Anglo-Filles Episode 20: Strong, feisty, and failing the sisterhood

Welcome to episode 20, where Les Filles discuss “strong female characters” and the problems therein, with entertaining side jaunts down Comic Book Way, treatment of women in media including Hannibal, Game of Thrones, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and a patented Kayleigh Rant on The Following.

(I looked long and hard for the right image, and Maria’s headshake of disappointment seemed to fit.)

(But this works too.)

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“Screw writing “strong” women. Write interesting women. Write well-rounded women. Write complicated women. Write a woman who kicks ass, write a woman who cowers in a corner. Write a woman who’s desperate for a husband. Write a woman who doesn’t need a man. Write women who cry, women who rant, women who are shy, women who don’t take no shit, women who need validation and women who don’t care what anybody thinks. THEY ARE ALL OKAY, and all those things could exist in THE SAME WOMAN. Women shouldn’t be valued because we are strong, or kick-ass, but because we are people. So don’t focus on writing characters who are strong. Write characters who are people.”

From Tumblr User Mad Lori (who we did not credit in the episode itself, and we apologize. That was shitty of us).

The essay in full.

BossLady Dayna’s really excellent editorial on DC’s offering during this year’s Free Comic Book Day and how they have completely and utterly failed their female audience.

DC women kicking ass

The Miss Piggy version of the “Screw writing strong women” quote.

Gina Torres on how to work race into a character.

Alisa Selezneva of the 21st Century.

Meta Mondays discussing the historical basis for Game of Thrones.

Join us next month, where we will be discussing Dracula, and why NBC should be ashamed of themselves.

2 Comments

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2 Responses to Anglo-Filles Episode 20: Strong, feisty, and failing the sisterhood

  1. Ilona

    Have you ever heard of the Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries?
    Probably not since it’s Australian and the show is produced by our public broadcaster. The TV series is closely based on the excellent book series by Kerry Greenwood but also takes their own spin on the series.

    Phrynne Fisher is a socialite who has returned to Melbourne and becomes a lady detective. The whole series is just delightfully fun with Phrynne who is truly a female action hero. She has her fabulous clothes and goes shopping and loves it as well as climbing through buildings, wielding her gun and taking on the bad guys, along with quite a lot of breaking and entering. She also drives excessively fast and has affairs with gorgeous young men.

    The series is filled with lots of diverse and interesting characters from the two communist taxi drivers Bert and Ces to Dot, her catholic companion, and her friend Mack who is a doctor, Scottish and a lesbian. With each episode there’s new characters who appear some are recurring characters (including Miriam Margoyles as Phrynne’s aunt who has made everyone laugh) and the racial diversity of the series is getting better.

    Not to mention how gorgeous the whole series is from the buildings to the clothes. If you want to see women in multiple roles and of multiple personalities and sexuality with little bits of commentary about being a strong women in your own way this series is excellent for that.

    Be warned though a few episodes in the beginning had some appalling acting from extras in the series (The Green Mill Murder being one) but they are few.

    • Alina

      I’ve read the first two Phryne Fisher books, I didn’t know there was a TV show. If it’s anything like the books, I’m sure it’s great.