lizbee | Doctor Who fandom: where multiple intelligent women is ZOMGMISOGYNY!

Quote that turned up on my Tumblr dash yesterday:

“What Doctor Who character do you think of when I describe this: “She is a beautiful, smart, teasing, flirty, confident woman who can do things the Doctor can’t”. Did you think of Amy Pond, Sally Sparrow, or River Song? Or did you think of the new character in this episode, who is exactly the same as all of these other characters? Objectively bad writing. She already has that idolising look, self-described genius to boot … I’m sick of this. You can just picture Moffat salivating. “A WOMAN! A brilliant sexy WOMAN! HOW EXCITING!”

(source)

Guys, I have a confession to make.

I, too, salivate at the thought of brilliant, sexy female characters.

I mean, not literally, but it makes me pretty happy.

I know. I'm sorry.

Worse, I also don't think that Amy, Sally, River or Oswin are interchangeable, on account of how they all have different personalities, manners of speech and ... are different. (Said

weaver: "I keep forgetting that you’re only allowed to have one confident and successful woman per show. Silly old me.")

(I am reminded of the time someone kindly informed me that it is offensive to portray River as having a career and a personal life, because it's unrealistic. Sorry, girls, back in your boxes -- either get a divorce or quit your jobs, but stop trying to have even part of it all!)

Incidentally, when you say, "She is a beautiful, smart, teasing, flirty, confident woman who can do things the Doctor can't," this is who I think of first: