What I like Peggy & Widow is that is minimal tweaking to present them as males. ScarJo mentioned in her initial conversation with Whedon about Widow for Avengers the notion of gender was never involved. He didn't see Widow as a woman among men, but one of the group.
If you made the same slight tweaks to Kara, it wouldn't be easy to swap out the character with a male.
I know you can have a heroine driven series that is fun & optimistic, with a comic book-y feel that still presents the heroine with confidence & competence.
If my daughter was at an age to be watching these shows, I'd rather she watch Agent Carter & AoS.
M
I've been looking at this quote, and maybe I'm just reading this wrong. Why would a female character that only needs minimal tweaking to be presented as a man be a good thing? Is there something about presenting a female character exhibiting "female" qualities that makes her less than a female character exhibiting "male" qualities, or even "androgynous" qualities? I apologize if I'm misinterpreting you, but speaking as a woman, this seems a very strange statement to me.
M
I agree. It's an odd comment and does nothing to help with my confusion over what "feminism" is.
At least comment on my explanation:
"I prefer female characters be presented the same way as a male character is more often presented. I always circle back to Buffy Summers. With a few tweaks, that could've been a male role. I like when heroines are presented in a voice that was essentially a male role, then swapped out to make it a role for a female.
For example, Tom Cruise was initially offered the role of Salt. When he turned it down (because it was too close to his Ethan Hunt role), they made Salt a female & cast Angelina Jolie.
I think they show how equal the genders should be."
What I like Peggy & Widow is that is minimal tweaking to present them as males. ScarJo mentioned in her initial conversation with Whedon about Widow for Avengers the notion of gender was never involved. He didn't see Widow as a woman among men, but one of the group.
If you made the same slight tweaks to Kara, it wouldn't be easy to swap out the character with a male.
I know you can have a heroine driven series that is fun & optimistic, with a comic book-y feel that still presents the heroine with confidence & competence.
If my daughter was at an age to be watching these shows, I'd rather she watch Agent Carter & AoS.
M
I've been looking at this quote, and maybe I'm just reading this wrong. Why would a female character that only needs minimal tweaking to be presented as a man be a good thing? Is there something about presenting a female character exhibiting "female" qualities that makes her less than a female character exhibiting "male" qualities, or even "androgynous" qualities? I apologize if I'm misinterpreting you, but speaking as a woman, this seems a very strange statement to me.
M
I agree. It's an odd comment and does nothing to help with my confusion over what "feminism" is.
At least comment on my explanation:
"I prefer female characters be presented the same way as a male character is more often presented. I always circle back to Buffy Summers. With a few tweaks, that could've been a male role. I like when heroines are presented in a voice that was essentially a male role, then swapped out to make it a role for a female.
For example, Tom Cruise was initially offered the role of Salt. When he turned it down (because it was too close to his Ethan Hunt role), they made Salt a female & cast Angelina Jolie.
I think they show how equal the genders should be."
M
I've been trying to formulate my response to this since yesterday, because frankly, the idea that a female character should have "essentially a male voice" is a little, well, insulting. As a woman, I would like to have a female character have a female voice. Having a woman character who is essentially a man in a dress is as wrong to me as portraying a woman as a walking stereotype. I don't think that preferring a woman to speak with "essentially a male voice" shows how equal the sexes can be; it shows how little we as a society value "feminine" characteristics.
I actually disagree with you that Buffy, Widow or Peggy Carter could be males with a few tweaks. I think they're all three very much females, but it sounds like there are certain characteristics, like confidence, competence, bravery, etc., that you find both positive and masculine. (I haven't seen Salt--had absolutely no interest in it--so I can't really speak to that.) I'm also going to disagree that the character of Kara, as presented in this trailer, couldn't be swapped out by a male character with a few tweaks, because I can point to a specific male character that is very much like this portrayal. If anyone has read The Sword in the Stone (I'm not talking about the awful Disney movie, I'm talking about the wonderful book it was based on), the character of Wart/Arthur is very much like Kara. He wants to be just like other people, even as evidence piles up that he isn't. He sees himself as second banana to his brother Kay. As he grows up, he struggles with self confidence and accepting his (apparent) permanent unfulfilling position in life. I can even find a parallel to Kara's saving the plane; Wart pulls the Sword out of the stone because his brother needs saving (from embarrassment, mainly, but he's still saving his brother) and Kara's first motivation is to save her sister. So, there's a male character that is very much like Kara. Again, I wonder if there are just some characteristics that you see as both feminine and undesirable.
By coincidence, my 8 year old granddaughter, Melanie, was watching some show featuring a quartet of preteen detectives yesterday. It was on the Scooby Do model, so two girls and two boys. One girl wearing more gender neutral clothing and seeming to be a bit "tomboyish", one girl wearing a lot of pink, very bubbly. Both girls equally brave and smart. Mel turned to her mother and said "I don't like (girl in pink). She's such a girl." So she's seeing that being "girly" is somehow less than, and that to be acceptable, she shouldn't be "a girl". Her mother had a long talk with her about that...
What I like Peggy & Widow is that is minimal tweaking to present them as males. ScarJo mentioned in her initial conversation with Whedon about Widow for Avengers the notion of gender was never involved. He didn't see Widow as a woman among men, but one of the group.
If you made the same slight tweaks to Kara, it wouldn't be easy to swap out the character with a male.
I know you can have a heroine driven series that is fun & optimistic, with a comic book-y feel that still presents the heroine with confidence & competence.
If my daughter was at an age to be watching these shows, I'd rather she watch Agent Carter & AoS.
M
I've been looking at this quote, and maybe I'm just reading this wrong. Why would a female character that only needs minimal tweaking to be presented as a man be a good thing? Is there something about presenting a female character exhibiting "female" qualities that makes her less than a female character exhibiting "male" qualities, or even "androgynous" qualities? I apologize if I'm misinterpreting you, but speaking as a woman, this seems a very strange statement to me.
M
I agree. It's an odd comment and does nothing to help with my confusion over what "feminism" is.
At least comment on my explanation:
"I prefer female characters be presented the same way as a male character is more often presented. I always circle back to Buffy Summers. With a few tweaks, that could've been a male role. I like when heroines are presented in a voice that was essentially a male role, then swapped out to make it a role for a female.
For example, Tom Cruise was initially offered the role of Salt. When he turned it down (because it was too close to his Ethan Hunt role), they made Salt a female & cast Angelina Jolie.
I think they show how equal the genders should be."
M
I've been trying to formulate my response to this since yesterday, because frankly, the idea that a female character should have "essentially a male voice" is a little, well, insulting. As a woman, I would like to have a female character have a female voice. Having a woman character who is essentially a man in a dress is as wrong to me as portraying a woman as a walking stereotype. I don't think that preferring a woman to speak with "essentially a male voice" shows how equal the sexes can be; it shows how little we as a society value "feminine" characteristics.
I actually disagree with you that Buffy, Widow or Peggy Carter could be males with a few tweaks. I think they're all three very much females, but it sounds like there are certain characteristics, like confidence, competence, bravery, etc., that you find both positive and masculine. (I haven't seen Salt--had absolutely no interest in it--so I can't really speak to that.) I'm also going to disagree that the character of Kara, as presented in this trailer, couldn't be swapped out by a male character with a few tweaks, because I can point to a specific male character that is very much like this portrayal. If anyone has read The Sword in the Stone (I'm not talking about the awful Disney movie, I'm talking about the wonderful book it was based on), the character of Wart/Arthur is very much like Kara. He wants to be just like other people, even as evidence piles up that he isn't. He sees himself as second banana to his brother Kay. As he grows up, he struggles with self confidence and accepting his (apparent) permanent unfulfilling position in life. I can even find a parallel to Kara's saving the plane; Wart pulls the Sword out of the stone because his brother needs saving (from embarrassment, mainly, but he's still saving his brother) and Kara's first motivation is to save her sister. So, there's a male character that is very much like Kara. Again, I wonder if there are just some characteristics that you see as both feminine and undesirable.
By coincidence, my 8 year old granddaughter, Melanie, was watching some show featuring a quartet of preteen detectives yesterday. It was on the Scooby Do model, so two girls and two boys. One girl wearing more gender neutral clothing and seeming to be a bit "tomboyish", one girl wearing a lot of pink, very bubbly. Both girls equally brave and smart. Mel turned to her mother and said "I don't like (girl in pink). She's such a girl." So she's seeing that being "girly" is somehow less than, and that to be acceptable, she shouldn't be "a girl". Her mother had a long talk with her about that...
Then I'm not explaining myself clearly enough. It shouldn't be a male voice coming from the female character. It should be a genderless voice. None of those listed above are masculine characteristics. The unaired Wonder Woman pilot illustrated a very successful, confident, brave, competent person. This trailer/clip didn't illustrate that for me.
If you feel I believe women can't be competent & confident, you're highly mistaken. I wouldn't be married to my wife if I thought that. I also wouldn't be teaching my daughter that there isn't a glass ceiling for her.
If I thought women cannot do what men can do, I would've been hit on the side of the head by my mother, 2 sisters, & 2 cousins (basically our only neighbors who are also both females) decades ago.
The trailer/clip here appeared very "chick flick" & I look at that for this genre as a disservice. If I'm the only 1, it wouldn't be the first time I stood against the horde solo.
I will continue to say if you let out all the gender specific characteristics of Peggy, Buffy, & Widow & described everything else to someone who didn't know the characters, a good percentage would have no idea they were female.
Matt, I don't think that you think women can't do anything men can do, and I don't believe I said anything to imply that. I simply am questioning why female characters can't have female voices. And since I do find the characters you listed very much female characters, I'm trying to understand what characteristics would make you think that a particular female character could be played by males with minor tweaking, and what exactly makes that a good thing.
As the anecdote with my granddaughter was meant to show, the attitude that a female character who is feminine is somehow not as positive as a female character who is genderless or has more of an "essentially male voice" is pretty widespread, even among my own family, so I'm not making this a personal attack. I'm just trying to understand the thinking, and you're the first person who has ever articulated the preference for female characters without female voices. I would prefer my grandchildren to grow up believing that "feminine" characteristics are just as valid and positive as characteristics that conventional wisdom says are gender neutral or masculine.
Interesting. I just did a bit of research on it and there is a lot of history to that city including being the home of the silver age Hawkman and Hawkgirl and the home city of the Doom Patrol. Cool.
BTW: Louse Brooks! Nice deep cut! She was glorious.
She could bring the damaged psyche of Bruce Wayne and the intense menacing gaze of Batman. Plus she was a dancer, a help for the physicality of the role, and she wasn't afraid of anything or anyone.
Interesting. I just did a bit of research on it and there is a lot of history to that city including being the home of the silver age Hackman and Hawkgirl and the home city of the Doom Patrol. Cool.
I know it's just a typo, but "Hackman" sounds like a pretty scary character.
Interesting. I just did a bit of research on it and there is a lot of history to that city including being the home of the silver age Hackman and Hawkgirl and the home city of the Doom Patrol. Cool.
I know it's just a typo, but "Hackman" sound like a pretty scary character.
Gene could be quite scary when the role called for it. Didn't know he lived in Midway City, though.* Thought he would have lived in a nicer neighborhood.
HA! I just came up with a new super villain. Your welcome DC! Still, it's cool that the creators are bringing in all kinds of cool DC locations the their shows.
Matt, I don't think that you think women can't do anything men can do, and I don't believe I said anything to imply that. I simply am questioning why female characters can't have female voices. And since I do find the characters you listed very much female characters, I'm trying to understand what characteristics would make you think that a particular female character could be played by males with minor tweaking, and what exactly makes that a good thing.
As the anecdote with my granddaughter was meant to show, the attitude that a female character who is feminine is somehow not as positive as a female character who is genderless or has more of an "essentially male voice" is pretty widespread, even among my own family, so I'm not making this a personal attack. I'm just trying to understand the thinking, and you're the first person who has ever articulated the preference for female characters without female voices. I would prefer my grandchildren to grow up believing that "feminine" characteristics are just as valid and positive as characteristics that conventional wisdom says are gender neutral or masculine.
I don't take it as a personal attack, rather an indication I need to tighten up my explanations for clarity.
When I see this Supergirl clip, these are immediately what I thought:
It's not that I want females voiceless, just portrayed in the same fashion as the males. In the new Terminator movie trIler, my favorite moment is Sarah telling Reese "come with me if you want to live", then shooting a terminator.
Matt, I don't think that you think women can't do anything men can do, and I don't believe I said anything to imply that. I simply am questioning why female characters can't have female voices. And since I do find the characters you listed very much female characters, I'm trying to understand what characteristics would make you think that a particular female character could be played by males with minor tweaking, and what exactly makes that a good thing.
As the anecdote with my granddaughter was meant to show, the attitude that a female character who is feminine is somehow not as positive as a female character who is genderless or has more of an "essentially male voice" is pretty widespread, even among my own family, so I'm not making this a personal attack. I'm just trying to understand the thinking, and you're the first person who has ever articulated the preference for female characters without female voices. I would prefer my grandchildren to grow up believing that "feminine" characteristics are just as valid and positive as characteristics that conventional wisdom says are gender neutral or masculine.
I don't take it as a personal attack, rather an indication I need to tighten up my explanations for clarity.
When I see this Supergirl clip, these are immediately what I thought:
It's not that I want females voiceless, just portrayed in the same fashion as the males. In the new Terminator movie trIler, my favorite moment is Sarah telling Reese "come with me if you want to live", then shooting a terminator.
M
What does "same fashion as males" mean? Because portraying a female who is interchangeable with a male is basically the same as making them voiceless. Good representations of female protagonists show women with agency and ability but still gives their story and perspective as much validity as any male counterpart, without shaming or double-standard type judgments. Supergirl should not be Superman in a skirt. Reskinning an essentially male character as a woman is the same as neutering a male character.
You have a clip from Aliens there, and that's actually a great example of the opposite of what you are talking about. Ripley was originally written as a man and wasn't really changed at all for Alien. I love that movie, more than Aliens, but she was a paper thin character. In Aliens, she's a much richer, more deeply realized character and a lot of that comes from her being written as a woman. Her maternal guilt underlies most of her actions, and her ability to defy the expectations of those around her and the audience makes it one of the all time best action-scifi performances ever. I mean she got an Oscar nomination for it. You put a man in that exact same role and it just would not have the same impact.
As long as Supergirl is portrayed in a way where she's the one making the decisions in her life and she's capable of solving different crisis through her own ability there is nothing wrong with her also being feminine, or occasionally flighty or girly. Those things aren't anti-feminist. Saying those characteristics are less valid than toughness and masculinity is. Showing women without agency, as passive participants or victims is. Showing the experiences of women as less equal to that of a man is.
Matt, I don't think that you think women can't do anything men can do, and I don't believe I said anything to imply that. I simply am questioning why female characters can't have female voices. And since I do find the characters you listed very much female characters, I'm trying to understand what characteristics would make you think that a particular female character could be played by males with minor tweaking, and what exactly makes that a good thing.
As the anecdote with my granddaughter was meant to show, the attitude that a female character who is feminine is somehow not as positive as a female character who is genderless or has more of an "essentially male voice" is pretty widespread, even among my own family, so I'm not making this a personal attack. I'm just trying to understand the thinking, and you're the first person who has ever articulated the preference for female characters without female voices. I would prefer my grandchildren to grow up believing that "feminine" characteristics are just as valid and positive as characteristics that conventional wisdom says are gender neutral or masculine.
I don't take it as a personal attack, rather an indication I need to tighten up my explanations for clarity.
When I see this Supergirl clip, these are immediately what I thought:
It's not that I want females voiceless, just portrayed in the same fashion as the males. In the new Terminator movie trIler, my favorite moment is Sarah telling Reese "come with me if you want to live", then shooting a terminator.
M
What does "same fashion as males" mean? Because portraying a female who is interchangeable with a male is basically the same as making them voiceless. Good representations of female protagonists show women with agency and ability but still gives their story and perspective as much validity as any male counterpart, without shaming or double-standard type judgments. Supergirl should not be Superman in a skirt. Reskinning an essentially male character as a woman is the same as neutering a male character.
You have a clip from Aliens there, and that's actually a great example of the opposite of what you are talking about. Ripley was originally written as a man and wasn't really changed at all for Alien. I love that movie, more than Aliens, but she was a paper thin character. In Aliens, she's a much richer, more deeply realized character and a lot of that comes from her being written as a woman. Her maternal guilt underlies most of her actions, and her ability to defy the expectations of those around her and the audience makes it one of the all time best action-scifi performances ever. I mean she got an Oscar nomination for it. You put a man in that exact same role and it just would not have the same impact.
As long as Supergirl is portrayed in a way where she's the one making the decisions in her life and she's capable of solving different crisis through her own ability there is nothing wrong with her also being feminine, or occasionally flighty or girly. Those things aren't anti-feminist. Saying those characteristics are less valid than toughness and masculinity is. Showing women without agency, as passive participants or victims is. Showing the experiences of women as less equal to that of a man is.
I put this in the same perspective as I do casting Michael Clarke Duncan & Lawrence Fishburne in roles for characters have been traditionally Caucasian; lateral moves. If preferring female characters be lateral moves neuters their voice, then I'll just file this is the same 'misogyny' drawer as the accusations I'm slut-shaming Black Widow because I used "promiscuous" as a trait to describe her character just as I do for James Bond.
This trailer/clip came off more the Kuzui version of Buffy then the original version Whedon created. I'm glad this portrayal made everyone else feel gushy inside.
Comments
At least comment on my explanation:
"I prefer female characters be presented the same way as a male character is more often presented. I always circle back to Buffy Summers. With a few tweaks, that could've been a male role. I like when heroines are presented in a voice that was essentially a male role, then swapped out to make it a role for a female.
For example, Tom Cruise was initially offered the role of Salt. When he turned it down (because it was too close to his Ethan Hunt role), they made Salt a female & cast Angelina Jolie.
I think they show how equal the genders should be."
M
"I prefer female characters be presented the same way as a male character is more often presented. I always circle back to Buffy Summers. With a few tweaks, that could've been a male role. I like when heroines are presented in a voice that was essentially a male role, then swapped out to make it a role for a female.
For example, Tom Cruise was initially offered the role of Salt. When he turned it down (because it was too close to his Ethan Hunt role), they made Salt a female & cast Angelina Jolie.
I think they show how equal the genders should be."
M
I've been trying to formulate my response to this since yesterday, because frankly, the idea that a female character should have "essentially a male voice" is a little, well, insulting. As a woman, I would like to have a female character have a female voice. Having a woman character who is essentially a man in a dress is as wrong to me as portraying a woman as a walking stereotype. I don't think that preferring a woman to speak with "essentially a male voice" shows how equal the sexes can be; it shows how little we as a society value "feminine" characteristics.
I actually disagree with you that Buffy, Widow or Peggy Carter could be males with a few tweaks. I think they're all three very much females, but it sounds like there are certain characteristics, like confidence, competence, bravery, etc., that you find both positive and masculine. (I haven't seen Salt--had absolutely no interest in it--so I can't really speak to that.) I'm also going to disagree that the character of Kara, as presented in this trailer, couldn't be swapped out by a male character with a few tweaks, because I can point to a specific male character that is very much like this portrayal. If anyone has read The Sword in the Stone (I'm not talking about the awful Disney movie, I'm talking about the wonderful book it was based on), the character of Wart/Arthur is very much like Kara. He wants to be just like other people, even as evidence piles up that he isn't. He sees himself as second banana to his brother Kay. As he grows up, he struggles with self confidence and accepting his (apparent) permanent unfulfilling position in life. I can even find a parallel to Kara's saving the plane; Wart pulls the Sword out of the stone because his brother needs saving (from embarrassment, mainly, but he's still saving his brother) and Kara's first motivation is to save her sister. So, there's a male character that is very much like Kara. Again, I wonder if there are just some characteristics that you see as both feminine and undesirable.
By coincidence, my 8 year old granddaughter, Melanie, was watching some show featuring a quartet of preteen detectives yesterday. It was on the Scooby Do model, so two girls and two boys. One girl wearing more gender neutral clothing and seeming to be a bit "tomboyish", one girl wearing a lot of pink, very bubbly. Both girls equally brave and smart. Mel turned to her mother and said "I don't like (girl in pink). She's such a girl." So she's seeing that being "girly" is somehow less than, and that to be acceptable, she shouldn't be "a girl". Her mother had a long talk with her about that...
"I prefer female characters be presented the same way as a male character is more often presented. I always circle back to Buffy Summers. With a few tweaks, that could've been a male role. I like when heroines are presented in a voice that was essentially a male role, then swapped out to make it a role for a female.
For example, Tom Cruise was initially offered the role of Salt. When he turned it down (because it was too close to his Ethan Hunt role), they made Salt a female & cast Angelina Jolie.
I think they show how equal the genders should be."
M
I've been trying to formulate my response to this since yesterday, because frankly, the idea that a female character should have "essentially a male voice" is a little, well, insulting. As a woman, I would like to have a female character have a female voice. Having a woman character who is essentially a man in a dress is as wrong to me as portraying a woman as a walking stereotype. I don't think that preferring a woman to speak with "essentially a male voice" shows how equal the sexes can be; it shows how little we as a society value "feminine" characteristics.
I actually disagree with you that Buffy, Widow or Peggy Carter could be males with a few tweaks. I think they're all three very much females, but it sounds like there are certain characteristics, like confidence, competence, bravery, etc., that you find both positive and masculine. (I haven't seen Salt--had absolutely no interest in it--so I can't really speak to that.) I'm also going to disagree that the character of Kara, as presented in this trailer, couldn't be swapped out by a male character with a few tweaks, because I can point to a specific male character that is very much like this portrayal. If anyone has read The Sword in the Stone (I'm not talking about the awful Disney movie, I'm talking about the wonderful book it was based on), the character of Wart/Arthur is very much like Kara. He wants to be just like other people, even as evidence piles up that he isn't. He sees himself as second banana to his brother Kay. As he grows up, he struggles with self confidence and accepting his (apparent) permanent unfulfilling position in life. I can even find a parallel to Kara's saving the plane; Wart pulls the Sword out of the stone because his brother needs saving (from embarrassment, mainly, but he's still saving his brother) and Kara's first motivation is to save her sister. So, there's a male character that is very much like Kara. Again, I wonder if there are just some characteristics that you see as both feminine and undesirable.
By coincidence, my 8 year old granddaughter, Melanie, was watching some show featuring a quartet of preteen detectives yesterday. It was on the Scooby Do model, so two girls and two boys. One girl wearing more gender neutral clothing and seeming to be a bit "tomboyish", one girl wearing a lot of pink, very bubbly. Both girls equally brave and smart. Mel turned to her mother and said "I don't like (girl in pink). She's such a girl." So she's seeing that being "girly" is somehow less than, and that to be acceptable, she shouldn't be "a girl". Her mother had a long talk with her about that...
Then I'm not explaining myself clearly enough. It shouldn't be a male voice coming from the female character. It should be a genderless voice. None of those listed above are masculine characteristics. The unaired Wonder Woman pilot illustrated a very successful, confident, brave, competent person. This trailer/clip didn't illustrate that for me.
If you feel I believe women can't be competent & confident, you're highly mistaken. I wouldn't be married to my wife if I thought that. I also wouldn't be teaching my daughter that there isn't a glass ceiling for her.
If I thought women cannot do what men can do, I would've been hit on the side of the head by my mother, 2 sisters, & 2 cousins (basically our only neighbors who are also both females) decades ago.
The trailer/clip here appeared very "chick flick" & I look at that for this genre as a disservice. If I'm the only 1, it wouldn't be the first time I stood against the horde solo.
I will continue to say if you let out all the gender specific characteristics of Peggy, Buffy, & Widow & described everything else to someone who didn't know the characters, a good percentage would have no idea they were female.
M
Sigourney Weaver (circa Aliens/Alien 3)
Linda Hamilton (circa T2)
Kate Beckinsale
Milla Jojovich
Who would you like to see in the role?
M
As the anecdote with my granddaughter was meant to show, the attitude that a female character who is feminine is somehow not as positive as a female character who is genderless or has more of an "essentially male voice" is pretty widespread, even among my own family, so I'm not making this a personal attack. I'm just trying to understand the thinking, and you're the first person who has ever articulated the preference for female characters without female voices. I would prefer my grandchildren to grow up believing that "feminine" characteristics are just as valid and positive as characteristics that conventional wisdom says are gender neutral or masculine.
Zoe Bell
Gina Torres
Angelina Jolie
Emily Blunt
*Remember: I am Bizarro-Matt when it comes to the Bruce Wayne/Batman primacy.
*-Google Midway City.
When I see this Supergirl clip, these are immediately what I thought:
What I like to see are these types of interpretations for female characters.
It's not that I want females voiceless, just portrayed in the same fashion as the males. In the new Terminator movie trIler, my favorite moment is Sarah telling Reese "come with me if you want to live", then shooting a terminator.
M
You have a clip from Aliens there, and that's actually a great example of the opposite of what you are talking about. Ripley was originally written as a man and wasn't really changed at all for Alien. I love that movie, more than Aliens, but she was a paper thin character. In Aliens, she's a much richer, more deeply realized character and a lot of that comes from her being written as a woman. Her maternal guilt underlies most of her actions, and her ability to defy the expectations of those around her and the audience makes it one of the all time best action-scifi performances ever. I mean she got an Oscar nomination for it. You put a man in that exact same role and it just would not have the same impact.
As long as Supergirl is portrayed in a way where she's the one making the decisions in her life and she's capable of solving different crisis through her own ability there is nothing wrong with her also being feminine, or occasionally flighty or girly. Those things aren't anti-feminist. Saying those characteristics are less valid than toughness and masculinity is. Showing women without agency, as passive participants or victims is. Showing the experiences of women as less equal to that of a man is.
This trailer/clip came off more the Kuzui version of Buffy then the original version Whedon created. I'm glad this portrayal made everyone else feel gushy inside.
M...