana now amuses me and makes me roll my eyes in a “LOL, teenagers!” way, and season 6 Lana is kind of objectively awesome. I still have massive issues with her lack of agency and the way the male characters view her as an ideal, reward and general object, but this time around I'm directing my ire where it should, and wishing that Lana would just tell the men in her life to get lost.
On a completely shallow note, I wish Kristin Kreuk a long and successful career, because she's too pretty to be kept away from my screen. Even on a a show like “Our cast if prettier than yours” Smallville, airing on the “No uglies” CW network, I sometimes find myself missing chunks of dialogue (which considering the writing quality, is no big loss) from wondering if the woman has ever had a bad angle, ever.
Day One: Favorite lead female character
Day Two: Favorite supporting female character
Day Three: A female character you hated but grew to love
Day Four: A female character you relate to
Day Five: Favorite female character on a male-driven show
Day Six: Favorite female-driven show
Day Seven: A female character that needs more screen time
Day Eight: Favorite female character in a comedy show
Day Nine: Favorite female character in a drama show
Day Ten: Favorite female character in a scifi/supernatural show
Day Eleven: Favorite female character in a children’s show
Day Twelve: Favorite female character in a movie
Day Thirteen: Favorite female character in a book
Day Fourteen: Favorite older female character
Day Fifteen: Favorite female character growth arc
Day Sixteen: Favorite mother character
Day Seventeen: Favorite warrior female character
Day Eighteen: Favorite non-warrior female character
Day Nineteen: Favorite non-human female character
Day Twenty: Favorite female antagonist
Day Twenty-One: Favorite female character screwed over by canon
Day Twenty-Two: Favorite female character you love but everyone else hates
Day Twenty-Thre: Favorite female platonic relationship
Day Twenty-Four: Favorite female romantic relationship
Day Twenty-Five: Favorite mother/daughter and/or sister relationship
Day Twenty-Six: Favorite classical female character (from pre-20th century literature or mythology or the like)
Day Twenty-Seven: A female character you have extensive personal canon for
Day Twenty-Eight: Favorite female writer (television, books, movies, etc.)
Day Twenty-Nine: A female-centric fic rec
Day Thirty: Whatever you'd like!
I bet there's at least one person on my flist whose head will explode from my answer, but it just goes to show how our fannish opinions can change and evolve through experience.
I'm kind of embarrassed now, looking back at the level of dislike I harbored for the character. There were many reasons: she was getting in the way of the (truly epic levels of) slash, the show runners were rather creepily (considering the actress was 17 in season 1) obsessed with her and, let's face it, early Lana was on the annoying side. None of those were an excuse for the truly vehement hatred the character and, more disturbingly, the actress, seemed to attract from fandom.
I've recently been rewatching the show and, in the context of extra self-examination and unpacking of slasher misogyny the years that preceded the first watch afforded me, I've learned to appreciate Lana a lot more. She'll never be one of my objectively favourites, as I'm all about the snarky and assertive ones, but I've found myself sympathising with her a lot more, and realising just how much shit, lying and creepily paternalistic behaviour the character has been subjected to (ask me how pissed off I get at Clark and Lex in later seasons). Even the earnestness and naivete of early Lana now amuses me and makes me roll my eyes in a “LOL, teenagers!” way, and season 6 Lana is kind of objectively awesome. I still have massive issues with her lack of agency and the way the male characters view her as an ideal, reward and general object, but this time around I'm directing my ire where it should, and wishing that Lana would just tell the men in her life to get lost.
On a completely shallow note, I wish Kristin Kreuk a long and successful career, because she's too pretty to be kept away from my screen. Even on a a show like “Our cast if prettier than yours” Smallville, airing on the “No uglies” CW network, I sometimes find myself missing chunks of dialogue (which considering the writing quality, is no big loss) from wondering if the woman has ever had a bad angle, ever.
Day One: Favorite lead female character
Day Two: Favorite supporting female character
Day Three: A female character you hated but grew to love
Day Four: A female character you relate to
Day Five: Favorite female character on a male-driven show
Day Six: Favorite female-driven show
Day Seven: A female character that needs more screen time
Day Eight: Favorite female character in a comedy show
Day Nine: Favorite female character in a drama show
Day Ten: Favorite female character in a scifi/supernatural show
Day Eleven: Favorite female character in a children’s show
Day Twelve: Favorite female character in a movie
Day Thirteen: Favorite female character in a book
Day Fourteen: Favorite older female character
Day Fifteen: Favorite female character growth arc
Day Sixteen: Favorite mother character
Day Seventeen: Favorite warrior female character
Day Eighteen: Favorite non-warrior female character
Day Nineteen: Favorite non-human female character
Day Twenty: Favorite female antagonist
Day Twenty-One: Favorite female character screwed over by canon
Day Twenty-Two: Favorite female character you love but everyone else hates
Day Twenty-Thre: Favorite female platonic relationship
Day Twenty-Four: Favorite female romantic relationship
Day Twenty-Five: Favorite mother/daughter and/or sister relationship
Day Twenty-Six: Favorite classical female character (from pre-20th century literature or mythology or the like)
Day Twenty-Seven: A female character you have extensive personal canon for
Day Twenty-Eight: Favorite female writer (television, books, movies, etc.)
Day Twenty-Nine: A female-centric fic rec
Day Thirty: Whatever you'd like!