Doctor Who You Calling Sexist: Introduction

Okay, so I’ve been looking for a topic for a while—I’ve committed myself to at least one blogpost per month and I’ve been running out of time. And speaking of time (he he) the topic is Doctor Who! I landed on this topic after a long night of aimlessly perusing Pinterest. The catalyst was a pin featuring an infographic on whether or not the show is sexist. I clicked on it, because I had been vaguely thinking about that same question after watching the episode Kill the Moon, which is now on Netflix. I was captivated by Kill the Moon, which mainly features two women and a teenage girl as they try to make a decision that could affect all of humanity (!!!!). This episode was really astounding to me. Three female characters! In one room! Having an important conversation with each other! And they were actually interesting and diverse characters and I felt like they were real people. It was something I hadn’t realized I was missing I guess.

So back to the infographic: it was all about the (newly re-christened) Bechdel-Wallace test, and Doctor Who’s results. It was fitting. So I got to work researching and reading up on the test, the show, and viewers’ perspectives regarding sexism within the show. I came across a variety of articles, regarding myriad issues and labeling the show alternately sexist and feminist. So which is it?

I think it’s both. 

Maybe you see that as a copout, but I sometimes think that we are too exclusionary in our opinions. And really the two things are not mutually exclusive. (I know it seems like they are, but it’s just a little paradoxical, not impossible). I think you rarely see anything that can be called “feminist” that doesn’t have something sexist in it somewhere. That’s part of the reason why feminists often call each other out. On the other hand, “sexist” things also very often have at least one thing that’s feminist, which is often why sexists tend to think that they are doing fine in the equality category. Moreover, sometimes people can’t even agree which things are feminist and which are not (see: sex, any discussion of). So, roughly translated: There’s A LOT to talk about when it comes to sexism/feminism—especially in popular media. Here are some of the topics that came up repeatedly:

The Bechdel-Wallace test

Moffat era v. RTD era, and Classic Who vs. New Who

Each of the companions, especially compared to each other

River Song in general

Motherhood and domesticity

The Doctor as patriarch

TimeLord gender-swapping

So these are the topics I'm going to explore in this blog series. (Click on the topic to go to that post, or see the page sidebar. These will be updated as I complete more posts.)

So why is this important? Maybe it’s not to you, but it is to me. Sexist writing is lazy writing, as a general rule. I want to get to the creative sphere above that. It also perpetuates stereotypes and misunderstandings that are just bad. Add to that the fact that I think media representation is really really important. I think it’s true that we see and get to know ourselves in terms of other people, and this includes people on TV. The thing that makes me saddest about New Who comes from fan reactions: I know at least one person who HATES Rose, one who HATES Martha, and so on for Donna, Amy, Clara, and River. I never hear of anyone HATING any of the doctors, though they may have their favorites; there is no hate in the world for Rory; none for Captain Jack either; and no one even regularly expresses hate for Mickey, who is probably one of the least favorite characters, but at least no one HATES him. I know I’m a sensitive person, but to be honest it hurts my feelings when people shoot down the female characters I love and look up to. What’s the point of having female characters at all if we can’t like them? Now instead of freed and empowered by their stories, I find myself afraid to emulate them. I have to box myself in, afraid to be “bitchy” like Rose, “needy” like Martha, “loud” like Donna, “slutty” like Amy, “annoying” like Clara, or (heaven forbid) “old” like River.

I think it does suggest some sort of sexism when you compare the male characters to the female characters. My question is, does the sexism come from the writers or the viewers? Or both? And how do we stop tearing women apart for their flaws?

I just think that we have a long way to go in improving female representation AND reception. But I also think that the writers can learn how not to be sexist by reading my blog, so maybe take that with a grain of salt.