Reactionary Fantasy: Difference between revisions

This was common in [[The Sixties]]. For instance, as feminism was breaking out all over, television produced shows that featured [[No Guy Wants an Amazon|powerful women]] cheerfully suppressing their true natures in order to be a loving, compliant, submissive helpmeet to an average guy. For instance, Jeannie of ''[[I Dream of Jeannie]]'' must hide that she was a genie, and Samantha of ''[[Bewitched]]'' must deny her supernatural heritage to be a "good wife" to Darrin. The message was clear: even women with superpowers should be content to [[Stay in the Kitchen]].

There are counter-arguments that the depictions of strong heroines like Buffy, [[Veronica Mars]] and others show the equally [[Reactionary Fantasy]] that strong female characters live sucky lives. But while it's true that female heroes often fight both [[Rogues Gallery|Rogues Galleries]] on the streets ''and'' personal problems at home, many male heroes do the same. [[Double Standard|And no one accuses Batman of being]] [[Girls Need Role Models|a disgrace to his gender]]. Part of this may be pure backlash: No one tries to hold up Batman as a feminist/masculist role model for his gender (perhaps for ''humanity'', but not for males period). And the cycle continues.

If it's just for an episode, rather than a series concept, see [[Freaks of the Week]]. If the creators play their cards right (or if no one reads too closely), they may even come to be considered a [[Rule-Abiding Rebel]], praised for being at the vanguard of a social change when they are in fact doing nothing of the kind.

== Film ==

* The old "road-show" movies of the '30s-through-'60s would try to evade local censorship by setting up outside of town. They would also cover themselves by presenting the "depravity" of their films as an object lesson. Sometimes this would happen only in a "clean-up" reel that would be shown only when local law enforcement sat in.

* It's not hard to see many [[Slasher Film|Slasher Films]] of the '80s this way either. The victims of the killer are nearly always teenagers who rebelled against society through drinking, doing drugs, having sex, partying, listening to rock, and other things. The [[Final Girl]] of nearly all of these movies was invariably a [[Token Wholesome]] virgin. Starting in the late '90s, however, slasher films tended more towards subverting, parodying and/or [[Genre Deconstruction|deconstructing]] these aspects more than they played them straight.

** Of course, since most 1980s film studio executives were old enough to remember when the [[Hays Code]] was at the height of its power, [[Seinfeld Is Unfunny|simply]] ''[[Seinfeld Is Unfunny|showing]]'' [[Seinfeld Is Unfunny|some kind of subversive behavior might have seemed shocking to them, irrespective of whether or not it was depicted sympathetically]].

** Given that the show pointed out that not only were witches equally as powerful as warlocks, many were stronger, so liberation was inevitable.

** Also having to put up with [[Jerkass Woobie|Darrin's bossiness, sexism and severe paranoia.]] Although it isn't paranoia if Endora really ''is'' out to get you.

** And at least half the time, the good men are right. Doesn't matter what about, they're just right. Sometimes to the point of saving the "heroine" and/or doing her thinking for her.

* It has been noted that ''[[I Dream of Jeannie]]'', while looking like (and cited above) as one of the archetypal examples, may in fact be a ''subversion''. Tony arguably freed Jeannie upon being rescued in the first episode -- only to have Jeannie choose to follow him home anyway. Thus she stays with Tony because she ''wants'' to, not because she is bound to him in any way, and her "servitude" and "obedience" are an act on her part. This explains rather neatly why and how she manages to get around his orders so frequently and thoroughly...

== Professional Wrestling ==

* Women's wrestling in general, particularly in [[WWE]]. Even though all the WWE Divas of at least the past decade have been rigorously trained, and at roughly the same level as the male wrestlers (heck, their coach for many years, Dave Finlay, was male!), after all is said and done they still are viewed - at least by the audience if not necessarily by the bookers - as mere sexual objects, with [[Excuse Plot|lazy storylines]] and often inconsistent characterization. Male wrestlers may be sexually objectified, too, but this has happened much less frequently (Lex Luger and early [[Shawn Michaels]] come to mind, as does [[Cody Rhodes]] in our own era) - and it's not at all uncommon for a [[Hollywood Homely]] male wrestler like [[Chris Benoit]] to be portrayed as a straight-up [[All-American Face]], whereas an equally plain Diva will have to contend with an "ugly" gimmick. The "Knockouts" of [[TNA]] fare a little better, but there are still instances when a match will end with them [[Spank the Cutie|being soundly spanked]].