Tag: xwp

rainbow-femme:

So whenever i would watch movies and see The Badass Female Character fighting in various ways, something about it always bugged me. I just assumed it was internalized misogyny that made me dislike characters like black widow and Tauriel and tried to make myself like them.

Then I was rewatching Mad Max Fury Road the other day and I noticed that nothing bothered me about watching Furiosa fight and I realized the problem wasn’t watching women fight in movies that got on my nerves.

Watching the stereotypical Badass Female Character she always has these effortless moves and a cocky, sexy smirk on her face as everything is easy. Watching Furiosa, she grunted and bared her teeth. Her fighting was hard and it took effort and it hurt like fighting is supposed to. For once her fighting style wasn’t supposed to seduce the audience it was to be effective.

I wasn’t disliking these characters because they were women I was disliking that their fighting was meant to remind me they were women. High heels and shapely outfits and not showing effort or discomfort because it’s more attractive to effortlessly lift a long leather clad leg over your head rather than rugby tackle someone.

It’s the same with the Wonder Woman movie too. Fighting is hard and it takes effort, blocking bombs and bullets with a shield makes her grimace and bare her teeth with the effort it takes. She’s not flip kicking bombs she’s yelling and straining, not because she’s weak or bad at fighting but because that’s what it would be like.

I really hope we’re moving into an era of women having fighting styles designed for realism and not how hot it looks for the men in the audience.

Agreed. One of the reasons I love both those movies and I always loved Xena. She did flip and all but there was grunting and yelling in her fighting that felt real.

wibblywobblyinagoodway:

Xena: Warrior Princess meme

five characters [1/5]
↳ M’Lila

#i wish m’lila had a better arc i love her so much #one of my favorite things about xena is that the show spends approx six seasons retconning her introduction story #and that even rob tapert acknowledges having xena heel-face turn after having sex with hercules was weak writing #so it becomes a succession of woman after woman influencing her and giving her the chance to become good #and then hercules is the one who starts it but leaves her guilt-ridden and basically suicidal #but it’s really gabrielle who saves her for real #believes in her and follows her when even xena’s own mother wants nothing to do with her im just #and m’lila is the first #wonderful m’lila who is one of my favorite characters and who xena styles her armor after later

suzannalikescomics:

I love that Xena has all different religions and beliefs and even when Xena knows hers is true, she doesn’t deny others their religion. (Which, in fact, they are all valid within the Xena-verse)

I love that Xena has different types of love, family, and friendship and never says that one kind is more valuable then another.

I love that Xena is shown to be inhumanly strong even though she is, in fact, mortal. So many shows have men doing impossible stunts- to have one with a female doing the same is wonderful.

I love that Xena has all different types of people with all different kinds of strengths, from physical to intelligence, and even a kind heart. Each one is important and all of them worthy of being a “hero”.

I love that Xena is a redemption story. I love that things come up from her past and she still stands up for what’s right. That she doesn’t run or hide or make excuses.

I love that Xena is a super tough fighter but she knows how to do things like embroidery as well. As the warrior princess herself says, she has many skills.

I love that Xena is in charge of her own sexuality. That Gabrielle is considered sweet and innocent, but having sex doesn’t suddenly “steal” that innocence away from her.

There is just so much to love about this show. It has it’s flaws, sure, but it does so much right.