Buffy in the Season One finale “Prophecy Girl”, demonstrating the two identities she has while holding the masculine weapon juxtaposed against her feminine prom dress.
Throughout the duration of the series, there has been a contradiction between the different identities of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’. For the “Buffy” half of her identity, Buffy embodies feminine traits, attributes and desires; for the appointed “Vampire Slayer” half of her identity, Buffy has adapted many masculine traits and attributes (Gerrits 1059-1060). Her identity is both masculine and feminine; by incorporating both of these into her persona, Buffy’s identity is constructed as a binary within herself. In this post, I will be discussing the effects of this binary identity that Buffy possesses. Specifically, I will be discussing how this binary, while serving its purpose within the context of the show, becomes problematic in the representation of her female power. By emphasizing stereotypical aspects of Buffy’s gender, but forcing her to adapt the stereotypical traits of the opposite, Buffy is constructed as a problematic female power figure.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer acting in her “Buffy” half, at school dressed in feminine clothing that emphasizes her physically female attributes and appearance. (“Life Serial”)
In the series, Buffy is emphasized and constructed as being traditionally female in her physical appearance, dress and the way her character is posed. Her name “Buffy” invokes an image of “…feminine frivolity and an obsession with popularity, evoking the air-head cheerleader type…” (Levine 178). With this name’s association, the identity of feminine Buffy is immediately crafted. The physical appearance of Buffy is “….coded as slim, youthful, fit and stylish…” (Owen 25). Her style is considered feminine, with Buffy often dressing in heels, skirts, blouses and dresses (Levine 178), even when engaging in combat with Demons or Vampires. Further, Buffy embodies characteristics that are generally associated with the female gender, such as her maternal and sacrificial behaviour towards Dawn (Gerrits 1067), and her obligation to protect her friends and family, traits that are often associated with females and female heroes (Jowett 27). Generally speaking, the “Buffy” component of her identity is presented as “…hyperfeminine…” (Jowett 23).
This identity becomes a binary opposite to her identity as the Slayer; in this role, Buffy is obliged to adapt masculine qualities to succeed. Her role itself is masculine; in Vampire literature and popular culture, the role of Vampire Slayer is traditionally held by a male (Jowett 21) such as Dracula’s Abraham Van Helsing, and it creates associations of danger, action and threats (Pateman 65). Thus, Buffy is coded into a male-oriented role. She is a warrior, who is more than willing to “…engage in hand-to-hand combat and use a variety of weapons and techniques to conquer [her] foes. Like [her] male counterparts, [she] can be ruthless and destructive.” (Labre and Duke 141).
In the above clip from Seasons Three’s “Graduation Day Part 1”, these masculine traits are highlighted. Buffy, dressed in a less girlie, more masculine outfit, becomes an aggressor in her fight. She uses weapons and combative techniques to beat Faith, and in doing so is merciless in her attempt to kill her. She embodies the masculine attributes of the “Slayer” half of the scene, and in doing so cements the masculine aspects of her personality. Her actions as the Slayer, her ability to fight and combat the opponents she faces, craft her masculine identity traits. She assumes the role of action hero and in doing so assumes values and behaviours that are attributed to the masculine sex (Jowett 20).
These separate aspects of Buffy’s personality create a certain duality within Buffy. The ‘Buffy’ half is feminine, and the ‘Slayer’ half is masculine, and as a result, the two components of her identity become contradictory to each other. This contradiction causes Buffy internal conflict, and this is referenced many times throughout the series. This conflict is present as early as the first episode when Buffy asserts that the Slayer aspect is something she would like to retire from so she can be a normal teenage, and one can assume feminine, girl (“Welcome to the Hellmouth”). Unfortunately, time and time again, her masculine duties impede on the aspects of her life that create her feminine identity, such as her attire being questioned when Buffy joins the Initiative in Season Four (“The I in Team”).
“Don’t worry I’ve patrolled in this halter many times.” (“The I in Team”). Buffy’s outwardly feminine appearance juxtaposed against the masculine Initiative and other men who perform a similar job to her dressed in army fatigues.
Buffy’s outwardly feminine appearance and attitude is utilized as a combative device throughout the series, and thus it does become useful in her fighting capabilities. Numerous times throughout the series, Buffy has used her feminine appearance to trick or mislead her opponents and in doing so, she is able to catch them off guard and gain the upper hand in the fight. An instance in which this is very prevalent appears in the Season Five finale episode, entitled “The Gift”. In the scene, a boy is chased by a male Vampire. Buffy comes into the scene, clad in clothing that emphasizes her physical feminine attributes, and asks the two men what is going on. Buffy uses her image to deceive the Vampire opponent, and plays the role of the passive female, coyly asking “Are you guys having a fight? ‘Cause you know, fighting’s not cool.” (“The Gift”). The Vampire and the boy both tell her to go away, and the Vampire refers to her in the belittling term “Girl”. This demonstrates that because of her appearance as a pretty, petite, blond and an attitude that is akin to the passive female (Jowett 20), Buffy is not immediately seen as a threat to these characters.
She retains the female passivity attached to her feminine side by staying out of the direct action in the shot, and remaining at a distance from the other characters. She only becomes the active participant when she switches to her masculine attitude. Dropping the ditzy act, Buffy moves herself closer to the action. She begins to taunt and threaten the Vampire, and this brings her into the action of the scene. The final seconds of the scene highlight the juxtaposition between her feminine and her masculine identity. The boy is shocked by what he has just seen this ‘girl’ doing, and he asks her how she did that.
Buffy replies “It’s what I do”
“But you’re just a girl.”
“That’s what I keep saying.” (“The Gift”)
While this exchange goes on, Buffy is filmed from behind, and this angle emphasizes her feminine physical characteristics, namely her posterior, her hips and her walk. It emphasizes the feminine aspect, and it is immediately juxtaposed against her previous masculine actions of staking the Vampire. She has used her feminine appearance and attitude to mislead the Vampire into believing she was not a threat, and in her deception, she is able to gain the upper hand, thus making her appearance an attribute to her slaying in this instance.
However, the duplicity of her identity does become problematic in the way it is treated in several instances. In a Season Five episode entitled “The Replacement”, a Demon attacks the Scooby Gang and essentially splits a person into half, distilling certain aspects of ones personality into either half (“The Replacement”). While it is Xander that is affected in this attack, the consequences are laid out as if it were to hit the Slayer. Giles explains that the Demon would have split Buffy into two parts, “…one with all the qualities inherent in Buffy Summers, and the other with everything that belongs to the Slayer alone. The Strength, the speed the heritage…The two halves can’t exist without each other. Kill the weaker “Buffy” half, and the Slayer half dies.” (“The Replacement”)
This makes an implication that Buffy’s feminine, female half is a liability. Her powers lie within her masculine side, and when she does not have these masculine attributes, Buffy is not a threat, but a powerless target. This creates a faulty representation of Buffy as a powerful female. She is a powerful figure, but only with the masculine attributes that her Slayer lineage gives her. When these are removed from her, she becomes the weak female that Whedon has tried to rework (Middleton 161). Buffy’s weakness in combat, her downfall, is her feminine ‘female’ half. While her feminine physical appearance and attitude are used within the series as a device through which Buffy is able to mislead Demons and Vampires, the implications of Buffy’s identity binary are that she is only able to be powerful when she acts under the influence of male characteristics. It has been suggested that this juxtaposition of identities can be interpreted as a sort of ironic distancing from gender stereotypes (Jowett 23); however, with Buffy’s identity broken down, and her feminine side identified as her weaker side, it creates a disparity between the equality of her personas. Her masculine attributes are privileged, and her female attributes become a burden, thus causing a contradiction in her representation as a powerful female.
The Good, the Bad and the Buffy 