ymmv
Why Becky Is a Character I Have Been Waiting My Whole Life For
By Chash, Age 23
Disclaimer: I like the Supernatural meta episodes, and I like Becky. I know a lot of people don't, and this is not me trying to make you love Becky, or even defending the use of her on Supernatural, per se. Because, in a lot of ways, I don't care that Becky is on Supernatural. I care that she is on my TV, and here's why.
The thing is, if not for Becky in particular, and the slash-fandom-related meta more generally, I would not have been at all surprised by the makeup of the convention in "The Real Ghostbusters." That's because it's the makeup of every convention that I've ever seen portrayed in the media. It's the comic book convention in Psych's "Shawn vs. the Red Phantom." It's the fantasy convention in Bones' "The Princess and the Pear." It's Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons. It's the beginning Galaxy Quest. The formula is that there are nerdy, socially unacceptable guys who are dressed up in costumes for fun, and normal, attractive girls who are dressed up in skimpy costumes for money. Don't get me wrong, there are non-paid girls present in these scenes, a smattering of them, but they're barely there, and they're not really presented as the hardcore fans.
In general, the socially awkward girl in fiction is the one who's (often) just as pretty as the other girls, but she's not a part of the crowd. Sometimes, there's a clear reason for this (usually, her own anger issues--see Kat in 10 Things I Hate About You or Laney in She's All That). Often, the only reason we, the audience, has for her being socially unaccepted is that other kids don't like her. For whatever reason, she is not popular or successful or single. Usually, it's somehow her fault. If only she tried harder/wore more makeup/stood up for herself, her life would be perfect, and she would be socially acceptable and loved again.
It's not that there aren't nerdy girls on my television, but as a child, there were never nerdy girls like me. There was the exaggeratedly nerdy girl, the one like Joan Cusak in Sixteen Candles with the headgear and the ridiculous sweater, and there was the casually nerdy girl, whose nerdiness was used to make her more attractive to socially inept guys--someone like Scully from The X-Files, or Amanda Bynes in Sydney White, which, FYI, I recommend never watching. It's the same old problem where there isn't a girl on The Big Bang Theory--the general under-representation of girls who are happily geeky.
But then, there's Becky.
Becky, as presented on the show, is not a nerd. That is, we know absolutely nothing about her education, her job, or anything about her life except for her fannish activities. Given that she's only in two episodes, and pretty briefly, I don't consider this a failing. She could be very intelligent, she could not be. Also while Becky is not as attractive as some of the girls on the show, she's perfectly fine looking--I'd consider her pretty. Emily Perkins, who plays Becky on the show, is an actress who's been cast in the "unattractive" role more than once, and she's playing much closer to her own looks in Becky than she is in many of her other roles--in She's the Man, for example, she plays "the weird girl" role with, as I recall, the full braces and headgear look. Pretty much, Becky might not be Jess, but she's not bad looking. More than that, her styling isn't that of the traditional female nerd/outcast--she doesn't wear glasses, she wears her hair down, and her clothes are pretty much normal. If she was in the background, her clothes wouldn't really say anything about her.
As for her characterization, well. In this section, I'm going to discuss Becky as contrasted with other characters in the traditional role of fans. These characters are all men. I am not denying that there are issues specific to Becky being female on Supernatural, a show with many issues with female characters, or with her portrayal when compared to the male fans in the context of the show. When compared to other characters who are presented as geeks/fans, however, I don't think she's particularly outlandish or poorly presented. I'm not claiming this is what the writers intended with the character, but it's nonetheless true.
The thing is, yes, Becky is a drooling fangirl. And, no, there isn't a sane-and-rational fangirl on the show existing to contrast her. Would I prefer it if there was? Yes, of course. That being said, Becky is a drooling fangirl in the same way that most male geeks are drooling fanboys. Pretty much everything Becky does is something that has been done by a male fan elsewhere, for the same effect. And, honestly, I find it refreshing to see a female fan portrayed this way, mostly because, in general, female fans are not allowed to be extreme like this. Very rarely do you see female fans who are obsessive about science fiction and fantasy in Western media. Japan it's more common to get girls who are manga buffs, but on American TV, it's not as represented, and when it is, it's usually in a very special episode where they get crazy about something and have to be weened off it.
So let's look at some of Becky's fannish behavior, as compared to some of my favorite male dorks.
1. Her instant acceptance that Supernatural is real.
I've seen this put down a lot as her being delusional, and the show mocking her (and us) for being crazies. Nonetheless, I'm pretty sure Sheldon has, more than once, talked about things that are definitely happening in the future because they happen on that date in Star Trek. Also, Hiro Nakamura, fanboy extraordinaire of Heroes, has more than one moment of confusing fantasy and reality, especially in his online blog. Neither of them are supposed to be right, but they are our protagonists and generally very popular.
2. Her general objectification of Sam, complete with leering, groping, and licking.
If you've seen that episode of The Big Bang Theory where they're on the train with Summer Glau, Wolowitz's behavior is pretty similar to Becky's. One key difference is that we're seeing it from his perspective, not hers--and even from his perspective, he's wrong and skeevy. From Sam's perspective, Becky is clearly nuts, and fair enough. I don't expect Supernatural to change its POV for Becky. But it does make me think how much I'd love Becky on another show.
3. Her general obsession with the books.
I dunno if this should go in here, mostly because the lameness of the Crowley reveal is less about it being Becky and more about it being incredibly lazy BUT we'll give it a quick mention. Incredible obsession with minute details is one of those defining media-geek characteristics, as far as I'm concerned--the whole "in issue 454 this character uses THIS ITEM even though it was broken in issue 362, how do you explain that!" is the classic default thing for nerds to say to creators in fiction.
4. The fanfic.
This is a sticking point for a lot of people. There are not a lot of fanfic writers on TV! I believe Willow on BTVS (who is one of the better girl!geeks on TV, especially in the first three seasons, although she's very rarely overtly fannish) said she wrote Doogie Howser fanfic. There have been various jokes made about fanfic in shows (Family Guy and Psych have both used writing fanfic as an insult of sorts). I can't remember if Hiro actually said he wrote fanfic in his online blog, or if I just decided he did in my fanon. In any case, I am honestly glad about it.
The bottom line is, I don't mind fanfic on my TV. In fact, I'm happy to have it on my TV. I've been writing fanfiction for my entire adult life--I started reading in third grade and first posted my fanfic online when I was in sixth grade. It's been a huge part of my life, and I am embarrassed to talk about it in public. Today at work, one of my coworkers asked me if I'd given anything to Haiti, and all of my work on that has been through help_haiti, mostly offering fanfic. I'm both proud and humbled that people are willing to donate so that I'll write them things, and I find it amazing how fandom has come together to help with this. But I couldn't tell her any of that. I still find it hard even owning my more acceptable fannishness to people--things like going to conventions, even hanging out with people on the internet without bringing the fanfic into it.
And that's where I'm glad for Becky. There are a lot of legitimate problems with her on Supernatural--especially comparing her to the male fans as shown in "The Real Ghostbusters"--but I'm hoping she's the start of a new trend. Because--I would love it if the next generation grew up with fanfic being something people everyone knew about. Not that I wrote it, specifically, but where most people know fanfic is a thing that people enjoy in the same way that comic books are a thing that people enjoy. It might not be for them, and it might not ever be mainstream, and it might still be embarrassing, but it wouldn't feel so secret. As far as I'm concerned, a future with a Becky starring as one of the ensemble on a female version of The Big Bang Theory would be absolutely and incredibly awesome.
So, TV producers everywhere, I am a 23-year-old girl geek. I don't have a lot of money, but the money I do have, I spend on incredibly dorky things. Please, I'm begging you--make geek girls. Make them just as pathetic as geek guys. Laugh at them. Make them the butts of your jokes. I don't care. I'm used to nerds being the butts of jokes. Just make them girls too.
Give Becky a TV show. I'd watch every fucking episode.
By Chash, Age 23
Disclaimer: I like the Supernatural meta episodes, and I like Becky. I know a lot of people don't, and this is not me trying to make you love Becky, or even defending the use of her on Supernatural, per se. Because, in a lot of ways, I don't care that Becky is on Supernatural. I care that she is on my TV, and here's why.
The thing is, if not for Becky in particular, and the slash-fandom-related meta more generally, I would not have been at all surprised by the makeup of the convention in "The Real Ghostbusters." That's because it's the makeup of every convention that I've ever seen portrayed in the media. It's the comic book convention in Psych's "Shawn vs. the Red Phantom." It's the fantasy convention in Bones' "The Princess and the Pear." It's Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons. It's the beginning Galaxy Quest. The formula is that there are nerdy, socially unacceptable guys who are dressed up in costumes for fun, and normal, attractive girls who are dressed up in skimpy costumes for money. Don't get me wrong, there are non-paid girls present in these scenes, a smattering of them, but they're barely there, and they're not really presented as the hardcore fans.
In general, the socially awkward girl in fiction is the one who's (often) just as pretty as the other girls, but she's not a part of the crowd. Sometimes, there's a clear reason for this (usually, her own anger issues--see Kat in 10 Things I Hate About You or Laney in She's All That). Often, the only reason we, the audience, has for her being socially unaccepted is that other kids don't like her. For whatever reason, she is not popular or successful or single. Usually, it's somehow her fault. If only she tried harder/wore more makeup/stood up for herself, her life would be perfect, and she would be socially acceptable and loved again.
It's not that there aren't nerdy girls on my television, but as a child, there were never nerdy girls like me. There was the exaggeratedly nerdy girl, the one like Joan Cusak in Sixteen Candles with the headgear and the ridiculous sweater, and there was the casually nerdy girl, whose nerdiness was used to make her more attractive to socially inept guys--someone like Scully from The X-Files, or Amanda Bynes in Sydney White, which, FYI, I recommend never watching. It's the same old problem where there isn't a girl on The Big Bang Theory--the general under-representation of girls who are happily geeky.
But then, there's Becky.
Becky, as presented on the show, is not a nerd. That is, we know absolutely nothing about her education, her job, or anything about her life except for her fannish activities. Given that she's only in two episodes, and pretty briefly, I don't consider this a failing. She could be very intelligent, she could not be. Also while Becky is not as attractive as some of the girls on the show, she's perfectly fine looking--I'd consider her pretty. Emily Perkins, who plays Becky on the show, is an actress who's been cast in the "unattractive" role more than once, and she's playing much closer to her own looks in Becky than she is in many of her other roles--in She's the Man, for example, she plays "the weird girl" role with, as I recall, the full braces and headgear look. Pretty much, Becky might not be Jess, but she's not bad looking. More than that, her styling isn't that of the traditional female nerd/outcast--she doesn't wear glasses, she wears her hair down, and her clothes are pretty much normal. If she was in the background, her clothes wouldn't really say anything about her.
As for her characterization, well. In this section, I'm going to discuss Becky as contrasted with other characters in the traditional role of fans. These characters are all men. I am not denying that there are issues specific to Becky being female on Supernatural, a show with many issues with female characters, or with her portrayal when compared to the male fans in the context of the show. When compared to other characters who are presented as geeks/fans, however, I don't think she's particularly outlandish or poorly presented. I'm not claiming this is what the writers intended with the character, but it's nonetheless true.
The thing is, yes, Becky is a drooling fangirl. And, no, there isn't a sane-and-rational fangirl on the show existing to contrast her. Would I prefer it if there was? Yes, of course. That being said, Becky is a drooling fangirl in the same way that most male geeks are drooling fanboys. Pretty much everything Becky does is something that has been done by a male fan elsewhere, for the same effect. And, honestly, I find it refreshing to see a female fan portrayed this way, mostly because, in general, female fans are not allowed to be extreme like this. Very rarely do you see female fans who are obsessive about science fiction and fantasy in Western media. Japan it's more common to get girls who are manga buffs, but on American TV, it's not as represented, and when it is, it's usually in a very special episode where they get crazy about something and have to be weened off it.
So let's look at some of Becky's fannish behavior, as compared to some of my favorite male dorks.
1. Her instant acceptance that Supernatural is real.
I've seen this put down a lot as her being delusional, and the show mocking her (and us) for being crazies. Nonetheless, I'm pretty sure Sheldon has, more than once, talked about things that are definitely happening in the future because they happen on that date in Star Trek. Also, Hiro Nakamura, fanboy extraordinaire of Heroes, has more than one moment of confusing fantasy and reality, especially in his online blog. Neither of them are supposed to be right, but they are our protagonists and generally very popular.
2. Her general objectification of Sam, complete with leering, groping, and licking.
If you've seen that episode of The Big Bang Theory where they're on the train with Summer Glau, Wolowitz's behavior is pretty similar to Becky's. One key difference is that we're seeing it from his perspective, not hers--and even from his perspective, he's wrong and skeevy. From Sam's perspective, Becky is clearly nuts, and fair enough. I don't expect Supernatural to change its POV for Becky. But it does make me think how much I'd love Becky on another show.
3. Her general obsession with the books.
I dunno if this should go in here, mostly because the lameness of the Crowley reveal is less about it being Becky and more about it being incredibly lazy BUT we'll give it a quick mention. Incredible obsession with minute details is one of those defining media-geek characteristics, as far as I'm concerned--the whole "in issue 454 this character uses THIS ITEM even though it was broken in issue 362, how do you explain that!" is the classic default thing for nerds to say to creators in fiction.
4. The fanfic.
This is a sticking point for a lot of people. There are not a lot of fanfic writers on TV! I believe Willow on BTVS (who is one of the better girl!geeks on TV, especially in the first three seasons, although she's very rarely overtly fannish) said she wrote Doogie Howser fanfic. There have been various jokes made about fanfic in shows (Family Guy and Psych have both used writing fanfic as an insult of sorts). I can't remember if Hiro actually said he wrote fanfic in his online blog, or if I just decided he did in my fanon. In any case, I am honestly glad about it.
The bottom line is, I don't mind fanfic on my TV. In fact, I'm happy to have it on my TV. I've been writing fanfiction for my entire adult life--I started reading in third grade and first posted my fanfic online when I was in sixth grade. It's been a huge part of my life, and I am embarrassed to talk about it in public. Today at work, one of my coworkers asked me if I'd given anything to Haiti, and all of my work on that has been through help_haiti, mostly offering fanfic. I'm both proud and humbled that people are willing to donate so that I'll write them things, and I find it amazing how fandom has come together to help with this. But I couldn't tell her any of that. I still find it hard even owning my more acceptable fannishness to people--things like going to conventions, even hanging out with people on the internet without bringing the fanfic into it.
And that's where I'm glad for Becky. There are a lot of legitimate problems with her on Supernatural--especially comparing her to the male fans as shown in "The Real Ghostbusters"--but I'm hoping she's the start of a new trend. Because--I would love it if the next generation grew up with fanfic being something people everyone knew about. Not that I wrote it, specifically, but where most people know fanfic is a thing that people enjoy in the same way that comic books are a thing that people enjoy. It might not be for them, and it might not ever be mainstream, and it might still be embarrassing, but it wouldn't feel so secret. As far as I'm concerned, a future with a Becky starring as one of the ensemble on a female version of The Big Bang Theory would be absolutely and incredibly awesome.
So, TV producers everywhere, I am a 23-year-old girl geek. I don't have a lot of money, but the money I do have, I spend on incredibly dorky things. Please, I'm begging you--make geek girls. Make them just as pathetic as geek guys. Laugh at them. Make them the butts of your jokes. I don't care. I'm used to nerds being the butts of jokes. Just make them girls too.
Give Becky a TV show. I'd watch every fucking episode.