Written Analysis 1 The myth of Xena, Buffy and Nikita


Written Analysis 1

What theories seem to apply to your popular culture topic? Myth:  A strong female character needs to have a man to succeed as a female hero.  A strong female hero must be sexy and beautiful.  The female must have a male guiding her.   (Magoulick, 2006).

How do these theories describe, analyze or evaluate the topic you have selected?
 Xena, the main character is considered evil until a male character, Hercules, shows her how to become a good person.  She cannot be happy unless she is violent and hostile in the show.  The men in her lives try to guide her decisions and her role as a warrior.  The show sort of skips over any female protagonist as just not strong enough to fighter Xena, because Xena was guided by men.  Even the possible lesbian love interest of Xena is downplayed because it may find resistance from male viewership.  The shows premise may be about a strong female lead, but it is presented by a male fantasy version of the female.

Buffy, the main character is an innocent high school girl who is guided by a smart, educated man.  She has the job of fighting evil and protecting the nearby town.  Buffy cannot be happy in love.  Her first love turns evil and tries to kill her.  She later must send this same lover to Hell.  Another lover tries to force her to be different, instead of a fighter-of-evil.  Another lover tries to kill her on numerous occasions and tries to rape her before she falls for him.
Nikita is an innocent woman accused of a crime she didn’t commit.  She is forced to become an assassin or die.  She is guided by a male agent.  That same agent often must beat her to redirect her place in the show as a hero. 

What insights do you gain from applying these theories to your popular culture topic?
All three of these shows give a twisted version of what a strong female lead should be.  If the lead is independent she is reigned back in.  If she finds love then that love is destructive and damaging.  The female is beautiful and sexy.  The females are supposed to be role models but they are all broken in some way. 






 


 


 


Works Cited


Magoulick, M. (2006). Frustrating Female Heroism: Mixed Messages in Xena, Nikita, and Buffy. Popular Culture, 729.






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