Feminism in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

As I discussed in the article, The Horror Genre: Mindless Gore or Morality Tale?, Buffy the Vampire Slayer usually taught some sort of moral lesson in each episode. While the series has done alot of good that way, it's also done some harm. Joss Whedon said Buffy was born because he felt sorry for the young blonde girl in horror movies. He wanted to give her back some power, and get a feminist message out there, something he believes strongly in. Unfortunately, as the series went on, the positive images became few and far between.

When the show began, Buffy was young, peppy and confident in her role as the Slayer. Sure, she put up a little fuss at first, but she quickly began to thrive and see just how important being the Slayer was. By the end of the series, she had changed. She became full of herself, often ignoring those who helped to keep her alive longer then most Slayers. She began to resent her role Slayer and look at it through bitter eyes. In addition to this, she began a very unhealthy relationship with Spike. This plot saw her turning on her friends to help Spike. He attempted to rape her and she didn't make him face the consequences of that. By the final season, she became completely reckless. She went out alone at night to bring a potential Slayer back to the house with no weapons, despite the fact she knew the uber vampires were not easily killed. She allowed Spike to have the run of a house full of potentials even after learning that he was under the control of their enemy and could turn on them at any second. When one of her plans to stop the First Evil fails and Xander has been seriously hurt, she insists on running out to do the same exact thing just seconds after he gets back from the hospital. A far cry from the strong, smart heroine of a few seasons ago.