Sexualized Saturdays: Double Standards in Hatred

gif via theologyweb

I often notice a disturbing trend among fans when it comes female characters and male characters. I mean when you think about it there are a lot of disturbing trends, really, but the thing that bothers me in particular is when fans hate on a female character for something they love about a male character. And sometimes fans seem to just ignore a flaw that a male character has, but then they crucify a female character for having that same flaw. It’s incredibly aggravating to me to watch this constantly play out again and again. Don’t believe me? Well, let’s take a look at some examples.

Magical Mondays: Alphas, Werewolf Packs, Hunters, and More Problems with Teen Wolf’s Worldbuilding

We have talked about the poor worldbuilding in Teen Wolf before, but this problem really takes the cake. Recently on Tumblr I saw a transcription one fan did at a Teen Wolf convention called Wolfsbane 3, during a panel featuring Ian Bohen, who plays Peter Hale. I’m not always the biggest fan of Peter, but Ian Bohen tends to be hilarious. And his opinions on Peter often make the character seem more interesting than he actually is on the show. But it was one comment Bohen apparently made about Alphas that really threw me for a loop. Basically he pointed out that Laura Hale, Derek’s sister and Peter’s niece, who is killed by Peter at the beginning of Season 1, might have killed her mother, Talia Hale, in order to become Alpha. Since she isn’t a True Alpha like Scott, she would have had to have killed Talia, or at least some other random Alpha.

pic via neurowolf
Seriously Ian Bohen is hilarious!

Because I can’t find the actual video of this panel, I am uncertain if Ian Bohen actually said this. But whether or not he did, on closer reflection I realized this has to be correct. In meta and fanfiction, the Teen Wolf fandom has always explained Laura becoming an Alpha as a hereditary thing. Talia died, and her eldest child, Laura, inherited her alpha powers. However, Bohen’s comment made me realize that this fandom theory has never been confirmed in Teen Wolf canon. You either can be a True Alpha, which is so rare in the show that most Teen Wolf characters didn’t think it was possible until Scott became one, or you kill another Alpha to take their powers. The show constantly tells us that lone werewolves and packs without an Alpha are not likely to survive. This would mean a whole society that is based on murdering your successor in order to keep a pack going and if most werewolf packs are like the Hales, then that would mean that they would comprise mostly of family members. So if you wanna be Alpha, then you have to kill grandma. …Suddenly everything in Teen Wolf gets a lot darker and more uncomfortable. It also sets up several issues in the storytelling, particularly in regards to which characters we are supposed to view as villains.

Sexualized Saturdays: “Not Your Angel” or Gender and Morality in Teen Wolf

Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of Beyoncé, and while jamming to the song “No Angel”, I was struck by how some of the lyrics reminded me of a major trope female characters are often placed in.

Baby put your arms around me
Tell me I’m the problem
Know I’m not the girl you thought you knew and that you wanted
Underneath the pretty face is something complicated
I come with a side of trouble
But I know that’s why you’re staying

I think the reason these lyrics struck me is simply because it’s shocking that women have to explain things like this. We have to say, yeah, I’m not perfect, I’m complicated, I have my own issues I have to deal with. It seems weird that we should have to explain this at all, but with pervasive tropes telling people that women should be placed on a pedestal because they are inherently good, loving, nurturing, and moral, it is a huge problem. This may seem like one of those “not all stereotypes are bad” kind of things, but let’s make the point now that all stereotypes are bad—even the ones that seem “positive”. This stereotype in particular makes women less human and less complex. Even further, this kind of attitude makes women into nothing more than the moral compass for men, and worse still, makes them evil or less than human if they can’t fulfill that role.This is reflected in our storytelling, and female characters in geekdom often fulfill this trope.

Spoilers for all of Teen Wolf below the jump. Also trigger warning for some brief mentions of rape.

Teen Wolf: “Time of Death” Review

Another week means another Moonday, and this week’s Teen Wolf was actually not half bad. Weird dreams, Shakespearean-inspired plots, and lots of relationship drama abound below the cut (along with spoilers, obviously).

Trigger Warning: Kate Argent

My favorite Teen Wolf actors are currently filming Season 4, and if rumors are to be believed, it’s less American Horror Story: Lycanthrope and back to normal ol’ campy-yet-awesome Teen Wolf. But here’s the thing: I’m not so sure that this season is going to be less traumatic now that Kate Argent is back.

Jeff Davis has said this will be a big season for Derek, and that he will be in trouble at the beginning of the season and the gang will have to rescue him. Big money is on Kate kidnapping Derek… again.

This does not sound like a light and fluffy season to me, but I’m really worried the writers will attempt to make it that way, and in the process royally screw up a really important issue.

Trigger warning for sexual assault below the cut.