Problematic Toxic Masculinity Tropes #3: Bond, James Bond
When Felix Leiter, CIA agent, finally catches up with Bond, he’s right where he wants him (Miami Beach). Except for the fact that he’s undergoing a massage by a pretty young woman in a bathing suit. Felix approaches, interrupting the girl’s ministrations, but Bond doesn’t seem to mind. He introduces the girl as Dink, then […]
Problematic Badass Female Tropes #6: One Of The Guys
It’s 1997 and the extremely highly trained sword fighters are the highlight of the Colorado Renaissance Festival. At the core of the stunt fighting troupe are five young performers – the most highly trained, the most charismatic, the heaviest drinkers, and biggest heartbreakers – who execute nine spectacular fights each day of the hot, dusty, […]
Problematic Badass Female Tropes #5: Mother Knows Best
The little girl’s name is Rebecca but she prefers the nickname Newt. Ripley, though not the only woman on the crew, is yet the only one who regards Newt as anything more than an annoyance. She’s become rather attached to the kid. She enjoyed the warm feeling she got when she tucked Newt into bed, […]
Problematic Badass Female Tropes #4: The Meaning of (His) Life
Let’s zoom in; a close-up of the mind: The Jedi master and his apprentice Anakin are chained to two huge cement pillars, wrists shackled, shiny metal chains hoisting each man’s arms high. Against a third pillar, chained and pinioned like the two men, the young queen of Naboo stands in a skin-tight white catsuit. The […]
Problematic Badass Female Tropes #3: Down the Rabbit Hole
Captain Mal has had it. That city slicker doctor has been acting shady since he first paid passenger fees on the sort-of-good ship Serenity, and Mal will be damned if he’s going to let a foppish *Chinese curse word* endanger his spaceship and his crew. The doctor has been paying strange, almost paranoid attention to […]
Problematic Badass Female Tropes #2: The Wonder Woman
The camera pans in on a circle of five diverse women, sitting in chairs in what looks like a dingy church basement. The harsh yet dim lighting coupled with the morose expressions on the women’s faces give us a somber feeling, as one woman shushes their subdued chatter by declaring the meeting has started. She […]
Problematic Badass Female Tropes #1: The Marion Effect
Robin Hood, dusty from travel, fatigued with tragedy, warily steps into the castle foyer. The heavyset woman with the gravelly voice has introduced herself, but she’s definitely not his childhood friend. Attempting to pry further, he makes chitchat and asks questions, to no avail. Suddenly, a muscular masked figure in a full black (rather anachronistic) […]
