Anthropology of the Big Bang

[Louise]

I always found the real sticking point was my gender. Like I wasn't supposed to like Adams and Asimov, Lovecraft and Lieber. There's a double aspect to being weird if you like geeky stuff and you're a girl. You're too strange for the girly girls and geek guys feel threatened. The show perpetuates that divide, with less-than-subtle misogynistic and anti-intellectual undertones thrown in. There's no genuine geek girl representation. (The 'scientists' don't count, on so many levels). But then, in reality, women who like comics and superheroes and gaming would be hanging out with other people who weren't ashamed of liking those things, and would have better things to do than listen to self-pitying shit biscuits whinge about their high school prom.

What you said is perfectly true; the female BBT characters aren't allowed to be geeks and they're not believable as scientists. But the armchair feminists in the fandom who think it's enough that there's a female character and that she's labeled "scientist" aren't helping. Anyone who thinks Amy and Bernadette are even somewhat-positive representations of female professionals is off their rocker.

As usual, the show *tells* us these women are deep and brilliant thinkers, but doesn't show us any proof of that. Instead, they "doth protest too much" by telling us that the women are MORE intelligent and successful than the men, as if it's a competition. At the same time, they dumb down the men, and the message ends up being "the best woman is only as good as the worst man."

Personally, I don't have any deep hunger for more female characters, or female characters who represent a particular profession or demographic or niche, but then again I'm younger than you and I haven't experienced the type of personally-hurtful pushback you're describing here. But yes, this "women don't like anything men like, men and women can't socialize as friends, men and women can't enjoy the same activities" thing is BEYOND tired and retrograde and offensive.

I'm about the same age as the characters, I'm a fairly educated person, and this stuff doesn't resonate with me at all. I don't relate to it. I wouldn't behave that way. I don't have this "us versus them" mentality, I enjoy a wide variety of different activities, etc. This portrayal of totally gender-segregated interests and activities isn't realistic at all. What kind of weird little bubble do these writers live in?

"This show used to be male-centric and now it's more even-handed" is TPTB's narrative. Anyone who thinks A and/or B are awesome intelligent feminist role-models has fallen hook, line, and sinker for that narrative. It's very simplistic, this "More female characters in STEM fields, yay!!!" attitude. It's tokenism.

The show tells us that the addition of A and B has made the show more inclusive, when in fact it's presenting the dustiest "battle of the sexes" stereotypes, with only the thinnest veneer of something new or fresh or different. Anyone who pats themselves on the back for watching this show, on the basis that "it has female scientists" has been duped, and I'd almost argue they've been willingly and knowingly duped.

ETA: I'm sorry you experienced that, Space.