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Buffy the Vampire Slayer has dealt with a number of social issues, including gender expectations, homosexuality and class, and has received a great deal of attention from television critics for its unusual approaches in discussing them. As described in the main article, Buffy often, though not always, approaches contemporary issues through a veil of metaphor. Even when the writers have eschewed metaphor and dealt more directly with contemporary issues, the series has generally integrated its commentary with multi-episode plot arcs; the series creator, Joss Whedon, is on record as saying that "there will never be a Very Special Episode of Buffy" [1]. Image File history File links Stop_hand. ... Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a U.S. television series loosely based on the 1992 movie of the same name. ... The shield and spear of the Roman god Mars are often used to represent the male sex. ... Since its coinage, the word homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings. ... Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions between individuals or groups in societies or cultures. ... Joss Whedon Joss Hill Whedon (born June 23, 1964) is a writer, director, executive producer, and creator of several television series, most famously Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly. ... Very special episode is an advertising term originally used in American television commercials to describe an episode of a situation comedy or television drama that deals with a serious and/or controversial social issue. ...

The Buffyverse is a term coined by fans of Joss Whedons first two television shows to refer to the shared fictional universe in which they are set. ... Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a U.S. television series loosely based on the 1992 movie of the same name. ... Angel was the highly successful spin-off from the American television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. ... The cover Fray #1 Fray is an eight-issue comic book miniseries about Melaka Fray, a Slayer in the future, written by Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon and drawn by Karl Moline (pencils) and Andy Owens (inks). ...

Buffy and gender

Buffy has often been referred to as an explicitly feminist show by both its creators and critics. There is disagreement, however, on the nature of feminism in Buffy; some critics refer to the show as post-feminist [2], while others consider the "feminist" label for Buffy problematic [3]. Feminism is a social theory and political movement primarily informed and motivated by the experience of women. ... ...

In general, arguments for Buffy as a feminist show focus on the central conceit: as the possessor of an essential power, Buffy progresses from a light-headed, shallow teen, an instance of the American cheerleader stereotype, to a strong independent woman. As Whedon and others have often noted, the essential idea behind Buffy was to reverse the horror movie convention of the powerless woman. Cheerleading is recreational activity and sometimes competitive sport involving organised routines including elements of dance and gymnastics to encourage crowds to cheer on sports teams. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

As critics have noted, however, feminist themes in Buffy extend much further than this; an extensive bibliography of feminist interpretations of the show exists on the web [4]. This section endeavors to treat some of the major themes in this form of criticism.

Despite her burden of duty as the "Slayer", Buffy is not depersonalized by her mission, and maintains — with some struggle — gendered essentials of her personality. Her depiction challenges a more typical portrayal of the driven woman — most famously, Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth — who must abandon "female" character traits in order to take on a more masculine, active role. The show's play on conventional gender expectations extends beyond the central character. The show consistently offers alternatives to established depictions of characters of each gender in other central characters, including Xander, Willow and Spike [5]. William Shakespeare—born April 1564; baptised April 26, 1564; died April 23, 1616 (O.S.), May 3, 1616 (N.S.)—has a reputation as the greatest of all writers in English. ... Scene from Macbeth, depicting the witches conjuring of an apparition in Act IV, Scene I. Painting by William Rimmer Macbeth is William Shakespeares shortest tragedy and one of his most popular works. ...

That Xander's two closest friends throughout the show, Willow and Buffy, are female, challenges both the normative expectation of homosocial socialization and the assumption of masculine leadership: Xander is — mostly — comfortable with taking the female figures within the group as superior in skill and power, and the show depicts his occasional attempts to assert priority as a source of humor [6]. The term homosocial is used in sociology and denotes same-sex relationships that are not of sexual nature. ...

Buffy's older, British Watcher Giles functions in many ways as a stand in for patriarchal authority. However, while beginning as a male figure of knowledge and power, Giles is gradually (and willingly) rendered redundant as a regulator of the group's activities [7]. The Watcher's Council undergoes a similar evolution of role. Despite remaining an emotional focus of the gang, and playing a role as the only proper father-figure for Buffy, Xander and Willow, Giles is left, for the most part, in a passive position as his apprentice becomes a warrior and eventually a leader in her own right. A patriarch (from Greek: patria means father; arché means rule, beginning, origin) is a male head of an extended family exercising autocratic authority, or, by extension, a member of the ruling class or government of a society controlled by senior men. ...

In general, the treatment of gender expectations on Buffy is lighthearted, but as the show progresses, feminist themes become more explicit. While many villains consider Buffy's sex an affront to their own power, two of the major villains that Buffy must confront in the final two seasons — Caleb and Warren — are essentially driven by misogyny, and have disturbing histories of sexual violence. Misogyny ( mÄ­-sŏj É™-nÄ“ ) is hatred of or strong prejudice against women. ... For the domesticated crop plant called rape, see rapeseed. ...

The most explicit reference to feminist principles appears in the final shows of the final season, especially in the last episode, Chosen. There, the plot to defeat the "First Evil" involves breaking an ancient contract, negotiated by male authority, to restrict the Slayer's powers to a single woman. In a speech to the "potentials" — young girls who will receive this power once the contract is broken — Buffy says: Chosen is the 22nd episode of the 7th and final season of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and is the series finale. ...

"Every girl who could have the power... will have the power... can stand up, will stand up. Slayers... every one of us. Make your choice. Are you ready to be strong?"

Buffy and homosexuality

Whedon has noted that it was always his desire to have a gay character on the show. As Buffy's main premise involved characters who were stereotyped as weak becoming strong and powerful, it is rumored that he initially planned to have a gay male character. Whedon himself has stated that he decided early on that he would make either Willow or Xander gay, and, while showing both engaging in heterosexual relationships, sprinkled the occasional innuendo of homosexuality into both of their characters (for example, the Xander-Larry mix-up about Xander's sexuality).

While homosexual characters appeared occasionally in early seasons, the most significant plot concerned with homosexuality started in season four, when main character Willow (who had previously been romantically involved with the male character Oz) began a romantic relationship with the female character Tara. This eventually led Willow to identify herself as gay. The narrative also saw Willow dramatically expand her "magical" powers during this period, and "magic" was frequently used as a metaphor for the developing sexual relationship. Willow Danielle Rosenberg (born in 1980 in Sunnydale, California) is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the cult television program, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. ... Daniel Osbourne, referred to almost exclusively as Oz, is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, played by Seth Green. ... Tara Maclay (born October 16, 1980) is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the cult television program, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. ...

Willow's shift to homosexuality created some controversy in the media, and heated controversy among fans. The producers and the network received criticism, both from those opposed to gay characters on television, and from some pro-gay viewers who were upset about the initial physical tepidness of the relationship, as well as the fact that the gay characters were both witches, which some considered an invocation of long-standing stereotypes.

Others accused the writers of tokenism and sensationalism; comments from the show's writers show they were also concerned with such issues [8]. The show's creative team insisted that their intent was not to sensationalize or exploit the gay relationship. The plot also inspired debate among viewers over whether Willow's sexuality should be defined as "gay" or as "bisexual" [9]. In later seasons, the character explicitly identified herself as gay, and attracted only to women. Tokenism refers to a policy or practice of limited inclusion of members of a minority group, usually creating a false appearance of inclusive practices, intentional or not. ...

The couple's love ended in tragedy with Tara's murder near the end of season six, inspiring a violent magical rampage which served as the climax at the end of the season. Willow went on to have another (much more explicit) lesbian relationship throughout the final season with a young potential Slayer. In general usage, a tragedy is a drama, movie or sometimes a real world event with a sad outcome. ...

Tara's death, which ended what many considered the most positive portrayal of a lesbian relationship on television at the time, was equally controversial. Some fans criticized what they viewed as a clichéd resolution, arguing that lesbian relationships in film and television are too frequently "punished" by violent endings [10]. The creative team defended the storyline, arguing that Tara's death had nothing to do with her sexuality, and that they treated her as they would have treated any other character, which is highlighted by such tragedy laced relationships as Buffy and Angel during Season 2, Xander and Anya (failed wedding and then Anya's death), Jenny Calendar and Giles (Jenny killed by Angel) and even Joyce's sudden death after getting back on the dating scene.

Buffy and other social issues

Two other social issues are notable in connection with the Buffy series: class and race. Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions between individuals or groups in societies or cultures. ... The term race distinguishes a population of humans from other populations. ...

Over its seven-year span, the series had a number of important narrative arcs that dealt with the question of social and economic class, beginning with the relationship between Xander Harris and Cordelia Chase. Xander's less-than-ideal family is depicted as working class, and Xander's impoverishment relative to upper class Cordelia is a significant issue in their relationship. The term working class is used to denote a social class. ... The term upper class refers to a group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. ...

Class remains a significant issue in later seasons as well. When the main characters graduate from high-school at the end of season three, Xander is the only one not to attend University, and takes a job as a construction worker instead. The divergence of his life experiences from the other characters becomes a sticking point throughout season four and differences in class between the college student population and the rest of the town are a significant plot point in such episodes as Beer Bad. The conflict between slayers Faith and Buffy is in many ways rooted in class; Faith, from the working-class neighborhood of South Boston, is depicted as jealous of Buffy's more harmonious childhood, a product of the Summers family's relative position of affluence. Construction on the North Bytown Bridge in Ottawa, Canada. ... Episode 5 of season 4, Beer Bad is an episode of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer that packs a double moral. ... Faith Lehane (born December 14, 1980 in Boston, Massachusetts) is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the cult television programs Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. ... South Boston is a heavily populated neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, located south of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. ...

In general, the treatment of class in Buffy is similar to that in shows such as Dawson's Creek (and, in particular, Dawson Leery's position of relative wealth compared to that of Joey Potter); class for many characters is not a permanent attribute, nor its it a necessary barrier to friendship or love. It may be a source of hardship, but it is something to be transcended, not identified with. In contrast to the usually serious treatment of class on Buffy, Spike's remaking of himself as a working-class "tough" is treated as a source of humor. Although in Buffy's job at a fastfood resturant can be seen as a commentary on low wage jobs, as much as about the fast food industry. Dawsons Creek was a popular American serial television drama aimed at teenagers, which aired in hour-long episodes from 1998 to 2003. ... Dawson Leery is the lead character on television series Dawsons Creek, played by James Van Der Beek. ... Josephine Joey Potter (played by Katie Holmes) is a fictional character in the American television drama Dawsons Creek. ... // The word spike The word spike can refer to: Look up spike in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The issue of race in Buffy is notable by its absence; in a show that has been cited by many as a strongly feminist text and that has dealt openly with contemporary American attitudes towards gender, sexuality and class, the question of (human) race seems to be mostly invisible. In a large cast, there have been few major (recurring) characters of color; one of them, the dark-skinned vampire Mr. Trick, comments on the absence of black people in Sunnydale in his first on-screen appearance. Mr. ...

The absence of black characters is thus suggested as a reflection of the small number of black people that might be found in suburban Sunnydale. Interestingly, the two towns in California that might be considered models for fictional Sunnydale, Sunnyvale and Torrance, have small African-American populations, but significant numbers of Asian-Americans and Hispanic-identified people (roughly 30% and 15% in both, respectively.) Although one of the early main characters, Cordelia Chase, is played by a woman of Mexican and Cherokee descent, no mention of Cordelia's race is ever made, and there are no other major (recurring) characters of either of these two latter-mentioned races on the show. Nickname: Motto: Official website: http://www. ... City of Torrance official logo Torrance is a city located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California. ... An African American (also Afro-American or Black American, or black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... An Asian American is a person of Asian ancestry or origin who was born in or is an immigrant to the United States. ... It has been suggested that Hispano be merged into this article or section. ... Cordelia Chase (born May 22, 1981 in Sunnydale, California, died in 2004 in Los Angeles) is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the cult television programs, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. ...

One of the most notable non-white characters in early seasons is perhaps Kendra Young, a mixed-race woman who appears briefly as a slayer in the second season; Kendra's narrative arc on Buffy has been criticized by some academics as a portrayal of the stereotyped tragic mulatta, whose attempt to "assimilate" concludes in death. After Kendra's demise, in the finale of Season 2, the next significant "good" character of color to appear is Principal Robin Wood, in season seven. Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers (left) and Bianca Lawson as Kendra Young (right). ... Tragic mulatto is a phrase used to describe an archetypical biracial person or fictional character, usually of African and European descent, who is assumed to be sad, mentally ill, destructive, or suicidal. ... Principal Robin Wood is a recurring character on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. ...

Other minor African American characters did appear, i.e. Buffy's school conselor in season three. The Incan Mummy Girl episode praises multi-culturalism, at least in theory as does the episode about the American Indian returning from the dead in season four.

The question of race in Buffy remains controversial. Writers appear not ignorant of certain racial (and racist) conventions in horror films: Rona, an African-American "potential" slayer in the final season comments ironically on one, remarking that "the black girl always gets it first." While the absence of human characters of color on the show is notable, many academics have suggested that the treatment of vampires and demons addresses many of the complexities of race, and otherness in general, in coded form [11]. Potential slayers are fictional characters created by Joss Whedon for the cult television programs, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. ... An African American (also Afro-American or Black American, or black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... For the movie, see The Other. ... In semiotics, the concept of a code is of fundamental importance. ...

See also

External links

• A Buffy Bibliography - Bibliographical information on (primarily academic) articles and books dealing with the show.
• LGBT Characters in the Buffy The Vampire Slayer Universe