Female Characters and Women Slashers
by Annabelle Leigh

I find the whole question of why we women slashers get so prickly
around female characters a very interesting one. Of course, there is
a whole spectrum of opinion on this issue. I don't mean to suggest
otherwise. Plenty of us like Megan well enough. Or Serena. Or
Sam. And there are even a few brave souls out there who defend
Cassie. <g>

But enough of us seem to feel strongly about it to make it an issue
in my mind. When it gets right down to it, we don't seem to want
any women getting in the way of *our* guys--not brainless babes
of the week, not long-term love interests, not female partners.
We're having none of it. 

I am no different. I *hated* the idea of Megan before I actually saw
her on screen. I found myself thinking things like: "I can't believe
they're bringing a *woman* onto the show. They're *ruining* it."
Then I stopped and listened to myself and was completely
perplexed. I've been a feminist since I was in diapers. So why
wasn't I more pleased that the producers were diversifying the
show by bringing on female characters?

And it isn't just because Megan is thin or because I think she's
solely for T&A value, which I don't think, actually. Sure, it
*would* be great if there were more women on TV who were a
realistic dress size and older than twenty-five. But UPN is not
alone in their casting choices. Sadly, I'm used to it. If it were on a
show that didn't have a slashy interest for me, I wouldn't think a
second thing about it. 

So why does it make such a big difference on TS? I suppose an
obvious answer would be that I love slash, and so anything (or
anyone) that obscures my ability to see Jim and Blair together, as a
couple, puts me off. The problem with this explanation, though, is
that it quickly became clear that Megan wasn't a threat this way.
She was a colleague, one of the guys, not a romantic interest. And
yet, many of us continued to feel ambivalent about her.

Plus, our response is so strong and visceral response that I think it
must be more personal, more directly linked to *us* and not just to
our fantasies about Jim and Blair.

This isn't to say I believe it's envy, as some have suggested. I see it
more as a kind of protectiveness of our turf. There's a sense in the
world that eroticism is not for the regular, but for the glamorous.
This is especially true for women. In all het fiction, there is the
inevitable description of the heroine who is always thin, young and
beautiful. This gives rise to an inevitable comparison the reader
makes to herself, one she cannot possibly win. Slash, on the other
hand, is our safe space. It's the place where we can enjoy eroticism
and masculine beauty without having to make that comparison,
without having to confront our own imperfections, all the ways in
which we do not match the false, impossible images of TV and
fashion magazines. So to have thin, young, beautiful female
characters introduced on the show or into the fanfic disturbs that
safety. And we react with understandable vehemence, determined
to defend our sanctuary. 

No wonder we're so fierce about it.