once upon a time and women

Absofreakinglutely. What a fabulous post. This is the best depiction of women on TV right now, if not ever. It’s really striking, to me.

I just want to put a little disclaimer before my post: I love OUaT, I would not be here if I didn’t and I apologize in advances if some of the language seems a bit crude.

I’m not sur that OUaT is as positive for the image of strong women as everyone else seem to think.

First off, the show does a lot of slut shamming. They often paint sexually active women that are not married in a negative light. The only two example that comes to mind right now are Emma who had a child out of wedlock was a thief and to look at it from another angle, Ruby use to be very out there with her outfit and her attitude but since she has become more important in the second season they have covered her up… A LOT. Another point that has bothered me or a little while about the place of women on this show is that they are all looking for their “happy ending” and somehow, the only way to achieve that goal, is to find a men, settle down, get married and start poppin’ babies.

I don’t want to go too much in depth on the topic, but the only reason these women are being oh! so strong on the show are extremely conservatives ones (protecting my child, finding my husband, running from the men who wants to kill me, seeking revenge for my long lost lover). It seems like a women cannot be heroic just for the sake of being a hero, they always need a justification that is “christian friendly”.

literature and movies often likes to portray male murderers or serial killer in a very clinical matter. This approach almost makes them seem fun and entertaining. I can only speak personally here, but I have watched many movies and read many books where you are completely on the side of the bad guy, I did not want him to get caught or have to suffer the consequences of his actions. An example that a lot of people can relate to was the show HOUSE. The main character, Dr. Gregory House, was a dangerous sociopath who could have left a patient to die or pit people against each other for his own entertainment, without getting too much into why he is the way he is… And we buy it! we love him! we always want him to weasel out of whatever situation he has just put himself in. That sort of writing does not happen a lot for female characters, usually when a women does something morally reprehensible, it is an act of passion or if they dare go the sociopath route, they will go in lengths about her past and how she got to be that way and OUaT is no exception.

In conclusion, does OUaT have a prominently female cast? sure! Are these women portrayed in a positive light? I guess. Is Once Upon a Time helping and furthering the cause of women? Not really, under those shining armors and impressive swords, it would appear that all the OUaT women want to do is go back in the kitchen and give birth to future princes and princesses.

@Crest1994 wrote:

@Marilou wrote:

Another point that has bothered me or a little while about the place of women on this show is that they are all looking for their “happy ending” and somehow, the only way to achieve that goal, is to find a men, settle down, get married and start poppin’ babies.

Also on this note, this is heavily what the show is about. True love, and hope. That is the basis for the entire show. Every character, not just the women, want true love. Because it is the most powerful magic in the world. For some, it’s not just a romantic true love. It can be the love of family, as well. And I agree with Crest that saying the ideals of family being “conservative” ideals is ridiculous. Everyone wants to have a family, parents. Not necessarily children, I certainly don’t, but why do you suddenly shame a character who finds a love for a child she wasn’t ready for before? I like that Emma’s focus is on herself, friends/family and her child, and not on boning every random guy that comes along like most female main characters do on other shows.

Looking at this topic from a feminist perspective, i have to say OUAT is one of the most “Feminist friendly” (for want of a better term) shows I have seen. Feminism isn’t about elevating one gender above the other or finding offense anytime a woman is portrayed in a less than perfect light; it’s about men and women being on EQUAL footing. Yes, family, parenthood and lover (typically thought of as “feminine” virtues) but it’s not only the girls that show this devotion. For every strong woman who is big on being a mother (Snow) there is a male who is just as devoted (Who could ever forget Jefferson?). For every flawed, evil woman who is beginning to see the light (Regina) there is a man who is in the same position (Rumple–okay, maybe he’s not quite on that road yet, but it does appear that’s where he’s headed, and to his defense he has been “addicted” to magic a LOT longer than Regina).

First off, the show does a lot of slut shamming. They often paint sexually active women that are not married in a negative light. The only two example that comes to mind right now are Emma who had a child out of wedlock was a thief and to look at it from another angle, Ruby use to be very out there with her outfit and her attitude but since she has become more important in the second season they have covered her up… A LOT

I don’t really think this is the case. The Ruby/Red thing sees to have more to do with a kind of identity crisis then anything. Ruby didn’t really know herself so she fell back on one of the only things she did know: that she was attractive to men. Once she got Red back, she had her identity and no longer needed rely on the safety net of her look.

Another thing to consider is that we don’t know how much of a hand Regina had in choosing their storybrooke personas. Think about it; when the curse hit, Snow turned into the kind of meek and docile creature Regina thought fitting for her–despite the fact that the persona didn’t really fit Snow at all. Who’s to say that the same didn’t happen to Red?

As for them “Shamming” Emma by turning her into a thief, i’m not going to comment on that until later tonight when i have more of the story.

Along this topic, though, there was one thing that did kind of erk me. I was always bothered by how much the whole town turned on MM after her affair with David came to light, but no one really seemed to say anything to him. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, perhaps it only seemed that way. I’ll have to watch the epp again to be sure, but the best sign that everyone was against her seemed to be the slut-mobile, another construction of Regina’s.

@Faux Pax wrote:

As for them “Shamming” Emma by turning her into a thief, i’m not going to comment on that until later tonight when i have more of the story.

Along this topic, though, there was one thing that did kind of erk me. I was always bothered by how much the whole town turned on MM after her affair with David came to light, but no one really seemed to say anything to him. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, perhaps it only seemed that way. I’ll have to watch the epp again to be sure, but the best sign that everyone was against her seemed to be the slut-mobile, another construction of Regina’s.

Emma’s troubled past is part of her backstory and character. Just because she is an out-of-wedlock mother and a thief doesn’t mean that all out-of-wedlock mothers are troubled people. Ashley, for example, is for the most part a perfectly lovely person. Also, I think the show did a good job showing how unfair it was that MMB and not David got the lion’s share of the shaming, making the viewer sympathize with her rather than judge her.