Heroine whomping: it's the new post-feminism

[cimorene]

Meanwhile... what the shit is up with CSI:NY and women? I linked to an article before about a trend in crime dramas of whomping the female stars, apparently (theoretically) to prevent them being too strong, to add interest by portraying their feminine emotional frailty in the face of trauma. CSI:NY started down this road last year when Stella had a stalker/domestic abuse problem. But they've gone way past that now, with a new plotline for Stella and a totally separate one for Lindsay as well.



Is it that strong women are boring? Do they think the only way to make their female characters sexy, or likeable, or "accessible", is to give them giiiiirl trauma? (perhael: Maybe it's to give them emotions or something?) This is actually the charitable interpretation of the writers' intent, but my suspicion is that trauma in general allows them to show themselves as over-emotional and female in their reactions, when they might otherwise be too threateningly tough.

Lindsay has panic attacks; skips work when something on a case reminds her of her own problems; flees for the bathroom in sensitive conversations; is unable to carry on normal romantic relationships, or to deal with other people's parents, because she has "Mother Issues" (this was never really explained, but I believe it was implied it comes from the same trauma). Stella's more restrained freakout comes when she spills her guts to Mac, and then perforce to the coroner whom she gave CPR to; but we also catch her surreptitiously web-surfing on company time, jittery and preoccupied...

cim: and STELLA. Oh no, she was too strong after season 1, so they started dressing her in flowery prints and made her an abused wife!
perhael: YES
cim: And then after she became an abused wife, got rescued by Mac and suffered from PTSD, they were like: "Oh no, her trauma is in the past, people might forget that she's weaker than a man, so we'd better GIVE HER AIDS."
perhael: and make her cry like a baby every other episode.
cim: I MEAN SERIOUSLY.
perhael: I know.
perhael: If I were HIV positive, or had AIDS, and I'd been watching this show... I'd have stopped watching by now. And possibly sent an angry letter to the network.
cim: "We need to raise consciousness of the 0.1% of sufferers who get HIV accidentally through handling contaminated items professionally even though they followed all proper procedure, meanwhile stressing and over-stressing that she doesn't have it because she's immoral like most people do."
perhael: I mean, WHO thought that could possibly be a good idea?
perhael: "LOL HAY, LET'S ALIENATE SOME PPL K? LET'S MAKE STELLA ~MAYBE~ HAVE AIDS"

I'll no doubt post more about this at some later date.

Comments

[geeklite.livejournal.com]

I want to punch Lindsey in the head. Then punch the writers in the head. And then the wardrobe department.

And then do unspeakable things to Flack, but that's a whole other issue ;)

[cimness.livejournal.com]

Her characterisation is practically unsalveageable now: I will never cease to see her as a weepy hysterical whiny nutjob. Stupid writers.

But mmm, Flack. And also Danny. And Hawkes.