fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2637 ]

[ SECRET POST #2637 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2637 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.

__________________________________________________

02.

__________________________________________________

03.

__________________________________________________

04.

__________________________________________________

05.

__________________________________________________

06.

__________________________________________________

07.

__________________________________________________

08.

__________________________________________________

09.

__________________________________________________

10.

__________________________________________________

11.

__________________________________________________

12.

Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 070 secrets from Secret Submission Post #377.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 1 - broken links ], [ 1 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 1 - too big ], [ 1 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

10. http://i61.tinypic.com/9hon42.jpg

I know everybody's slice of fandom is different but I've never been in one where people were criticized for hating a female character for this reason. Also, I like Inara but I'd always had the impression she was a pretty unpopular character.

Really? I've seen it a lot. Especially in general forum type places.

I take it you're not part of the Supernatural fandom then? Everytime anyone dares to dislike Bela, Jo, Lisa, Amelia, etc, there's a chorus of "UR JUS JELLUS!11!"

Yeah, the SPN fandom is totally famous for loving and defending women.

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2014-03-23 23:17 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

likeadeuce - 2014-03-23 23:38 (UTC) - Expand

There is? I haven't seen that. I have seen some people calling out others for disliking female SPN characters for the same things that they like the male characters for. I have seen some people calling others out for tagging their hate. I have not seen this. In fact, back in the early seasons, the vitriol against the female characters was omnipresent*. And it sucked as someone who was a fan of those characters.

* except against Ellen. Apparently she was okay. Perhaps for being older, so she was unlikely to break up a ship?

DA

(Anonymous) - 2014-03-24 09:48 (UTC) - Expand

I despise the "you're just jealous" response to criticism. No matter what issues you may have brought up, it's a way of instantly dismissing your arguments by claiming that they aren't actually your arguments at all, and that you are "just jealous". Ugh.

Usually when I hear that lobbed about, I'm guessing the other person doesn't have any counter-arguments so they just go straight for the dismissal.

I've always been indifferent to Inara (Kaylee was my favorite), but I've always been amused at how my mother will watch the show with me (only Whedon show she ever tried! But she loves it) and always comment on how Inara is "so beautiful she should be put under glass at a museum."

(I wonder if that's actually a less odd-sounding phrase is my mother's first language?)

I don't know how that would sound in your mother's language, but from the POV of a native English speaker, it doesn't sound too weird.

I love Inara and I think Morena is stunning, but Zoe will always be my favorite and I think Gina is the most attractive person in that cast.

Inara is a bit unpopular, at least in fandom. I don't care if people like her or not, as long as they don't go around bashing her or her fans.

I don't understand how she's a stereotype.

I was trying to figure that out as well...maybe the whole "hooker with a heart of gold" trope? I know Pretty Woman didn't start it, but that's all I can think of as an example.

I think it probably comes up a lot in old Westerns and crime novels and other pulp fiction and things like that. And that's probably why Inara got made into that type of character to begin with, because obv Whedon was in large part messing around with the trappings of Westerns in Firefly.

However funnily enough I don't think Inara does actually fall into that category - the specific nature of Companions in the Firefly universe actually removes a lot of the fundamental parts of the "hooker with a heart of gold" thing.

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2014-03-23 20:47 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2014-03-23 21:01 (UTC) - Expand

That's what I came here to ask too. "Sophisticated, well-respected Buddhist prostitute" doesn't read as a stereotype to me.

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2014-03-23 21:32 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

cassandraoftroy - 2014-03-24 01:04 (UTC) - Expand

I haven't seen the whole series but she reads to me like that tragic beauty character whose conflict is that everyone is so terrible to her because she's so damn beautiful. I don't really know how to describe it better than that.

"You're just jealous" is a dumb response in 99% of cases. It's not even worth paying attention to.

That said, I really like all the female characters on Firefly but I have no idea whether that would change if I didn't also think they were really attractive. Maybe that makes me a bad person.

I've...never seen this criticism before? I really doubt I'm fandom-sheltered, and this is a completely new one for me. Is it something that used to be thrown around a lot a long time ago?

I felt the same way about her. I guess I never understood why she was a part of their "crew" when she clearly had business elsewhere. She was so boring.

I always liked Kaylee better, to be honest. She had...more of an accessible personality. To be fair, though, it was a short series and I suspect we would have had a much deeper look in her character had the series gone on longer.

Inara wasn't my favorite but I do have fond memories of her. Saying you dislike a character because you're jealous of their attractiveness is dumb, though. (Especially considering I'm sure there are people out there that don't actually find her all that attractive. I think she's stunning, but, you know, that's me.)

Haven't heard that one in a long, long while. What a silly way to dismiss someones opinion.

(And Zoe is beautiful and perfect, you are correct.)

Meh. I love Inara but I know not every browncoat does - the most popular opinion I run into just seems to be "she's fine, I don't dislike her, but meh". Which I can't fault

and i'm with you that Zoe is both beautiful and awesome :D

First I want to talk about how Gina Torres is an eternal beauty and I don't know what deals she made to look so good for so long.

Second, people have really weird defense mechanisms when a character they like is criticized. It's honestly a part of fandom I hate, I should be allowed to dislike who I dislike, I don't need quirky responses to it or 30 page long essays as to why I should change my mind (never gonna happen.)

I agree, it's shitty to be accused of jealousy for disliking a character, especially a female character. She's not your cup of tea, and you can outright hate her without a lick of jealousy. But I disagree that she's largely appreciated for being hot. Come on, don't toss that in there. I love Inara because she was serene and elegant and complicated, and I adore the specific relationship trope she and Mal shared. Her "hotness" was incidental.

See I took it as more like if someone is accusing you of hating a character because he/she is hot, then that person is likely hung up on that character's hotness and assumes everyone else is. It matters to them.

I'm not deep into this fandom, but it seems people either don't like her because of her being a Companion (and it being the opposite of sex-positive that the character seemed to portray) or they obsessed over the mysteries about her character and the fact she and Mal never hooked up. Then again, I immediately discount anyone who comes back to a legitimate criticism of a character with "You're just jealous!"

I think she was the character that suffered the most from the short run of the show - there was a lot going on with her that never got explored even in the slightest. So she was mostly just there to make Mal miserably happy.

Also, Gina Torres is perfection. She was totally my favorite monosyllabic kicker of asses.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only