Feminism: Doing it wrong

[lizbee]

With Amy gone, we can no longer argue whether or not wearing mini-skirts makes her a brazen hussy ... but don't worry, here's the argument about whether Clara's second job makes her a whore, or merely easy. Also, characterisation: what business does it have appearing in television?

Fandom: actually in fact the worst!

On an unrelated note: denizens of Tumblr! If you're about to claim that rape was unknown outside of Europe until it was introduced by colonisers, I strongly recommend first googling "noble savage stereotype", and then sitting very quietly and thinking about what you've done.

Comments

[skipthedemon]

I especially liked the comment that there was simply no way someone lower class could have educated herself enough to bluff her way into a position as governess. They had to have middle or upper class origins. It's not like there were hundreds of public libraries in England by 1900 or the Education Act of 1870 instituted mandatory schooling or anything! *eyeroll*

[lizbee]

Frankly, I think it would be easier than going the other way -- at least the rules of middle class society were written down!

[skipthedemon]

Oh, oh! I stumbled across this about why Jenny and Vastra are problematic and thought of you: http://peoplecallmepsycho.tumblr.com/post/38841801752/theangelstakemysanity-i-want-to-see-these-guys

[lizbee]

Oh, that's adorable!

[lyricwrites.livejournal.com]

Well, the amount of code-switching she was doing was impressive as all hell. Not everyone can learn to switch their accent and their body language, and she had both absolutely pitch-perfect. I actually think that bit is more impressive than learning (or faking) a proper governess's knowledge base. But in the real world, people have managed that sort of social leap.

Also—speaking for myself personally—I don't mind if Doctor Who errs a bit on the side of hope, rather than historical accuracy. In the real Victorian world, Madame Vastra might have ended up in a cage long before she became indispensable to Scotland Yard, but I don't want to see that story. I like the one where she and Jenny have a good life and a solid relationship even if that relationship utterly fails to compute for ninety percent of the people they run across. Likewise, it might be more probable for a barmaid-becoming-governess to make some tiny error and get hauled away in disgrace, but I like the version where cleverness and nerve prevail. I mean, there's a believability limit, obviously, but I didn't feel like the episode was ignoring historical realities so much as suggesting that it is possible to break free of your "station," and always has been—even when society is built specifically to prevent that sort of thing.