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.

[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.

[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.