A Feminist's Defense of the Star Wars Expanded Universe (and why it's superior to Disney Wars' "The Force Awakens")

(picture not created by me).

If you are a geek- and even if you aren't- you've most likely heard about The Force Awakens (who am I kidding, everyone knows about it :p). It's, sadly, everywhere you look. And, if you are a feminist, you've most likely seen pretty much all the pages on Facebook going ON and ON about how WONDERFUL and DIVERSE it is.

I'm a Star Wars fan and a huge intersectional feminist and I'm here to say that, while I can logically see where they are coming from, they are plain wrong. Star Wars is, and always has been, diverse. And, since the feminist geeks and Star Wars fan communities are so over-saturated with pro-TFA and pro-Disney Wars messages, I thought I'd offer a different perspective from that of a feminist Star Wars fan who doesn't like the Disney's take on Star Wars.

I'd like to share that with you now. 

Before I begin, I want to make a few things clear. First, Yes I AM A STAR WARS fan. A hardcore one, in fact. I've watched all six films, I've read over 100 books and comics, I've watched both Clone Wars tv shows, and I've played several of the video games. I've even read the reference guides and many Wookiepedia articles many times. I loved and obsessed over Star Wars when most people didn't care anymore. I liked it even though I got picked on for it (heck, it's popular again and I STILL get picked on :P). I liked it when there was no new movie coming out. I liked it through the "drought" and if that doesn't convince you I'm a real fan, then I don't know what will. 

Also, I have not seen "The Force Awakens" so all of the critiques I make are based what I've heard from others second hand (and I trust these sources). I would see it so I could critique it more thoroughly, but I'd rather get the stomach flu than watch it, sooo....

Understand? Okay, let's proceed. 

People have always claimed that Star Wars was problematic. That it had sexist stuff in it, that it didn't have enough racial diversity, and that it lacked in LGBTQA+ diversity. And while there is definitely truth to if you just look at the movies (especially the Originals, but seriously those movies are GOOD for being made in the 70s/80s), if you look at Star Wars overall, it's definitely one of the better fandoms out there. The EU, for example, gave me awesome female role models when so many stories out there had none. Many of the books, comics, and games give us a plethora of varied and complex women. From Jedi like Siri Tachi, Jaina Solo, Nomi Sunrider, and Meetra Surick, to Sith like Darth Zannah and Darth Cognus, to Senators like Padme and women who are from all walks of life like Astri, Cerasi, and even Mara Jade who goes through an amazing transformation. We have bisexual women like Juhani and disabled women like the Jedi Tahl (who is also a woman of color) and the warrior princess Jedi Tenel Ka Chume Ta' Djo. There are also many characters of color who play important roles, such as Mace Windu, Jan Ors, Jolee Bindo, Bultar Swan, Depa Billiba, etc. 

And, while I can see the wish for more LGBTQA+ diversity (since there is no where near enough), the EU actually DID have some and, I'm certain, we would have gotten LOADS more had the now "Legends" timeline been allowed to continue. We already had characters, for example, like Ferus Olin (who is gay), who were leads of an entire series and had major roles in other works of the canon. Another thing that Star Wars always had was disabled characters. Unlike many works of fiction, the Star Wars EU was never afraid to talk and discuss these issues, which was a nice change. 

And, as a feminist, the fact that they threw out all of these amazing women, people of color, LGBTQA+ characters, disabled characters, etc is a definite crime and one I'm surprised so few feminists are actually angry about. 

As to why I think the EU (Legends) is superior as an intersectioanl feminist to The Force Awakens? Well, I have yet to see the film (and I never well because- being autistic- I can't handle it as it would cause me to have a melt down and make my angry rants about it worse and my parents don't need to deal with that) but from reviews that I have listened to about the movie (and from people I know that have seen it) it seems that it fails especially in the female character department. 

For one, Rey doesn't come across as much of a character. Unlike Luke and Anakin, who had to work to improve (or, at least had the skills previously, such as both being experienced pilots) she seems to do things effortlessly. As a reviewer said, she does a mind-trick easily without any prior training while it took Luke a while to master; also, she apparently pilots the Millennium Falcon better than Han Solo, even though- according to the novelization- her only experience piloting comes from video games....yeah.....right... I can tell you, driving cars on video games did NOT make me a good driver when I started learning. She is also somehow is able to stand against a HIGHLY TRAINED fighter when she's had NO training WHATSOEVER. As someone who is training to be a fighter and has for five (ish) years now, I don't want this being portrayed in this way, since it gives people the wrong impression about fighting (no, you are not going to bust out awesome moves immediately, sorry, it takes time). I've been trained to fight and even I can't beat up a black belt yet (I'll get there :P Still a Red Stripe and I haven't fought black belts all that much yet). The Revan rip off (the WORST thing about TFA, in my opinion since he's a rip off of three characters) would have beaten her, full stop, no argument. And again, if this had been the case with Anakin and Luke, it wouldn't have been as much of a problem. But both Anakin and Luke lost BIG time when they first tried to take on a superior fighter. Both lost something (Luke's hand, Anakin's arm). As a feminist, I don't want women characters who are perfect and infallible. I want women who are people and are treated the same way as the men (and to be clear, I hate when male characters are overpowered as well; it was the exact reason I detested Nathan in Half Bad so much). That's why I liked the EU- we got to see the various women grow and change and become better over time (sure, some men and women were able to do great feats without much prior training, but they were POWERFUL individuals and usually were up against someone who wasn't well trained either OR they were tapping into the darkside/had been tapping into the Force a lot at a young age). Basically, Rey is the 'strong female character' (not really a good character, but what Hollywood thinks we want) many feminists (and myself) have complained about. Not sure why people don't see that.

Other female characters that suffer with this film are Captain Phasma and, especially, Leia. From what I've heard from others, apparently she was built up as an 'awesome villain' but in reality just barks orders, falls down into something, and isn't seen much. When compared to the amazing female villains of the EU, this really falls short. 

Leia also gets the short end of the stick. In the EU she's the Chancellor of the galaxy for a time, becomes a Jedi, and stays married to Han and raises three awesome Jedi children, two who become great heroes (the third was also a hero til he fell to the darkside); she is also very involved in whatever crisis the galaxy is facing and is a great woman to look up to and admire. In TFA, she's just a general who had a failed marriage and a failed child. She never trains to be a Jedi, ignoring the hints in ROTJ that hinted that she would eventually, and just...bleh :P (also, Han's death was just blah compared to Chewbacca's brave and badass death in the EU. Like, it took a moon to take him down. That's badass. Han gets stabbed by his emo, whiny 'son'....not so much). And, sure the films do have some racial diversity but it's equal to what we get in the EU (and the ones in the EU are better developed). And as I said above, yes, the EU needed more LGBTQA+ characters but, as we are getting more and more each year, I'm sure it would have become more and more common place. And, really, as of now, there ARE no LGBTQA+ characters in The Force Awakens or all that many in Disney's other work (only a few in the novel Aftermath). 

Also, on a side note, when Disney cancelled EU, threw it out, and declared it non-canon/Legends, they cancelled many stories that had female leads, including the much anticipated Sword of the Jedi trilogy, starring the amazing and badass Jaina Solo (who is a very well written character, I might add). I honestly don't understand why other feminists aren't more angry about this? 

And as I wrap this, I want to leave you to read the below and ponder this. Which really is more diverse?

(Thanks to my friend, Covert Knight, for making this list.)

Media: The Feminist Force Awakens passes the Bechdel Test!  

My friend, Covert Knight: Pff. Bechdel Test. We've not only passed it, but... Ahem. (And these are just examples) Lost Tribe of the Sith: Spiral - Female MC (Takara), female secondary MC (Sith Princess), the MC's mother who does all the fighting for the father (Takara's mom), and reference to a powerful ancient female Sith scientist (Sorzus Syn). Knight Errant (novel + comics) Female titular character (Kerra the Knight Errant, duh), female scheming villain (Arkadia), female lesser villain (Dromika), female past villain (Xelian), female ultimate schemer not-quite-villain (Villia), female pilot secondary MC (Jenn), lil' sis figure (Tan Tengo) Knights of the Old Republic II (both content restoration mods included + canon companions) Female leading character struggling to overcome her dark past (Meetra Surik/Jedi Exile), female scheming ultimate villain with LOTS of depth (Kreia/Traya), female misguided villain (Atris), female supportive mentor figure (Vash); a blind seer who helps defeat one of the villains (Visas), an ex-assistant of the misguided villain who kicks ass (Brianna), a clever, deadly huntress that's likely aromantic (Mira); a just and fair and BADASS ruling queen supporting character (Talia), another competent female government leader (Terena).

And I know that myself and many could add even more people to this awesome list.

And on a final note, I'd like to add. You can say what you want about some of the 'weirder' aspects of the EU. But you can't say it wasn't original (unlike TFA). Because, without the EU, Star Wars is just empty and not nearly as awe-inspiring or beautiful. And, to me, that includes the wonderful diversity we had within it.

So thanks Disney, for nothing.

Gender Roles: How they are not only wrong, but limiting and harmful

This semester while I was in college, I was once again struck by how strong and prevalent sexism, the patriarchy, and gender roles are in our world (the stories behind this I will go into more detail on in my upcoming post about my second semester of college). 

Having been raised by a feminist family, I was already well aware of sexism and everything that entailed. However, I didn't start noticing the more subtle, insidious messages until I was a bit older. 

Now that I'm in college it is even more apparent to me that sexism (and racism, homophobia, transphobia, etc) is, indeed, alive and well. 

One of the most sneaky bits of sexism that I notice (and that which affects me) is that of gender roles. As a child, I thankfully was raised by parents who let me like what I wanted to like, but I still chaffed against what society wanted me to be interested in. In this way, I made sure any so-called 'feminine traits' I had (when I was a bit older; I was a bit better about it as a little kid) were hidden away. And while I've moved past a lot of it (as I've mentioned in a previous post of internalized sexism), my effemiphobia still remains a presence in my personality. 

But gender roles (and the internalized misogyny/effemiphobia that goes along with it), don't just affect me. They affect everyone. Even the most comfortable individuals will have some of these messages in their psyche.  

Gender roles are the ways that society tries to keep us all in line under the patriarchy. Gender roles are why some men can be all "men are assholes/dicks/mentally retarded" (yes, I had a professor say that in college) as a way to excuse themselves from sexism and to show that they are a good guy (kind of how some white people will be 'white people suck!' to show that they are 'such good allies' *eye roll*). Not only does this- annoyingly- excuse sexist behavior from the man stating it, but it also feeds into the patriarchal beliefs that men are not in control of their behavior and thus, 'boys will just be boys'. These kinds of statements does not a good feminist/ally make. Changing your own behavior and encouraging others to do the same is the best way to do it. 

What exactly 'are' gender roles, though? Sometimes the word is just thrown around without much explanation as to what it is. 

Basically, gender roles are a conglomeration of such things as traits, jobs, and activities being deemed 'masculine'(for boys) or 'feminine'(for girls). So, if you've ever heard someone say 'that's for boys' or 'don't do that, it's for girls', then you've experienced gender roles to some capacity. 

Below are a list of stereotypical masculine and feminine traits.  

As one can quickly see, lists such as these are grossly inaccurate. They limit the experiences of human beings and make them seem much more simple than they truly are. If we look out at reality (and in good fiction), we'll see that most people are a mish-mash of the above (and can sometimes be both at the same time; humans are contradictory at times as well). For myself, a lot of these on BOTH lists apply to me. I can be nice and cruel, I can be aggressive and not aggressive, I can be emotional and logical, I can be tactful and blunt, and I can be gentle and tough. Not only that, I'm kind of obvious about how I differ from the feminine list(as a girl), which seems to surprise individuals a lot.

And because of this surprise (and sometimes weirded-out-ness), I think it's important to realize that people can lean more towards one set of traits or the other and that that is perfectly okay. You can be as 'masculine' or as 'feminine' as you want in personality. It's your life and you shouldn't let what society says is right or wrong about you to dictate what you do (which is why I ignore people telling me I "walk like a boy". No, I'm walking like a girl because I am a girl and I walk how I please!).

(here are some showings of both women and men showing both sides of the 'spectrum' (personally, I don't believe there is such things as masculine and feminine, but since it's a thing in society, I will use the terms).

(P.S. - to be fair, the show has been showing that this character is not as overtly masculine as he appears, but he still is what is masculine; a part of his story though is letting him like what he wants to, without fear of it rendering him non-manly (:P), which I think is just great ( to read more about it, check out this meta, which is one of my favorites on the topic - http://andythanfiction.tumblr.com/post/42721086913/aint-my-bitch )

The other aspects of gender roles are such things as activities, jobs, and fiction being deemed 'appropriate' for women or for men. While my jobs are currently viewed as acceptable for both women and men (I'm an actor and writer [technically a student, but that's what I'm studying]), a lot of my activities aren't, and there are a lot of jobs women and men are discouraged against going into. Women are often subtly shooed away from jobs in science, math, and anything pertaining to physical labor. Men are often discouraged from jobs in the arts, nursing, cooking, etc. Women are told my society that they shouldn't go for anything deemed male-ish (such as Taekwondo, which I love, but which is sadly something I see more men in than women) because it will 'turn men away from them' (I had a girl tell me that men noticed 'feminine girly girls' more than tomboys like me, which just goes to show how pervasive this message is). The same goes for men who want to enter things like ballet/dance in general. 

This even comes to play in the kind of fiction we like and in the kind of music we listen to. Men are stereotyped as liking things like science fiction, fantasy, action, and things with just mindless gore-fests (and music such as metal and rock), while women are said to like things like romances, heart-felt emotional stories, and the like (and to like such music as pop ).

Ignoring the fact that science fiction was invented by a woman, it's quite obvious from looking at women and men in fandom that these stereotypes are very untrue (for example, Supernatural's fanbase is predominately female, even though the show is what many would call a 'guy' show). I for one love not only science fiction, fantasy, action/fight scenes, and supernatural stories, I also love the whole idea of shipping and I really enjoy reading fanfic/watching videos/reading metas(for shipping and for characters/the show in general)/seeing fanart of my OTPs a whole lot. I not only like metal and rock, but pop music as well (much to the surprise of others). 

However sexism is still a large presence even in fandom and this can be shown in the fact that- while I have been lucky in avoiding them for the most part- male fans sometimes seem to question my legitimacy as a fan of Star Wars (like this guy in college who got all mad that TESB is my least favorite movie of the SW saga; though the guy didn't know who Siri Tachi was or the name of the Jedi Exile, sooo, yeah).

Obviously, these assumptions are just as ridiculous as assigning a type of personality trait to a girl or a boy. Activities and jobs have no gender, just like colors, instruments, music, etc have no gender. It is hard to push through the lessons we are taught by society from a young age, but with work, we surely can overcome them

So, regardless to what people say, I can like science fiction and fantasy, I can like metal/rock and pop, I can like Breaking Benjamin and Taylor Swift, I can like t-shirts and dresses, I can like martial arts and dance, I can enjoy fighting and still be kind and nurturing, I can be violent and aggressive yet gentle and innocent. I can be all of these things and more because they all incorporate who I am as a person.

And so can you. 

International Women's Day - Favorite Female Characters and #DearMe

Happy International Women's Day everyone! :D Today I want to share with you my favorite female characters as well as write a small note to my younger self. But before I do that, I want to share a link for all the accomplishments women made last year

Here they are!! :D 

And many more!

#DearMe (this is something I've seen a lot of women do, so I thought I'd do it too).

You are a good girl and I'm proud that you grew up to be more mature and more optimistic than many of your peers(and that you kept your innocence! Even though people hurt you, you still pulled through and I'm proud that you did :) ). 

You are also very talented. Never forget that and one day you will be amazing at all that you set your mind to do. Don't worry if you're acting/writing/singing/Taekwondo sounds or feels weird, you are good and people will love you. And during that year you were feeling horrible, just be aware that things end up getting so much better! :) You will make awesome friends, you'll get to go to a convention, you'll get to do some amazing acting and writing work, and you will be much happier. 

  

Also, along with your OCD you have aspergers so it's important to realize that and learn to be okay with it. There are things that, because of your disorder, that will just not be able to handle and if you ever feel guilty realize it is okay- you are good at helping people in other ways and while you may lack empathy at times, at other times you have more than most people and that's wonderful to see.  And while you may feel a bit excluded from others with aspergers, your disorder is valid and you do have it, no matter what naysayers say. 

And you are also on the Ace spectrum, so if  you feel weird about various 'inappropriate stuff' that everyone seems to be blabbing non-stop about, that's why. While you may think they're weird, just understand that both ways of being are perfectly acceptable and that they should respect you(warning, a girl will shove something unpleasant at your face because of this, but that will be the worst of it).

BE YOU! I know you are good about this, but still, realize that you are awesome and great and you shouldn't feel self-conscious about what others think of you. I still work on this, but just understand that. Love what you like, all of your fandoms and ships and favorite characters are valid. Don't let others tell you that you can't like the EU, or Siri Tachi, or that they know more than Jedi than you(because you are one of the experts of that field).

Also, while you may more 'masculine' than a lot of your female peers, get it out of your head that being 'feminine' is bad. You will get over a lot of it eventually but it's good to remove the thoughts before they sink too much into your psyche. There is nothing wrong with being feminine, so don't feel guilty for finding guys attractive(not that this is feminine- it isn't- but a lot of people consider it so) or that you have fun with shipping, or even that you enjoy to wear a nice dress every once in a while. It also doesn't mean you are weak or any less badass or awesome or tomboyish if you like a few stereotypical 'feminine things'. You do get better about it, but that is one thing you especially need to work on. And you have Dean Winchester to learn with, so there's that :).

Also, make sure you know that there are times to speak up and times where you should not. Learning to know both of these is important and is something you should start working on now. People shouldn't walk all over you and if they are toxic it's okay to cut them out of your life(not everyone will change or apologize- still be the good girl you are and apologize and be the bigger person). 

And if you ever worry that you can't physically take care of yourself, you will one day get to a very high rank in Taekwondo and you WILL be able to take care of yourself and you shouldn't feel weak ever again. You aren't invincible but you definitely ARE NOT weak and if you ever do feel weak, don't worry, you'll leave that state far behind you eventually and you will be strong and amazing and capable.

Keep your chin up, you brave little Jedi girl and keep your optimism, your innocence, your maturity, your enthusiasm, your geekiness, your strength, and your hardworking sensibilities. Those will get you far.

Proud of you.

Maegen :) (now me).