Tag Archives: sexism

The Draw of the Alpha Hero: Cognitive Dissonance and the Modern Woman

Posted on February 2, 2015 by J. Sevick

I consider myself to be an independent, intelligent, feminist woman, and am proud to call myself these things. While not romantically inclined in my personal life, I find myself attracted to romantic fantasies in my reading habits—sometimes I struggle with … Continue reading →

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The Feminist Baseline

Posted on January 28, 2015 by J. Sevick

I think there’s a fundamental conversation that we tend to skip over when we talk to someone—anyone—about feminism, and I think the lack of that conversation causes untold problems in the way we talk about these vital issues. The very … Continue reading →

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Protagonists and Their Authors

Posted on November 14, 2014 by J. Sevick

There’s a snide little comment that pops up in reviews and online criticism of novels now and again, about how the protagonist is “just a self-insert for the author.” It’s meant as a flaw, even grounds for dismissal. I remember … Continue reading →

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Exploring the Wish Fulfillment Romance: Writing One

Posted on October 31, 2014 by J. Sevick

Last time I discussed how the intrinsic elements of a wish fulfillment romance—the sexist gender hierarchy, the clichés and overused tropes—are pretty much guaranteed to be problematic. And I suppose that’s the core of my issue. If I’m honest about … Continue reading →

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Exploring the Wish Fulfillment Romance: Power Fantasies

Posted on October 29, 2014 by J. Sevick

In non-romance-centered stories, such as female-driven fantasy epics, the heroines gain their power through transformations and tragic backstories much like their male counterparts. But they very rarely begin as super-powered, famous, wealthy badasses like some male heroes (again, Iron Man, … Continue reading →

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Exploring the Wish Fulfillment Romance: The Ordinary Heroine

Posted on October 27, 2014 by J. Sevick

I’ve written at length about my relationship with the romance genre, as well as my perceptions of the relationship between feminism and the romance genre. The core of my fascination is the dichotomy I see within myself—on the one hand, … Continue reading →

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Thoughts on Online Harassment: the Culture War

Posted on October 24, 2014 by J. Sevick

[This is a continuation of the previous post about online harassment and Anita Sarkeesian, a feminist media critic harassed and threatened for talking about video games. This was just an exploration of my thoughts, so it’s probably a little rough–warning … Continue reading →

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Thoughts on Online Harassment: Anita Sarkeesian

Posted on October 22, 2014 by J. Sevick

[This post and the next begins a bit of thoughts/exploration of an issue specific to the gaming world–the harassment of feminist media critic Anita Sarkeesian, who recently had to cancel a speaking event because of a mass murder threat. But … Continue reading →

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Thoughts on Online Harassment: Trolling

Posted on October 20, 2014 by J. Sevick

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about online harassment, given this whole GamerGate brouhaha… It seems systemic, unstoppable, and frequently dangerous, and it’s become a larger and larger part of the world as our social interactions (and public presences) migrate … Continue reading →

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Romantic vs. Problematic Tropes

Posted on September 16, 2014 by J. Sevick

I’ve written in the past about my love/hate-to-love relationship with the romance genre. The problem is that romance novels can be so problematic—and it’s the problematic elements that are often the most fun! Take those away, and the story is … Continue reading →

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