(no subject)

[green_queen]

I was trying to figure out what annoyed me about this article about Warehouse 13 (which, admittedly, I've never seen) (also: SPOILERS) and then I figured out it's directly related to this awesome graph, and that is: the article suggests that the reason women don't watch a lot of science fiction shows is because of the subject matter, ie. space and spaceships and aliens (or that there's something wrong with them if they do.) Really, what's wrong with those shows is that they're such male universes, populated by men who interact with other men, wherein women are defined entirely by their relationships with said men. How can we relate to something we're not even a part of? You need to change who you're writing in order to change who you're writing for.

My Chemical Romance joins Weezer for 'My Name Is Jonas'.

Green Queen

Comments

[entwashian.livejournal.com]

Honestly, that's why I've been so excited about the ad that features a maxi pad IN SPAAAACE, with the caption 'warp speed absorbtion'. Because not only does it presume that women will recognize the science fiction references, it assumes that women will be attracted to the idea & make them more likely to buy the product.

It's certainly worked on me!

[subtle--sarcasm.livejournal.com]

I won't read the article cause I'm still catching up on W13 and don't want to be spoiled, but that graph is brilliant.

[melissajane14.livejournal.com]

Word!

[petitemachine.livejournal.com]

Preach. It's a total boys club, the women are just waiting for the men to swoop in and save the day, given no other plot than 'the love interest'. It's annoying. Very well said.

[hobbitofkobol.livejournal.com]

true
(as for Warehouse 13, 3 of the 5 regulars are women, 1 very important recurring guest is a woman, the major guest star of season 2 is a woman and also there's no UST between any of the main characters)

and this graph's awesome

but I do have some female friends who don't even try to watch scifi shows because they're "unrealistic"
and then I get in arguments with them about how Desperate Housewives is more unrealistic than let's say Lost (for example) because its premise is simple and in the "real world" and yet there's a psychopath moving in their street every year while some scifi shows are more realistic within their premise in terms of character relationships or relevance to current topics

[green-queen.livejournal.com]

I have some male friends and a male uncle who hate everything unrealistic. He hated Inception because "it had all this fantasy stuff in it." I don't think that's gender-based - I think people who like scifi are people from either gender who are interested in the possibilities. Buffy and Firefly are shows with a roughly even number of female and male fans.

[green-queen.livejournal.com]

Also, I didn't actually think anything was wrong with Warehouse 13, it was more the idea that women don't want to see space ships.

This bit bothered me:

"They did a great job in illustrating that this particular show is not just for guys and not just for Syfy fans," McClintock said. "They've set the stage for their shows that are now starting -- that the Syfy channel is not [just] about aliens and space.

If the ratings are any indication, Syfy has been paying attention. They wanted that coveted and elusive female demographic because science-fiction is not just a boys' club anymore –- it’s a girls' club, too.

They seem to think girls like scifi as long as it's not about aliens and space, traditional scifi style, and that's what bothered me.