Male Feminist of the Week!

This will hopefully be a regular Monday feature. (I forgot yesterday.) I figure that at the beginning of the work week, we could all use a little pick me up!

Dear Reader,

In these times of trial, it's important for us to remember we're not alone. We're frequently bombarded with negative messages about men--they're jerks, they're all alike, they will hurt and confuse us and break our hearts, they're not capable of real emotion, and worst of all, each and every one of them hates women. Few things depress me as reliably.

But do not despair! Because there are wonderful men out there who are not afraid to take up the cause, who proudly call themselves feminists, mean it, and prove it in both word and deed. So for our inaugural installation of this series, I bring you my favorite contemporary male feminist:

Joss Whedon.

This man of many talents (TV, movies, musicals, graphic novels, demon dances of joy and shame) has produced some of the great works of modern feminist pop culture. Most saliently, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Aside from this being my favorite show of all time, it was explicitly feminist in its conception and (unlike Rob Thomas's initially comparable Veronica Mars) continued to be vocally feminist throughout its seven-year run. His more male-centric shows Angel and Firefly also include varied incarnations of strong women--scientists, warriors, and high-status prostitutes, sweet girls who enjoy casual sex and loving wives who kick serious ass. He sensitively depicts the conflicts and tribulations that being a woman often presents, without making his characters look neurotic or weak.

Furthermore, he has spoken at length on feminist issues. In a semi-recent essay on Whedonesque, he decries "honor killings" torture-porn horror movies, and sexism at large. (And introduces the concept of Womb Envy!) An excerpt:

Women’s inferiority – in fact, their malevolence -- is as ingrained in American popular culture as it is anywhere they’re sporting burkhas. I find it in movies, I hear it in the jokes of colleagues, I see it plastered on billboards, and not just the ones for horror movies. Women are weak. Women are manipulative. Women are somehow morally unfinished. (Objectification: another tangential rant avoided.) And the logical extension of this line of thinking is that women are, at the very least, expendable...I just think there is the staggering imbalance in the world that we all just take for granted. If we were all told the sky was evil, or at best a little embarrassing, and we ought not look at it, wouldn’t that tradition eventually fall apart?

You make it sound so clear, Joss. I find myself pleased that you had a son--please breed us a race of men like you!