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Day Three: Female Character Meme
Mar. 9th, 2011 11:07 amDay 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.
( Days 1-30 )
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.
( Days 1-30 )