Aelin Lovelace (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
elialshadowpine) wrote2012-03-29 10:23 am
elialshadowpine) wrote2012-03-29 10:23 am
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[unfiltered] Women in Urban Fantasy and Mistreatment Thereof
I love urban fantasy. I have for years. I started out with Mercedes Lackey's Diana Tregarde series, then discovered Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake books, and longed for more. For a long while, it just didn't exist. Annnnnd then it boomed.
Unfortunately, there's a pattern in urban fantasy that I have a huge problem with and has been turning me off the genre more and more. And that's the treatment of women in urban fantasy. You would think this wouldn't be an issue. After all, most urban fantasy these days features a tough, competent, kickass heroine. What could go wrong? Well, a lot of things.
Most prevalent is the overwhelming tendency to completely defang women. Hear me out. Most modern urban fantasy has a heavy romantic subplot and borrows heavily from romance tropes. Being a writer myself, I follow a lot of writing circles, and I can't tell you how many times I have heard someone say, "I have this awesome heroine, but she's so capable, she does everything! And I need to make the hero sexy! And nobody will find the hero sexy if the heroine can do better than him!"
Ignoring the obvious solution of having the hero and heroine have completely different and complementary strengths, far too many writers go for the TSTL solution. If I had a penny for every time I saw a heroine do something completely out of character... *sigh*
Like, oh, storming off for no good reason and doing something utterly stupid that nobody competent in their field would do. Usually because, well, the hero suggested it, and thus he must be wrong. And if there was a good reason for the heroine to disagree, great! But that's often not it at all. It's a matter of cutting off her nose to spite her face. It's a plot device to put the heroine in a position where the hero has to come to the rescue and save her from her own stupidity -- and frankly, this is just insulting. And it's common. Ridiculously common. And it's lazy writing.
It's one thing if, hey, the heroine runs into odds that she can't beat, or an enemy that's stronger than her, or gets outwitted by someone equally as capable. But that's not what's happening. These are situations the author is forcing the heroine into by making her act out of character for the purpose of giving the hero a moment to shine. Why not put the characters in situations where both their skills are needed? But, that wouldn't allow the heroine to be the damsel in distress, now would it?
One of the other major issues in urban fantasy in regards to women is how the heroines relate to other women. In a genre that is so focused on strong female characters, it is pretty shocking how few heroines actually have relationships with other women. Often, other women are not friends and allies, but the enemy. Often, the heroine looks down on other women. And you see the same trope over and over again -- the leather-clad dark and tortured gun-toting heroine whose strength is all physical or perhaps supernatural.
This is really just the whole "girl in the boy's club" thing rearing its head. Femininity is derided while masculinity is put on a pedestal. Rarely do we see women who enjoy feminine things, and when we do, it's usually a slight touch rather than an integral part of the character. Even Anita Blake, with her stuffed penguin collection, dismisses and derides other women. It's been a long time since I read the books, admittedly, and I haven't read the recent ones, but of the early series, all the characters that I recall her being close to were male.
(Mind, the problem is not that masculine-leaning heroines exist. The problem is that they are the sole archetype that we see commonly in urban fantasy heroines.[1])
Very few urban fantasies actually pass the Bechdel test (two women, who talk to each other, about something other than a man). For a genre that is supposedly woman-focused, that's just sad. Where are all the relationships between women? Most of us have friends who are women, mothers, sisters, aunts, etc. Where are they?
So what's the solution here? It comes down to writers being aware of the social implications their fiction will have. Because words have meanings, and stories have power. If they didn't have power, Piers Anthony's Mode books wouldn't have helped me when I was a suicidal teen, and Mercedes Lackey's books wouldn't have helped me come to terms with my bisexuality.
When even supposedly strong heroines are undermined at every turn and cannot succeed without the aid of a man, the underlying message is that of Well, if $awesomecharacter can't do it, why should I believe I can? Women are already at a disadvantage in society, with all the negative messages lobbed at us. We should be able to read fiction that empowers us, not reinforces that we are nothing without a man.
I am not saying that heroines should be all-powerful, because that would be boring. But if you're writing about a top-notch FBI agent, you don't have her forget basic gun safety. You don't have her barging into trouble without thinking about it. You don't have her so distracted by the hero's good looks that she misses the villain's move and gets trapped (and yes, I have read this). It sends a very negative message.
So how do you get around it when you need the heroine to screw up somewhere? Well, make it a believable screw-up, not something that a rookie would do (unless your character is a rookie, but most of the heroines I've seen in urban fantasy are purported to be some of the best at what they do). Or, hey, maybe she doesn't have all the information, makes a decision on what she knows, and then finds out that she was missing a vital piece of the puzzle.
But you know what I'd love to see more of? I'd love to see more heroines who get themselves out of that pickle, rather than heroines who have to be rescued by the hero. But, how do I manage an alpha hero and heroine and their power struggle without having one or the other knuckle under? Not everything has to be a power struggle, although they can be fun to write. The best alpha heroes I've read have been adept in their own field but respected the heroine in hers and listened to her opinions. But what if they're both experts in the same field? Well, hey, they're probably going to argue -- but the automatic reaction shouldn't be for the heroine to be the one who's wrong. Mix it up a little. Or hey! Maybe they're both wrong.
There's a lot of focus on alpha heroes in urban fantasy and a need to make them sexy. You know what? The sexiest heroes I've read aren't the ones who are always rescuing the artificially created dumbass heroine -- they're the ones who respect the heroine, her abilities, her strengths, and love her for who she is. The ones who aren't threatened by a strong woman. The ones who know when it's appropriate to take a backseat. The ones who know when it's time to stand their ground, and when it's time to say, "Hey, you know more about this than I do", or "I don't agree, but let's compromise." It's not an all or nothing situation.
I'd love to see more women who have relationships with other women, too. I'd also like to see a greater breadth of heroines -- heroines of color, heroines with disabilities, queer heroines, etc! Or hey, maybe not the heroine but a lady friend who is one of the above, or someone deeply involved in the story. I'd love to see more focus on this, because the lone uber!heroine surrounded by a sausage-fest is getting old.
This is something that writers have the power to change. Let's change it.
[1] I know there are exceptions to this. Please do not focus on them. This is a widespread issue, and the fact that there are exceptions does not negate that the overwhelming majority of urban fantasy heroines fits only one archetype.
This entry was originally posted at http://nonny.dreamwidth.org/474028.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Unfortunately, there's a pattern in urban fantasy that I have a huge problem with and has been turning me off the genre more and more. And that's the treatment of women in urban fantasy. You would think this wouldn't be an issue. After all, most urban fantasy these days features a tough, competent, kickass heroine. What could go wrong? Well, a lot of things.
Most prevalent is the overwhelming tendency to completely defang women. Hear me out. Most modern urban fantasy has a heavy romantic subplot and borrows heavily from romance tropes. Being a writer myself, I follow a lot of writing circles, and I can't tell you how many times I have heard someone say, "I have this awesome heroine, but she's so capable, she does everything! And I need to make the hero sexy! And nobody will find the hero sexy if the heroine can do better than him!"
Ignoring the obvious solution of having the hero and heroine have completely different and complementary strengths, far too many writers go for the TSTL solution. If I had a penny for every time I saw a heroine do something completely out of character... *sigh*
Like, oh, storming off for no good reason and doing something utterly stupid that nobody competent in their field would do. Usually because, well, the hero suggested it, and thus he must be wrong. And if there was a good reason for the heroine to disagree, great! But that's often not it at all. It's a matter of cutting off her nose to spite her face. It's a plot device to put the heroine in a position where the hero has to come to the rescue and save her from her own stupidity -- and frankly, this is just insulting. And it's common. Ridiculously common. And it's lazy writing.
It's one thing if, hey, the heroine runs into odds that she can't beat, or an enemy that's stronger than her, or gets outwitted by someone equally as capable. But that's not what's happening. These are situations the author is forcing the heroine into by making her act out of character for the purpose of giving the hero a moment to shine. Why not put the characters in situations where both their skills are needed? But, that wouldn't allow the heroine to be the damsel in distress, now would it?
One of the other major issues in urban fantasy in regards to women is how the heroines relate to other women. In a genre that is so focused on strong female characters, it is pretty shocking how few heroines actually have relationships with other women. Often, other women are not friends and allies, but the enemy. Often, the heroine looks down on other women. And you see the same trope over and over again -- the leather-clad dark and tortured gun-toting heroine whose strength is all physical or perhaps supernatural.
This is really just the whole "girl in the boy's club" thing rearing its head. Femininity is derided while masculinity is put on a pedestal. Rarely do we see women who enjoy feminine things, and when we do, it's usually a slight touch rather than an integral part of the character. Even Anita Blake, with her stuffed penguin collection, dismisses and derides other women. It's been a long time since I read the books, admittedly, and I haven't read the recent ones, but of the early series, all the characters that I recall her being close to were male.
(Mind, the problem is not that masculine-leaning heroines exist. The problem is that they are the sole archetype that we see commonly in urban fantasy heroines.[1])
Very few urban fantasies actually pass the Bechdel test (two women, who talk to each other, about something other than a man). For a genre that is supposedly woman-focused, that's just sad. Where are all the relationships between women? Most of us have friends who are women, mothers, sisters, aunts, etc. Where are they?
So what's the solution here? It comes down to writers being aware of the social implications their fiction will have. Because words have meanings, and stories have power. If they didn't have power, Piers Anthony's Mode books wouldn't have helped me when I was a suicidal teen, and Mercedes Lackey's books wouldn't have helped me come to terms with my bisexuality.
When even supposedly strong heroines are undermined at every turn and cannot succeed without the aid of a man, the underlying message is that of Well, if $awesomecharacter can't do it, why should I believe I can? Women are already at a disadvantage in society, with all the negative messages lobbed at us. We should be able to read fiction that empowers us, not reinforces that we are nothing without a man.
I am not saying that heroines should be all-powerful, because that would be boring. But if you're writing about a top-notch FBI agent, you don't have her forget basic gun safety. You don't have her barging into trouble without thinking about it. You don't have her so distracted by the hero's good looks that she misses the villain's move and gets trapped (and yes, I have read this). It sends a very negative message.
So how do you get around it when you need the heroine to screw up somewhere? Well, make it a believable screw-up, not something that a rookie would do (unless your character is a rookie, but most of the heroines I've seen in urban fantasy are purported to be some of the best at what they do). Or, hey, maybe she doesn't have all the information, makes a decision on what she knows, and then finds out that she was missing a vital piece of the puzzle.
But you know what I'd love to see more of? I'd love to see more heroines who get themselves out of that pickle, rather than heroines who have to be rescued by the hero. But, how do I manage an alpha hero and heroine and their power struggle without having one or the other knuckle under? Not everything has to be a power struggle, although they can be fun to write. The best alpha heroes I've read have been adept in their own field but respected the heroine in hers and listened to her opinions. But what if they're both experts in the same field? Well, hey, they're probably going to argue -- but the automatic reaction shouldn't be for the heroine to be the one who's wrong. Mix it up a little. Or hey! Maybe they're both wrong.
There's a lot of focus on alpha heroes in urban fantasy and a need to make them sexy. You know what? The sexiest heroes I've read aren't the ones who are always rescuing the artificially created dumbass heroine -- they're the ones who respect the heroine, her abilities, her strengths, and love her for who she is. The ones who aren't threatened by a strong woman. The ones who know when it's appropriate to take a backseat. The ones who know when it's time to stand their ground, and when it's time to say, "Hey, you know more about this than I do", or "I don't agree, but let's compromise." It's not an all or nothing situation.
I'd love to see more women who have relationships with other women, too. I'd also like to see a greater breadth of heroines -- heroines of color, heroines with disabilities, queer heroines, etc! Or hey, maybe not the heroine but a lady friend who is one of the above, or someone deeply involved in the story. I'd love to see more focus on this, because the lone uber!heroine surrounded by a sausage-fest is getting old.
This is something that writers have the power to change. Let's change it.
[1] I know there are exceptions to this. Please do not focus on them. This is a widespread issue, and the fact that there are exceptions does not negate that the overwhelming majority of urban fantasy heroines fits only one archetype.
This entry was originally posted at http://nonny.dreamwidth.org/474028.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
no subject
Black Blade Blues by JA Pitt. The heroine is a lesbian. Need I say more? I will note that one of the things that the heroine goes through in the book is dealing with her own internalized homophobia. It was a little offputting to me because it brought back a lot of bad memories, but! She gets over it and the second book is all ass-kicking lesbian chick. :)
Eileen Wilks' Lupi books. These are technically labeled romance but they are totally urban fantasy. They follow two couples through the serious, switching off which one is the focus, although both are in each book. The first one is kinda standard urban fantasy, but stick with it, it gets really amazing in book two and onward. Oh, and one of the heroines, Lily? is a POC; Asian. Her relationships with her mother, and in one of the books, her grandmother, are at the forefront, as is her relationship with Cynna, who is a kickass tattooed sorceress chick. And in the later books there is a... sorta genderqueer/gender neutral demon who ends up on earth and later decides to identify as a woman, and... there's lots of relationships between women and competent characters. Is amazing.
Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire -- OMG MUST READ. Awesome world setting, and the book starts off with the heroine and her telepathic cousin/best friend trolling for bad guys. Also, the heroine is a waitress at a strip club, and her relationships with the other women she works with is a major part of the story.
the Demonica books by Larissa Ione -- with the caveat that these are DEFINITELY more towards romance, and there is slightly more focus on the heroes... however, the women kick ass and take names, and they aren't treated unequally imo. It is... kinda like Angel in setting and tone, with lots more sex, and less refridgeration of women. I really am borderline on recommending these in this list because of the focus on the men, but, I really think they are worth reading.
The Edge books by Ilona Andrews - these are sorta Southern fantasy books that feel like they could be in our world. There is a HUGE focus on family here because the setting is Deep South. So you do see a lot of the relationships between the women in the various books, and the women definitely hold their own.
Not quite urban fantasy but the Psy Changeling series by Nalini Singh -- again, more toward romance, this time futuristic... combine shapeshifters and PsyCorp from Babylon 5 and you have these books. But the women of the various packs play a huge role, and they are all very involved with each other. And Tamsin is awesome (she's kinda the mother hen). And they have less consent issues than a lot of romance, that I've found.
Steampunk... I LOVE the Meljean Brook ones. I will, however, note that there are dubious consent issues in the first one. I don't recall if that's the case in the novella she has in the Burning Up anthology (which is excellent; it's probably my favorite anthology ever because ALL of the novellas are amazing), but it's not really out of line for the romance genre. It didn't bother me because it was clear the heroine was attracted, but some people might have issues, so I mention it. Heart of Steel, the second book in the series, did not have the same consent issues, and also has a woman of color as the main character. (So does The Iron Duke for that matter; Mina is Asian). It... hm. Mostly? Stands alone. Some of the worldbuilding stuff might be confusing if you just read the second, but I think that Meljean has a cliff's notes style world guide on her website.
The Greyfriar books are awesome, too. Vampires + Steampunk = WIN.
The Parasol Protectorate books are excellent and totally capture the whole Victorian writing and speaking style without being boring as shit. The heroine is hilarious, and the supporting cast are pretty awesome. There are also gay and bisexual characters, although one is fairly stereotypical (but he's awesome so I'll forgive that).
All Men of Genius is amazing, and I loved it enough to actually write a review on GoodReads. (http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/265875974)
[cont'd]
no subject
I started Meljean Brook's Guardian series, but while it's okay, it's not as good as Psy-Changeling. The excerpts I've seen of her steampunk stuff seem much stronger than the Guardians, which I find odd.
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I assumed the Nikita thing was cause the name was popularized by the La Femme Nikita show. And, hm, there are a lot of names that can be both. Ashley used to be a boy's name; so did Leslie. As far as Russian, I've seen a lot of male Russian names used for women in the US. Sasha, for one example.
I actually just finished the first Guardian book cause I loved her steampunk stuff. It is not nearly as good, IMO.
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I know she probably used Nikita because of La Femme Nikita, but I'm not convinced someone from a Slavic background would use it that way. Oh well. I'll just continue clutching my pearls.
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Because I can never have too many books in my TBR pile. my K2 is currently full and my Fire has 1,003 books and counting. Let's not discuss my realtree book collection.
edited to add-*waves from up I-5*
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Oh, I soooooo hear you about the TBR pile. I have so many. I should take a picture of my room sometime and post it. I literally have what is a very tall armoire (like, the types that attach to a waterbed; we didn't actually have room for it where the waterbed was going so I snagged it for my room) filled with books, one huge box of books, and two soda crates full of books.
Yeah, being able to have it all on my Nook is SO MUCH MORE CONVENIENT.
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I've added the first in just about every series you've mentioned except the PsyChangeling series but with all the comments previous to mine mentioning how much they loved them I think I'm going to have to reconsider them and at least try the first one. More books. Oh noes!
no subject