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Heroic women in science fiction and fantasy television shows have done much to represent strong, successful women in leadership positions. However, these female roles that are viewed as strong and empowered embody many masculine identified traits, maintaining a patriarchal division of gender roles. This paper analyzes strong female characters within nine television shows by deconstructing their stereotypically “masculine” and “feminine” gender specific attributes and cross referencing how they play within and against traditional archetypes.

Employing texts from cultural criticism and feminist theory, I explore how representations of groups in popular culture and mass media messaging uphold structures of power by giving higher value to masculine attributes as observed in patriarchal discourse. Finally, the paper concludes with a discussion of why it is critical to foster television media that supports feminist ideals and breaks out of traditional oppressive gender binaries in order to promote, encourage and envision a just future society.

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Here is an easy to follow guide for the guys on the right versus the wrong reasons to hate on Twilight.  With the release of New Moon, there has been an awful lot of sexist, homophobic, patriarchal crap floating around the internet and I just wanted to set the record straight.

Check out other great blogs and commentary about the Twilight Series:

1. The creator of Buffy vs Edward (and my partner!) also wrote What Would Buffy Do? Notes on Dusting Edward Cullen about why he made the remix.
2. Bite Me or Don’t over at Bitch Media is a great look at the repercussions of this new wave of young adult fiction and what the author is calling abstinence porn.
3. Twilight’s Bella Swan is a Feminist’s Worst Nightmare breaks down the many troubling aspects of Bella’s character

This video can be viewed with English subtitles at DotSub and is available to be translated into other languages.

The Real Reasons Guys Should Hate Twilight Transcript

I just want to clear up a little confusion with the guys about the right reasons and the wrong reasons to hate on Twilight.  These are the wrong reasons:

Clip: Ben Hoffman at Infomania
Ben: Thought it was gonna be about a bunch of badass vampires who wanted to kill people and drink their blood, but no it was some teenage p**&% who didn’t want to kill people instead he just wanted to be sensitive and play piano.
Game Show Buzzer Sound

Clip: The Spill Crew
Man: That’s why I like the werewolves because when the vampire start like saying “I can’t be with you because I’m too sensitive and I’m risking our lives”
Woman scream
Man: The werewolves come in and ‘f*&% the vampires’
Game Show Buzzer Sound

And then also the endless array of “He’s so gay” comments on YouTube”
Game Show Buzzer Sound

So just to recap the wrong reasons are that Edward is too sensitive, that he’s gay, and that he’s not violent enough.  The right reasons however, are that Edward is a creepy, manipulative, controlling, overprotective, stalker.  Ultimately what you dude’s are saying is that in addition to being emotionally abuse you want Edward to be violent, sadistic and physically abusive.

So next time you are with your buddies talking about how much you hate Twilight, you can just repeat after me.  I hate Twilight because Edward is a creepy, manipulative, overprotective stalker.