But with a lack of female protagonists who fulfilled the roles of “strong and capable person,” we were left with no choice but to admire the villainesses.Įventually, that empty space was filled, kinda. We were sick and tired of being relegated to the Wife at Home or the Damsel in Distress. Characters such as Poison Ivy and Maleficent were bad because they used power or sexuality to meet their ends. She was meant to be a powerful, independent woman because those were what women and girls were supposed to aspire not to be. But as the role of “villain” changes and female protagonists in fiction gain some much-needed strength and screen time, we’re left asking: Should we still hold up the Evil Woman as the pinnacle of feminism? Or do they need an upgrade?Īs mentioned above, the original point of female villains was to show an unhappy and, often improper, woman in comparison to the quiet, demure protagonist. They usually play the role of What Not to Be and the reasons for their villainy is usually meant as an example of the horrors of choosing to ignore societal gender roles. Unlike their male counterparts, female villains tended to lean towards serving some sort of example. From Maleficent and Snow White’s Evil Queen to Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, the history of women in villainous roles is a long and fascinating one.
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