I feel like we have a bad habit of dehumanizing ‘badass’ female characters.
Take the mcu fandom for example; 90% of fics and headcanons I see about Natasha Romanoff and Peggy Carter depict them as these flawless, terrifying, perfect human beings.
But why?
The thing that makes these characters so interesting and awesome is the fact that they aren’t perfect. That this facade they put on for the rest of the world is a facade, and that only after getting to know them do we really get to see their flaws, their quirks – the things about them that make them human.
So why do we erase that?
Why do we ignore the fact that they screw up sometimes, that they don’t always have the right thing to say, and sometimes they need to lean on people for support?
There’s no shame in being imperfect. There’s no shame in having emotions and feeling things deeply and making mistakes and needing help. These aren’t bad things.
But we never seem to let these strong, female characters be broken or imperfect.
Where’s the fic of Peggy pushing down anxiety after anxiety day after day, and one day snapping over spilled nail polish? Where’s the fic of Natasha Romanoff handcuffing herself to her bed, crying and drowning in self-loathing?
Or, hell, where’s the fic of them not looking like they just walked off a photoshoot? Where’s the fic of Nat with frizzy hair and sweat pants?
Why do we dehumanize badass female characters?
I don’t know, I guess I just don’t want little girls – and hell, grown up girls – thinking they have to be this flawless, emotionally cut-off, physically impeccable human in order to be respected.
You don’t have to give up your flaws in order to be worthwhile.
Your Faves™ aren’t perfect. They’re not. And that’s okay. That’s more than okay.
Let them be ugly. Let them be imperfect.
Just let them be human.
