Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Alpha Females

Well, I survived the Canadian Thanksgiving and am ready to tackle my WIP again. Before I do that, I thought I'd return to the topic of the alpha with a brief look at the female alpha.

I'm sure there are people out there who would both agree and disagree with me on this topic. I think the portrayal of strong women on TV and in movies is beginning to evolve past that and into the realm of the alpha females.

Buffy



I have to say, when I first heard they were making a series based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie, I laughed. It was a silly movie, really no meat at all, how could they make a series out of that and it be interesting? Boy was I wrong. I was given the series on DVD (which by the way is the best way to watch a TV show) and couldn't stop watching. The Buffy character is a born leader. While she doesn't always choose the solution that Giles would want, she does the best she can for the situation. It was fascinating to watch the character evolve over the years from a girl to a leader. I think she is one of the best examples of an alpha female that has been on TV.

Starbuck



I am a huge fan of Battlestar Galatica. I also haven't seen the season three premiere yet so shhh. When I heard that they had changed the gender of Starbuck, I thought that was a brave and very smart move. What I wasn't sure was how the actress would play the part. Katee Sackhoff is awesome! Starbuck is a force to be reckoned with. She can lead her pilots into battle and they don't blink. She has many flaws as a person. Half the fun of watching the show is to see what she is going to do next. Her confidence and skills as a pilot and leader help her deal with her inner conflicts.

I'm sure there are a lot of other examples of alpha females out there. These two for me act as a guide for the type of strong heroine I like to see in the novels I read, and what I aspire to create when I write. They are able to rise above their flaws as a character to fight the battles necessary to save the people they love. I think we'd all like to be like that. :)

1 comment:

Kelly Boyce said...

I laughed too when I heard about Buffy going to tv and then I checked out the show and became obsessed. It was my favorite. My sister even bought me a Sunnydale High t-shirt. I think the character progression in that show for all the characters, but especially Buffy was a great learning experience from a writing perspective.