rescue fantasies and men

[veronica_rich]

One thing about feminism is it sure brings up all kinds of questions even about the arts, that might not normally be considered. One of the things I see a LOT is the desire for "stronger" female characters - whatever the hell that means. I suspect it's a backlash to the oft-cited tendency of women to harbor "rescue" fantasies.

We're told this is a big reason there are so many male superheroes: Superman, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Batman, I could go on and on but you get the point. Not to mention literary heroes who seem larger than life in their exploits, such as Will Laurence in the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik. Even Mary Shelley's Frankenstein's Monster seems heroic - not only super strength, but his ability to force out unpleasant truths about his creator and others around him. Even my friend Dee believes that Edward of Twilight (created by a woman) is popular because female readers are seeking a hero/protector.

When a boy or a man writes or draws a heroic male character, it's said that it's a wish-fulfillment in the form of an extension of the creator - the ultimate Gary Stu, if you will. When a woman writes or draws a heroic male character, she's said to be seeking a hero or indulging in rescue fantasy.

What I want to know is this: Is there a male rescue fantasy? I've never seen it discussed. Personally, I think the superhero/hero thing explains just as much for boys and men as it does for girls and women - and, just as it can be a "rescue" for males, I think it can be an "extension" for females. For my part, I prefer writing male characters. I like looking at men, plus I like trying to figure them out. I figure I know about as much as I need to about being a woman already (this is not to say I don't do female characters at all, but they're just not as challenging for me personally) - for me, the only mystery of femininity is the aging process. Perhaps there are other female artists and writers who feel the same? (Or have other reasons altogether?) And, maybe there are males who want to be rescued and create these characters who are capable of doing it?

And if the superhero/hero thing isn't the male rescue fantasy - well, what is? (Personally, I don't concentrate on if a rescue is male-female or female-male - I think whichever would do the rescuing, DOES it. My own rescue fantasies usually involve some well-to-do person giving me a no-interest long-term loan to pay off my credit cards. Seriously.)

Comments

[gobsmacked.livejournal.com]

I think there's a lot of truth in the "rescue fantasy" thing. (How else explain the popularity of crap like The Bachelor, which I thought was demeaning to women - until I saw "Flava of Love" and "Rock of Love"). I dunno whether it's nature or nurture but it's depressing.

When I wrote I never wrote original male characters. They don't interest me and I absolutely cannot identify with them. (This in spite of the fact that I've been told I'm distinctly "unfeminine" in character). In fact, I've generally never had much interest in them as real historical characters, either individually or collectively. They are, and always will be The Other.

[vejiicakes.livejournal.com]

I sort of look at films like Garden State or Elizabethtown as a kind of male rescue fantasy. I wouldn't necessarily suggest that it's the exactly the equivalent of the supposed swarthy-hero-sweeps-damsel-off-her-feet genre.

But still, there's something about the whole scenario where a pretty, quirky girl shows up sort of out of the blue and goes way out of her way for the (usually depressed or introverted) guy she hardly knows to draw him out of his shell and get him to embrace life (and love) again. Your mileage may vary, but I think there's a sort of wistful "rescue me" quality to them. Even Sunshine of the Spotless Mind had that sort of feel to the earliest part of the two leads' attraction, though of course the chief body of the film had another route entirely in mind :3

I'unno, just me? That's just kind of what I end up taking from these movies.

[virginia-fell.livejournal.com]

A lot of so-called "harem anime" looks like this. Quiet, socially hopeless guy is rescued from his own lameness by a horde of women who--for reasons never adequately explained--are all head over heels in love with him. The lead male is always really introverted, really geeky, and precisely the kind of archetypical "nice guy" that most real women would call a cowardly loser.

Then somehow his involvement with these women turns into saving the universe from giant mecha toadbees, at which point he discovers that he's great and never has to be a loser again. Thank goodness for the wimminz.

[vejiicakes.livejournal.com]

Man, I totally make it a point to stay away from harem animu. I think at this point I'm more looking at how the situation is presented than just the fact of the situation being presented (and also every time the occasion has arisen for me to watch or read a harem anime/manga, which isn't often; I pretty much stop when it either gives no indication of subverting the expected trope OR there've been one too many panty shots or OHMIGOSH I'VE TRIPPED AND LANDED FACE-FIRST IN YOUR BOOBS pratfalls).

That is, my impression of harem anime tends to come across more as otaku wish fulfillment than anything seen in Garden State or Elizabethtown. Then again, I could just be more kindly disposed to Zach Braff and Orlando Bloom than to Keitaro or Ichitaka. That, and my reaction to the down-in-the-dumps male leads of the aforementioned movies is.. eh, kind of pitying with a side of recognizing some genuine redeeming qualities, whereas my reaction to much of harem animu usually involves, "GOD she's not your property and you're not even as interested in her as this other girl!" or "Stop stringing her along just to make yourself feel wanted!" or something to that degree.

(A guy I dated once tried to get me into this harem series. I don't know what made him think I would be interested in watching the main character depicted as a SAINT for not raping the girl he liked, or watching the girl he liked narrowly avoiding rape by EVERYONE ELSE in every issue.) [/unnecessary ramble]

[a-silver-rose.livejournal.com]

That puts me in mind if the ZZ Top Video "Sharp Dressed Man":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKPJ-jydBdA

[gobsmacked.livejournal.com]

That is totally a male rescue fantasy.
*starts bopping "Every girl crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed man"*
*curses you*

[gobsmacked.livejournal.com]

If you look at it that way, and I think you're on to something, even stuff like "Zack & Miri make a Porno" could be seen as rescue fantasy - as well as the usual wish-fulfillment. Unlike the female rescue, this isn't so much a rescue from danger/poverty as an emotional or social rescue (and conveniently a sexual rescue as well).

[vejiicakes.livejournal.com]

I tend to associate my mental image of this rare "male rescue fantasy" model as something with a woman who is new to the guy in question (though I could probably use a LOT more films to make a proper theory of this, and that would entail watching a lot of films I.. wouldn't usually watch). Anyway, I'm hesitant to extend that to Zack and Miri because I heard they had been long time friends to each other, but maybe the male/female's familiarity with each other is really more circumstantial than instrumental to the rescue fantasy than I'm giving it credit for. Hmmm. MOAR MOVIES NEEDED!

[pir8fancier.livejournal.com]

I think the male rescue fantasy is about getting their cojones stomped on (people above mention Elizabethtown and I will add Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and then getting their cojones back. Both of those movies will suffice as examples. You will note that in both those movies they are not rescued by the women. I believe that the women might help them in finding their cojones again, but they are not critical. Whereas in the classic female rescur scenarios, the male is a critical part of the rescuing.

[the-dala.livejournal.com]

Judd Apatow seems to have a thing for this trope - "Knocked Up" would count as well, since it's the male character's relationship which serves as a catalyst for him to emotionally mature and become an adult. And in "The 40 Year Old Virgin" to some degree, since it's not just any woman Steve Carrell needs, it's the right one (and in fact his male buddies fail him in this respect).

[pir8fancier.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I agree. I suppose you could easily say that the 40-year old virgin is about finding one's balls. Apatow also does something that I first didn't see but if you see a bunch of his movies, it's obvious. The men are really adorable and the women kind of suck. Even the nice women like the hotel desk clerk in FSM. I didn't like the Katherine Heigel character that much (but I put that down to not likeing Katherine Heigel). But Apatow's real wife played the bitchy sister in Knocked Up, and we are so sympathetic to Paul Rudd. At least I was. I mean the guy can't play fantasy baseball honestly because he has such a ball breaker for a wife?

[the-dala.livejournal.com]

I found it more aggravating in FSM, what they did with Kristen Bell's character. It seemed like such a good, well-rounded portrayal of a relationship gone badly - I actually felt for her when she was explaining why she had cheated, and the dinner part between the two couples was great. Then the film did a complete 180 and demonized her after she broke up with Russell Brand and tried to get back with Jason Segal. It completely ruined the ending for me, doing this whole Madonna/whore contrast between the two women, and the film would've worked perfectly fine without taking it that far, happy ending and all.

[gobsmacked.livejournal.com]

I think in Elizabethtown, you could definitely argue that the hero is rescued by Kirsten Dunst's character. Annoying as she is to the audience, she is essential to the hero final's redemption. FSM fits the model a bit less so.

[placeofinsanity.livejournal.com]

What about Wonder-woman..?

[justawench.livejournal.com]

Ooh, ooh, ooh! I finally thought of one: Saving Silverman. But along the lines of "woman fixes man" or "woman helps man find what he didn't know he was missing" is about every romantic comedy ever. Along Came Polly involved a woman helping a man be less neurotic, IIRC. Something's Gotta Give involved a woman helping a man learn to actually *love* and have a real relationship. Etc, etc.

I tend to be more attracted to male characters, esp. those with troubled past or some kind of angsty issues, so I guess part of me wants to "rescue" those characters from themselves or their loveless lives.

[the-dala.livejournal.com]

"She torched Neil!" *angry strumming*

Sorry, I love that stupid movie :)