Actually, that's a really intriguing question to me. A while ago (and this is a long story, excuse if I ramble too much, tl;dr and all that) I decided to stop watching American shows and start watching only or mostly European television. One of things I found myself enjoying a lot were the rounded, interesting female characters, who weren't all size 0, conventionally pretty, or constantly objectified. When I got into H50 and ended my EU-only television streak, I was really surprised, pleasantly so, about the casting choices on the show, and it made me realise something else.
I'm incredibly allergic to actresses who meet the conventional beauty myth in the extreme. Lori Weston, or rather the actress playing her, is a prime example. When we were first introduced to Jenna, I liked that she didn't. Of course, that's not my sole basis for liking/disliking female charactes, but it helps.
I also like them being humans first and women second, and I like them competent and professional. One of the reasons why I disliked Lori hugely in the first ep she was in was that she was completely unprofessional a lot of the time, and that's extremely unrealistic. Women, especially in a male dominated field, would never get anywhere by going teary eyed over things the way she does. This idea that women = compassion is not only insulting and generalizing, it also means you won't be able to compete.
Another thing: I like my women feminist. The way Lori talks to Steve puts my hackles up (the way she talks to Danny, ditto). Gender presentation is not unambivalent on this show, but some things it does with gender is unconventional compared to other US shows, and she actually breaks that streak in an annoying fashion. I like all the other women on this show hugely, but Lori does not have anything that would make me like her, in RL or as a character for me to explore.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2011-10-17 02:05 pm (UTC)I'm incredibly allergic to actresses who meet the conventional beauty myth in the extreme. Lori Weston, or rather the actress playing her, is a prime example. When we were first introduced to Jenna, I liked that she didn't. Of course, that's not my sole basis for liking/disliking female charactes, but it helps.
I also like them being humans first and women second, and I like them competent and professional. One of the reasons why I disliked Lori hugely in the first ep she was in was that she was completely unprofessional a lot of the time, and that's extremely unrealistic. Women, especially in a male dominated field, would never get anywhere by going teary eyed over things the way she does. This idea that women = compassion is not only insulting and generalizing, it also means you won't be able to compete.
Another thing: I like my women feminist. The way Lori talks to Steve puts my hackles up (the way she talks to Danny, ditto). Gender presentation is not unambivalent on this show, but some things it does with gender is unconventional compared to other US shows, and she actually breaks that streak in an annoying fashion. I like all the other women on this show hugely, but Lori does not have anything that would make me like her, in RL or as a character for me to explore.