But the show portrays Buffy as being wrong about that. She wants to be "feminine", at the expense of her own identity, and that almost costs her her life. And in the end Angel tells her that he doesn't even want that from her.
Meanwhile, Willow in that episode is a woman who's afraid of showing femininity (she's reluctant to wear a "slutty" costume, so she puts a ghost costume over it), and in the end she's not afraid of it anymore (she wears the "slutty" costume without shame).
So, it shows two opposing stereotypes about women, and it BREAKS both stereotypes, and it points out how these things are all just costumes, and not part of our true identity. It's actually one of the more subversive episodes, in terms of feminism, IMO.
I disagree.
Buffy's atitudes don't change after this episode. And I don't need Angel giving Buffy the stamp of approval.
As for Willow...where to start? First of all, what's wrong with the ghost costume? Secondly, who is Buffy to tell Willow what she should or shouldn't wear? Thirdly, has Willow ever expressed a desire to wear more 'revealing' clothing? Fourthly, did Willow express any desire in wearing the outfit
Buffy wanted for her? Fifthly (what a weird word), is that kind of clothing Willow's style? Just because you don't wear sexy clothing during Halloween, doesn't mean that you don't have self confidence. In fact, even someone with great self esteem would be uncomfortable wearing something they didn't like. Also, Buffy says more than once that Willow should be sexy. Women shouldn't be anything or wear anything to please man. The fact that Willow was sticking to her guns and wearing what she wanted made her better than Buffy.
You know what I got from that episode? A girl who was told to wear an outfit, because it's what she should do. A woman who, overnight, developed body issues (Willow wore tight clothing and shorter skirts all the time without problems), a girl whose friend was forcing her into her idea of what a woman should look like.
If after the spell, Willow had looked at the ghost costume and realized that it was okay not to be Buffy or Cordelia,
that would have been self-confidence and
that would have been unexpected. Willow deciding not to put on the lame ghost costume (I mean, would Willow ever wear that? Her Eskimo outfit was creative and complex, but for Halloween a sheet with two holes is the best she can do? Please. Remember her outfits in the other Halloween episodes?) was predictable and a disappointment.
I hate the Halloween episode. I only like the parts during the spell, especially to see Buffy helpless and stupid. And, no, the lesson she learned in the end doesn't make up for the absurdity of the beginning of the episode. Buffy cancels her date because she had a hair out of place? Ugh. Spare me. That episode is cringe-worthy.
@Mr Trick
I'm not saying that Buffy isn't a feminist show. Feminism is a philosophical field and I don't know anything about that. What I do know is that the most important aspect of Buffy as a feminist show is whether or not you believe it to be feminist. Does it empower you? Does it satisfy you in that way? Do you feel like it represents you? Breaks gender norms? For a lot of people the answer is yes, and that's great. The answer, to me, is no. I don't find it empowering for the most part, or particularly feminist. I wouldn't use feminism as an argument in favor of the show, because, to me, that argument doesn't work. For example, Last Week Tonight (with John Oliver) is feminist. And that's one of the reasons why I
love John Oliver and I would use that as an argument in favor of the show. I'm a feminist and I love feminist shows. It's important for me to say this, because it feels so blasphemous to say that I don't find BtVS feminist, considering the amount of well-informed feminists (unlike me) who have written articles on the subject.
