how to avoid fridging female characters how to avoid fridging female characters

This means that for the vast majority of readers, your story will get to make its own case, and theyll decide on the basis of the narrative rather than just the presence of a death whether or not they consider this plot point a fridging and whether that hampers their engagement. Or let a man be in distress for a change, so the woman can save him. Unfortunately, Supernatural is guilty of this. Libraries, A-Z Index In this case, 87% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. That's it! The main character sees his loved ones being hurt and then he rages and almost kills the villain when he relies he stops by her love one. Though fridging is not exclusive to comics, the reason it was extracted from the superhero genre is because, like TV soap operas, it's a genre that repels contentment in favor of melodrama. A very simple version would be Character A reading a book, Character B asking if theyre enjoying it, and Character A saying they think the author is going to kill someone off for cheap tension. This is comparable to the MacGuffin in being a part of the story that is more or less pointless. Just try to give her other personality traits besides being boy crazy, like she could be really smart or creative, or a really friendly person. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Plus, given the frequency with which women have seen female characters (wives, daughters, sisters, mothers) fridged to give male protagonists some motivation, theres a genuine sense of gratitude towards writers who deliberately dont make that choice. Elongated Man's wife Sue Dibny is about as disposable as it gets in 2004'sIdentity Crisiscrossover; her rape and murder used purely to incite the drama for what was billed as the "comic event of the year!". And men can like and relate to female characters too.). Young girls or women who consume this media get the impression that they are only a mere accessory to the plot rather than an influential factor in the story. 1. In Star Wars, Anakin's flaw was pride. [8] Some universities also list the content of Women in Refrigerators as related to analysis and critique of pop culture.[9][10]. 3 June 2016, 1:00 am. Their conflict revolves around a moment that can easily feel like an excuse to create that conflict, and the opportunity for character development is eschewed. Of course, it has since become a facet of feminist criticism across pop culture with a universally-accepted definition. The pair . Many curly-haired women and/or women of color like to see curly-haired female characters and/or female characters of color. Of course, his wife meant she wants for him to be spoiled. Manage Settings "The steps on how to make my girl characters more interesting, but not perfect, has been very useful. If she's out running for her life, give her a damn sports bra! This may make her feel unrealistic. [3][4] The list was then circulated via the Internet over Usenet, bulletin board systems, email and electronic mailing lists. Thankfully, it was always a blunt instrument, and authors are free to take the opportunity to explore more integrated and expressive forms of motivation for their characters. Diverse female characters will help you avoid stale tropes. How To Stop A Black Woman Becoming Mayor? "Well, I just like how its so easy to use clichs like I've seen in media constantly, and I wanted to know if. Providing character development for the protagonist is the writer's motivation (not because the writer is a sadist but because they're focused on pushing the protagonist's story forward; in either case fridging the female character is a means to an end). Lucy V. Hay is a Professional Writer based in London, England. Does it have to lead to a protagonists rage? He still happily talks about her if people ask. Their son should be properly disciplined and taught right from wrong. It was the wife who asked him out in the end. Robert Harris,[6] a librarian and comic-book fan, contributed to site maintenance and updates along with fan John Norris. Give your women different roles, different personalities, and different skills. I dont believe hell ever be ready, but he doesnt have to be. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. In conclusion, she s is dying from the incident from the villain but the main character gave up his life to her so she can live (from a power he has) and then the main character dies but his special lives. Gendered stereotyping helped pack Alex's corpse in with the meat and chilled vegetables -- a direct invite to the Kyle Rayner pity party. 1. We can't root for a billionaire tech genius in a bat suit without a couple of murdered parents in his backstory, or Kryptonian goodness incarnate without the loss of his entire homeworld. As a standalone story,The Killing Joke is textbook fridging. Im writing a high fantasy/hero quest series. Basically, its an easy way to make the protagonist hate the antagonist, and this is part of why it has such a negative connotation. Great fiction is built on authors going against general advice. Fridge is where some bad guy kills someone close to the characters (usually a female character but not always) to motivate a (usually but not always male) character to seek revenge. Richard Starks The Hunter details the fallout of its protagonist being betrayed and left for dead by his lover and his partner in crime. The trope is regarded as sexist in media because fridged characters are almost always women who are killed to advance the development of male characters. Again, Im sure youve covered this already, but one of the things that makes readers suspect a fridging is that the details about a character only matter until theyre gone, at which point they become a plot point. If you have no other female characters, this becomes especially noticeable. Fridging is a specific thing - it's a WOMAN character being used and killed as a prop to further a MAN'S story. Im currently writing a book in which the MCs wife dies 2/3s into the story. In terms of further checks, the first thing Id suggest doing is gender-swapping some key chapters and reading them through. writers CAN use stereotypes on purpose for effect. In 1999, writer Gail Simone coined one of the most enduring phrases of modern pop-culture analysis: "women in refrigerators.". This article has been viewed 41,659 times. I feel that the death is essential and makes sense narratively, but I also don't want it to fall within the category of fridging. She received a B.A. Utilizing female characters as assets to their male counterparts contributes to the sexism women are subjected to their entire lives. At the risk of saying something unfashionable, the death of a woman to motivate a male protagonist only works because it doesnt work the other way around in the same way that most slasher movie protagonists are females because the reader/viewer cares far more for a womans safety than a mans. Its worth noting here that there is a deeply unpleasant tradition of using the rape of a woman to motivate a male character in a way that dehumanizes the actual victim and trivializes a serious real-world issue. It refers to an incident in Green Lantern vol. As the Women In Refrigerators site proves, women are more likely to be fridged through a combination of the trope's roots in damselling and the aforementioned explanations offered by Geoff Johns and Marv Wolfman. More characters will not lessen the sting of seeing opportunities missed. Of course, he still attends therapy for his grief, but he didnt get it immediately after his past wife died. Many argue that Deus ex Machina has lost all distinction in popular usage, since its definition has widened so liberally. She soon commits suicide. Fridging can be an ugly blemish on fan-favorite stories or make lesser ones look even worse. As for Wonder Woman? They are as disposable and objectified as the women getting fridged. Avoiding Mental Health Character Stereotypes. Led by young female president Rui, who took over the family business, the distillery works hard to reproduce its signature whisky, Koma, which they had to stop making years ago. The men in these stories are wholly replaceable and their deaths have to work a lot harder to motivate the protagonists. Mary Sues tend to have many things handed to them (e.g. Do You Need To Rewrite Your Inciting Incident? Show women that are successful in other areas such as the arts, music, or literature. Unfortunately, her hunch about it being "disproportionate" proved correct. I personally can't stand seeing someone slowly tortured. So, it doesnt necessarily have to lead to the protagonists rage, but its primarily a spur for another characters reaction. "Women in Refrigerators" or "fridging women" is a term coined by Gail Simone , which is used to refer to the disempowerment or maiming of female characters. If your cast is more male, and you want them to be paired up, try making some of them gay or bisexual. Contrast Women In Refrigerators with the idea of the Final Girl in Horror movies, a subversively compelling trope that, while inflicting just has much harm as fridging on its unfortunate participants, is also perversely celebratory of female resilience, allowing hard-to-kill heroines likeScream's Sydney Preston andHalloween's Laurie Strode to harness their own pain for self-motivation,notfor the benefit of anyone else. Switching the gender is a good idea, but I don't know if that would be possible with this character even though she's a minor character. The results of these problems can damage the social image of women and make it increasingly difficult to fight the gender equity issues concerning our world today. The idea for placing the list online originated with software developer Jason Yu, who also served as the original site host. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Cultural critics use the term to examine why the plot . Avengers: Infinity War, the most recent comic book movie prior to Deadpool 2, had fans and critics discussing Gamora's death as an example of fridging, for example. It would be nice to see different motivations, even more complex ones, but there is a danger in reaching a point of complexity that pushes the character and the story out of genre channels. It is okay for one of them to need help, especially if women occupy strong and active roles throughout your book. Thank you for the advice! However, not too extremely. Do you have a suggestion for another form of quick but compelling motivation for revenge? in Scriptwriting for Film & Television from Bournemouth University. The simplistic nature of fridging has also led to many identifying it as a sexist trope. Dont go too far with this sounding too defensive wont help, and its easy to go too far but if you have a clear point to make, this can be a good way to signal to the reader that youve thought about what youre doing and they can trust your judgment. Its harder and less automatic to do this with other characters because the narrative doesnt follow them, but authors are well-served to look at whose pain they are accidentally presenting as primarily the protagonists problem. The worse the body looks, the louder the obligatory "NOOOOOO!" Happiness could be a good career, a happy family life, or a dog that gets very excited when she comes home from work each day. I've decided to make one of the 'mean girls' in my book Islamic. I just fucking hate when people use the word 'rape' in connection to this issue. Of course, since the thing the antagonist does is there to enrage the protagonist, it can make more sense to just do it to the protagonist. This was taken quite literally in 2009'sBlackest Night #3, when Firestorm (Jason Rusch) is forced to watch helplessly as his girlfriend Gen is tortured, turned into salt and has her heart ripped out so that his anguish can power the Black Lantern Corps. As well as an exhaustive list of heroines on ice, Simone also created a list of responses to the site from industry professionals -- and she snagged some top drawer responders. Im at about 85,000 words into my first book. In a story for predominantly male audiences, there may be fewer conversations that pass the Bechdel Test. Its writing that takes the easy way out, and while it can be effective, it doesnt ask anything of the characters. He wears her ring as a necklace, but, he has donated all of her belongings to charities and to people that needed them. Last night, St. Louis voters, or should I . Also, whether being nudged out of genre is good or bad is also a personal choice. And while it does happen to male characters, it happens to female characters much, much more. Acts of sexism extend beyond the over-sexualized characters. So? Fangirl burdened with trashy purpose. I'm in the beginning stages of writing a screenplay, it's a detective story, plays around with a lot of the old noir tropes etc. Spoilers for Deadpool 2 below. Unfortunately, it's all beholden in the eye of the audience. You don't want your characters to be one-dimensional. If she is the only woman and her entire personality revolves around being the only woman, then it's just a bummer. [3] More on our Privacy Policy. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. 9. No. So if you have a cast of 10 characters and 7 are male and 3 are female, if you kill 1 female character is killing a third of all the females in the book! And yet, Simone's original question still hangs in the air, unanswered, as to "why they were thrown in the wood chipper in the first place. It's about how the story treats the character. It's very normal, and you can revisit the character to grow them beyond their current characterization. The absence of female authors and the large majority of male readers has potentially skewed the comic book industry. There has been some error while submitting the form. He also attributed "the wholesale slaughter" of female characters being "easier" for writers to do because they are fewer in number, significance and are mostly "cookie-cut outs" of each other. Current Editor for Buzz Magazine. The how isn't important. and people loved her and don't know how they'll survive without her and she had so many dreams that will never come true and the people who killed her are animals and the MC is devastated at her loss and is also very angry at the people who killed her. I wouldn't worry about it. Again, Im not suggesting this will reveal any huge personal biases, its just a good way of checking with fresh eyes. Since protagonists in general fiction (and especially the pulpy, action fiction where fridging is most commonly used,) are so often straight men, women are often the most obvious tool for cheap motivation. After their personhood is exchanged with property-based value, the women have to continuously die in order to motivate the two protagonists. Give a leading lady an active role throughout the story, not just one or two moments of usefulness. Im a sixteen year old writer, who doesnt have a professor in the writing style I want yet. Speaking of female characters, beware of fridging, which refers specifically to killing off a female character in order to cause emotional distress to the male one. Not in a vacuum, but in an environment where theres a pattern of killing off female character in a way that encompasses existing prejudices, its worth considering. Great question, thanks for asking. [] Some have been revived, even improved -- although the question remains as to why they were thrown in the wood chipper in the first place.". So the thing to remember if you want to avoid fridging someone is that every character, no matter how small their role, exists as a unique person. There is no right way to be a woman, and the more women you have in the story, the more clearly your story will convey this. The issue with something like fridging is that it plays off assumptions that are normalized in everyday society most authors who use fridging dont hate women, theyve just absorbed the sense that killing a female character is a perfectly fine way to motivate a male character so reading through with these societal pressures reversed can help things stand out. [2][3] Simone and her colleagues then developed a list of fictional female characters who had been "killed, maimed or depowered", in particular in ways that treated the female characters as mere devices to move forward a male character's story arc, rather than as fully developed characters in their own right. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Learning how to avoid female stereotypes and clichs will strengthen your writing and make your work more enjoyable to read. Islamic girls of all personalities exist. Respondents often found different meanings to the list itself, though Simone maintained that her simple point had always been: "If you demolish most of the characters girls like, then girls won't read comics. He realizes his errors now, and is trying his best to fix them. Often these responses contained arguments for or against the use of death or injury of female characters as a plot device. However, not to mention financial backing, too many clues are missing to revive the once lost whisky. If it seems like it might feel forced, then don't give her someone to date. If youve interrogated your own work and believe youre justified in your choices, thats really all that can be asked of any artist (with the understanding that readers then get to feel however the resultant art makes them feel.). He isnt even violent at all and never has been. Were committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. The mythic gods and folklore champions that superheroes are descended from frequently went through hell because drama and tragedy go hand in hand. A list of some responses from comic book professionals is included on the site. She is colored, headstrong, smart, capable, and distant. Is it better to fridge a protagonists father than their mother? Simone published many of the responses she received on the website. Sarkessian posits fridging as the modern "edgy" extension of damselling; if the noble hero arrives too late to save the fair maiden from harm, then his rescue mission becomes a vengeance one. As a small thank you, wed like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Write several important female characters. The term Women In Refrigerators has been part of the critical vocabulary of pop culture for nearly two decades now, but if you're not too familiar with comic book discourse, you'd be forgiven for having never heard of it until recently. So, before you start swinging the axe, take a look at these six times you should refrain from killing your darlings, and how and why such deaths should be avoided. The more authors overuse fridging, the less versatility it has left for those authors who want to use it in a considered and effective way. While Simone's original study had to do with quantity more than anything else -- quantity being what gives something trope recognition in the first place -- these revisions and additions are important. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. % of people told us that this article helped them. Required fields are marked *. A talented author can turn pretty much any event into a justifiable reason to follow a character through to the end, but there are also stock options easy, tried and tested choices, that have benefits, drawbacks, and perhaps more problems than we realize. In Harry Potter, Ron's flaw was jealousy. This act is not meant as a way to spur the MC on a revenge rampage, but as a plot point that leaves the MC with a child, and an aimless future. Mary Sues can also be male. Generally, fridging is used in application to the murdered character theyre fridged or stuffed in the refrigerator. When the specifics of the event dont matter only that they traumatize or enrage the protagonist the character who actually gets fridged becomes an object. I talk about that more in Improve Your Story By Hanging A Lampshade On It, but the basic idea is that you call something out so you can discuss it a little bit with the reader. The main character of the film is male, and this act does end up propelling him to exact revenge in the film's climax. The Problem With Gamora's Avengers: Infinity War Storyline, Not Even Time Travel Can Undo Deadpool 2's Fridging Problem, Deadpool 2 Director Responds to Fridging Criticisms, 'The Killing Joke' Revisited: How The Graphic Novel Stands Up 28 Years Later. Continue with Recommended Cookies. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. 6 Ways To Hook Your Reader From The Start (UPDATED AND IMPROVED), 6 Things You Need To Know About Character Development (UPDATED AND IMPROVED), 6 Insanely Good Dialogue Tips From Your Future Literary Agent, Improve Your Story By Hanging A Lampshade On It. Fridging is also specifically when a character is killed off (or maimed, tortured, ect) for no other reason than to cause emotional pain to a different character. I'd bet it happens to children more than adult male characters as well. This trope became recognizable as a way for authors to use female characters as devices to project their male characters forward in their story. Speaking of which, Sacred Games is a cesspool of fridging.