Women in Sci-Fi

Although Science Fiction is often accused of being sexist, it is actually a genre with some of the most inspiring female characters.

In universes where we are already living on multiple planets, consorting with alien species, and our scientific knowledge has surpassed all expectations, there surely would be no place for something as primitive as sexism?

Sadly, there are many books and series that don't have rewarding female characters, or where they are created with the male gaze in mind but this isn't surprising when you look at the statistics in numbers of male vs female writers.

When you look at sci-fi, you can split it down the middle with "hard science fiction (based more on real scientific theory and physical law) and "soft science fiction" which is less focused on technology and physics. Hard science fiction is largely a male dominated genre and you could look into the differences here extensively and discuss how perhaps boys being pushed more towards science in their youth could contribute, but that is another post for another day.

One of the first instances of recognisable science fiction is often said to be Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. However, this novel was first published in 1818 anonymously. It was received well but when it was revealed that the author was a woman, critics left scathing reviews. She was not the only female author to write anonymously or use a male pseudonym. Now I want to get it on the record that I have no problem with men in sci fi. Some of the franchises I love wouldn't be possible without the hard work of men and I recognise the changing of times also affecting the way that the sexes were written and viewed on screen and paper. I just feel like right now, we don't have excuses for two dimensional female characters and lack of proper representation actually keeps many women away from one of, in my opinion, the best genres out there. It seems like good business to me.Now when you search for the sexiest female characters in sci fi, you actually get a run down of the "sexiest" female characters in sci fi, which leads to a lot of the problems. WhatCulture started a run down with this sentence: "The science fiction genre is as ripe with good looking women as an orchard is with fresh, juicy apples — sexy, juicy apples that is." Now I have no problem with women being sexy or revealing, but there is a context, and sending women out to intergalactic battle in bikinis really isn't going to give them much of a fighting chance. Another gem from WhatCulture's list is their summary of Carrie Fisher: "She may be mouthy but her good looks and sweet body make Carrie Fisher's iconic Princess one of the most desirable and sexiest women in the history of science fiction and fantasy."

There is no doubt that Fisher stirred the hearts of a generation here, but starting the summary with her good looks making up for her "mouthiness" makes me sigh. Fisher herself has said in interviews that it was embarrassing to film those scenes so revealed and dignity was out of the question. The outfit was a piece designed to show her subservience to Hutt so the redemption on screen comes when she finally kicks his ass, but she has expressed a fair bit of discomfort with it all off screen.

Now I am a woman who enjoys sci fi greatly and I can watch the films and series with two dimensional sexy female characters in them and just take them for what they are, BUT when I first watched Whedon's Firefly as a youngster, I had my first taste of female role models in the genre.

I remember seeing Zoe be able to handle herself in battle and her marriage but also be a soft and loving character. River was vulnerable from the abuse of the testing of her gifts but also uses those gifts to later protect everyone. Kaylee was hopelessly romantic but also knew how to make a ship run better than most people in the universe and Inara was a sex worker with grace and class. These women were all beautiful but they were well rounded just like real women actually are. No single trait defined them. For me, Whedon and the cast really set the bar for equality in sci fi on that day and made a real browncoat out of me. There are numerous other great examples of full fledged female characters, many from Star Trek: Next Generation, Doctor Who, The Expanse, Stranger things, Alien and a smorgasbord of other titles and I feel hopeful for the future of women in sci fi. I hope that more female writers get involved with the genre because I can tell you, seeing those strong characters did something beautiful for me. They inspired me.