Sworn Virgins in Albania

I just read a very interesting article on Yahoo:

Sworn to virginity and living as men in Albania

I wish I had read about this sort of thing in college honestly, since I took quite a few classes on Gender Studies and even had an honors level course on revenge across cultures (they briefly discuss the revenge culture in Albania in the article). It really would have come in handy!

The article talks about the tradition of women "becoming men" in order to support and take care of a family left without a patriarch. For example, if the head of the household died. One of the virgin females in the family would step forward, swear lifelong virginity and become a man. They would have all the rights of a man, dress like a man, and take on the behavior of a man as well. This isn't practiced anymore, since the culture in Albania has changed. But there are still some "sworn virgins" around, a couple of which were interviewed for this article.

One thing that I find fascinating about these sworn virgins is that they can even take on the misogynist beliefs of a man. Well, at least men from their generation. They believe that women these days don't know their place, and act inappropriately. Which makes sense, if they only fraternize with men, and are treated by their society like men, it makes total sense that they would agree with the patriarchal beliefs that create the need for their existence as a sworn virgin in the first place. I guess women who grew up in that culture would have those beliefs too, but you'll have to read the article to see what I mean. There's something very intriguing about the way these sworn virgins express themselves and their thoughts.

But that's quite a sacrifice to make for one's family. They give up sex, marriage, the chance to have children-- all in order to ensure the safety of their family members. I guess in some ways it was better to be a man in those days, since they received more freedom and respect. But that's still a lot to give up.

I'd really love to find a way to tie this in to an article about horror movies, if I could. And there's an episode from Angel that I just watched recently that I thing I could bring into a discussion like this. In a way, I guess what I get from this-- and what I'd like to tie into horror-- is that a patriarchical society just about forces women to take on male roles in order to assert their power. Because the behaviors and actions that are used to assert power are attributed to men. The tools as well, in Albania women used to not be allowed to carry weapons-- but sworn virgins could, just like men. So while that sort of society can be misogynistic and oppressive, it creates this loophole for women to strike back. Except in societies like Albania where some women can claim power through "becoming" a man-- but they aren't allowed to retain any of their femininity, save their actual body parts.

And this actually does reflect the tendency in horror for virgins to be survivors, and sexually active individuals are killed off. By being virgins, they sacrifice their sexuality for power-- though unknowingly. I like the thought-path this article is taking me on!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Part 3

Season 2

Since the first season was so short, Season 2 of Buffy gives us more of a chance to learn about our main characters while we are introduced to a couple new individuals. The very first episode demonstrates just how deep and intense Buffy's contradicting feelings are regarding her life (including a beautifully done scene involving Buffy, Xander and Cibo Matto). It's obvious that she has a love/hate relationship with her role as the Slayer, but there's something so much more raw going on underneath that. It's only hinted at during most of the series, until the final season when we finally have a chance to understand how deeply Buffy is affected and how delicate a balance she keeps in her mind and heart. There's always a sense of loneliness about her-- the loneliness of leadership-- but I don't think anyone could foresee just how much she suffers and what a life as the Slayer has done to her.

Heading back into this season, one of my impressions when gazing at the episode list is one of amazement. How Buffy and her friends keep their sanity is beyond me. Around every corner there's some beast, ghoul, ghost, meanie, waiting to do something horrible. I know, it's the Hellmouth... and I know, we wouldn't have a show if that weren't the case... but looking at it realistically it's hard to imagine having to deal with that volume of eerie and dangerous incidents. Which makes the first point I made more and more understandable.

There are a few real gems in this season. The arch that drapes around the rest of the plot is Buffy's relationship with Angel. They fall in love and end up consummating their relationship which, unbeknownst to either party, releases Angel's soul. The real brilliance in this is David Boreanaz's ability to play two very different characters and how well he does it. You know without confirmation from other characters when he is Angelus and when he's Angel based on his body language and facial expressions alone. "Innocence" captures this really well.

Buffy is faced with double trouble: first of all, Angelus is back and dedicated to destroying her life and the people in it. Second, even if she did get him his soul back they could never have a complete relationship. The second matter is not explored as much in this season, although it certainly exists-- it will be a huge part of season 3's common thread.

One of the greatest episodes of the entire series happens to be in season 2, called "I Only Have Eyes for You." The way that the subplot of the episode layers perfectly with the general plot of the season is beautiful, and the story is touching. Like any of the best episodes, part of the reason this episode works so wonderfully is because of the music chosen. "Passion" is another episode in which music heightens the effect, although it also utilizes some philosophical narration by Angel which I thought really contributed to the message of the episode as a whole.

It being my favorite holiday, I have a soft spot for the Halloween episode in this season-- the first of the series. It's established here that apparently demons find it too tacky to do any bit of evil on Halloween, leaving Buffy supposedly without work for one night of her life. Of course this doesn't always happen, leading to the three Halloween episodes that do exist in the series. The other two are "All the Way" in season 6 and "Fear, Itself" in season 4.

By the end of season 2, Buffy is in the worst of spots. She's been expelled from school, the police are after her regarding Kendra's death, her mother finds out she's the Slayer and then basically kicks her out of the house, and worst of all she ends up killing Angel, even after Willow's spell to bring his soul back works. At the end of the last episode, Buffy leaves town. Once again, the burden of being the Slayer forces her (in her mind) into isolation.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Part 2

Season 1

The first season finds Buffy and her mother attempting to start their lives over again in Sunnydale, after being forced to move from LA due to the trouble Buffy got into in the course of her Slayer duties. Buffy is hoping to shrug off the past and lead a normal life once again. In fact, one could say the entire series is about Buffy trying to live a normal life while dealing with forces most people never dream exist.

But of course there is a rhyme and a reason for Buffy ending up in Sunnydale, home to a Hellmouth that draws the supernatural like compost draws flies. Obviously normal is out of the question.

In what was really half a season, we are introduced to several characters that end up being important to Buffy's story. Buffy herself is contradictory, being a trendy, fun-loving, relatively unexperienced teenager as well as a strong, intelligent leader. Despite all that she went through in LA, she quickly finds that it's nothing compared to what lies ahead of her. The rest of the characters dip heavily into stereotypes, but are thankfully fleshed out during the season to reveal much more realistic personalities.

What was most amazing right from the very beginning is the way the show handles real issues under the guise of the supernatural. In this first season alone one can see storylines that discuss parental pressure, sex, dating, bullying, the dangers of the internet and child abuse. Most of all is the theme that nothing and no one is ever what they seem. These topics are treated within the context of monsters, magic, etc. but the messages still resonate for viewers in a very real way.

Perhaps the biggest lesson of all is one that the audience learns-- that normal or extraordinary, everyone deals with similar problems and issues over the course of their life, and there is no easy way out of that. How you deal with those things is what defines you, the same way it defines the characters you're watching on your TV.

And in the final episode of the season, Buffy is introduced to another continuing theme of the series: her own mortality. How she handles that speaks volumes about what things will be like in the rest of the series.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Part 1

The last few months of 1997 I was 15 years old, a sophomore in high school. I fit the typical honors student/nerd stereotype for the most part, but I also had a love for all things spooky, mystical and otherworldly. I'd been reading about the supernatural ever since I was old enough to comprehend it, and at that point in my life I had been following Wicca for about 2 years.

I've learned over the years that once you get people talking about ghosts, astrology, vampires, fortune-telling, witchcraft, etc. they often are fascinated by some tidbit or another, and are rather impressed that you know of such things. At 15, I didn't talk to very many people and thought I would be judged harshly for being interested in such taboo topics. I was also often depressed as a teenager, so I would look for an escape in books, movies, TV-- anything.

Luckily that year the WB debuted a brand new TV show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I remember seeing a commercial for it and being very intrigued. I'd seen the movie of the same name and thought it fun, but not much more than that. When I saw that first episode I was hooked. The characters were my age, the dialogue was witty and more importantly, the show was about something I was passionately interested in.

I rarely missed an episode until years later when a job I had interfered, but even then I would often tape episodes and watch them the next day. The show made me feel like I belonged somewhere. I would imagine myself as part of Buffy's world, and dream up all sorts of ways that I would help them out, become part of their group. As you might guess, this did lead to my own little bout of fan fiction. It was actually the longest piece of fiction I had ever written, about the size of a small novel. That's how much Buffy inspired me.

It killed me when the show ended, but at the same time I knew it would just go downhill if it went on for too long. I think we all felt some of the pressure and tension that was around that last season. I still thought it was one of their best seasons ever, although I know other fans would disagree. The way they ended the series brought me to tears, as I'm sure it did many others. Over the years I collected the entire show on DVD and have watched it in its entirety at least 3 times.

This show has meant everything to me. It's taught me a lot about who I am and who I want to be. As Buffy grew into adulthood, so did I. I feel like that character has done more to shape me than anyone else could have done, and I know that watching the show got me through some really rough times. Now I'm starting a 4th run through the entire series to see what it has in store for me at this point in my life.