#EngenderedWriting 41 — Cite a story (short, novel, or fanfic) that DOES NOT address gender issues well, but in the end says something important about gender or sexual relationships. Do you recommend it?
This is a bit of a feminist screed, so don't read if you like anime. Note that I consume anime constantly, and can recommend good ones, so what I say isn't stopping me from watching. That in itself is telling, I suppose.
I did not mention anime in the list to choose from; that was an omission. I off-hand can't think of an example in print but I know I've read them and likely forgot them as unsatisfying. I will cite a lot of anime for NOT addressing gender well. Not all. Certainly not all, but enough and repeated often enough that it is disappointing. For such a diverse media that often features strong female protagonists and secondary characters, sometimes even gay ones, it often ends up the same way: sexist, women objectified, a man steps in as the ultimate savior—even though the women do protect themselves well. Too often women return to their gender role when the danger subsides. I suspect it is a reflection of the society that is the main consumer of the media, but I am not qualified to say. It reminds me to an extent of some popular if not classic SF and fantasy from the 70s through the 90s. That was a reflection of the readership consuming it—which went from male to increasingly female over that period.
In the end, it does say something important about gender. But for indoctrination or being forced back into their place, women could have agency. It often highlights how tenuous and fragile modern conceptions of gender equality are, and how strong and enduring patriarchal notions are.
That last sentence is the backdrop gender fiction writers are writing to overcome.
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