As Summer is winding down, I decided its high time for me to get back into the blogosphere! I never intended to be away for so long, but the beautiful weather (mostly) and bike trails called my name far too often to spend much time on the computer. Summer is for reading and Lake Therapy, and I have lived up to that ideal once again this season! But today marks an anniversary that got me thinking, which in turn got me wanting to share my thoughts with you once again as a pre-Fall (I’m not ready to call the official end of Summer, Labor Day or no) homage to one of my favorite television shows and creative influences of all time. For today, dear reader, marks the 20th anniversary of the debut of Fox’s The X-Files. In 1993, I was a senior in high school, and the show aired on Friday nights, so I actually didn’t watch it until years later. But once I did, it made an instant impact on me for many reasons and in many ways. One of which I would like to share with you now.
Princess Leia in the Gold Bikini… every boy’s dream. Every girls unattainable standard.
When I was a little girl, I loved things that a typical little boy loves. I loved playing with toy guns and playing army. I loved exploring the woods behind our house. I played with Matchbox cars and sneaked (not very sneakily) into my older brother’s room to play with his Legos. I dreamed of getting new Star Wars action figures for my birthday. I liked sports, and zombie movies. While I did have Barbie Dolls, and actually played with them frequently, I was drawn more to the role of Ken instead of the girlieness of Barbie. When I watched Star Wars, it wasn’t Princess Leia I looked up to, but Luke Skywalker and Han Solo.
They seemed to have all the fun. When my friends and I would play Scooby Do, I was never Thelma, or Daphne. I wasn’t even Fred or Shaggy… I was Scooby. But once I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark, I was totally hooked on Indiana Jones. It wasn’t so much that I had a crush on him (I did), but that I wanted to be Indiana Jones.
Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. HummunaHummunaHummuna!
I always wanted to play the role usually played by men. All of my heroes were men. I would throw on a fedora, and run around my backyard digging up “lost treasures” pretending to be Dr. Jones, not Marion (even though she was a pretty tough cookie herself). I have to admit, there was a brief time I wondered, am I going to grow up to be gay (as if I fully even understood what that meant then)? I assume many people in my life wondered the same thing about me. In case you’re still wondering…
Over time I realized that I most certainly was not gay, and that while I wanted to be Indiana Jones, I also wanted to marry him. I just didn’t understand at the time growing up, as a child of mostly the ’80’s, that I could be a cool archaeologist or a Jedi Knight and be a girl.
Looking back, that is sad to me. But the amazing thing is that in the course of my early adulthood, those perceived limitations have changed dramatically for young girls. There are numerous female role models in all walks of life, professional, sports, politics, and in fiction for them to look up to and strive to become like. I grew up hearing “you can be anything you want.” That is a fantastic way to encourage children to become individuals pursuing their dreams outside of the box of social conventions of gender. But I think you have to know you have the option before you can dream it. You have to believe it to achieve it, as the saying goes. I didn’t. I played out fantasies in make believe, but never really believed my life could emulate something like Indiana Jones’ life.
Dana Scully and Fox Mulder
So, by the time I finally became a fan of the X-Files after watching the first feature film, Fight the Future, I had already put myself into a subconscious box of who I could become. But I was drawn for the first time to the heroine of the story. Dana Scully. The FBI agent who ran around chasing bad guys in high heels, but managing to be seductive (but not too seductive), and brilliant, at the same time. She was vulnerable, but not stereotypically emotional. She was professional and subdued in her demeanor, but not cold, or heartless. She played the role of the skeptic, the foil to the intuitive believer chasing aliens and monsters, Agent Fox Mulder. Mulder and Scully had reversed the roles of men and women, and it worked.
The X-Files’ FBI Agent Dana Scully
Since Scully, there have been many captivating, tough and sexy heroines in television and film, teaching (I hope) young women that you can be feminine and be a bad ass all at the same time. While you can make an argument that there were other great female characters before her (Clarice Starling, even Princess Leia in Empire and Jedi, to name a few), I think the Gillian Anderson’ Scully was the true pioneer setting the stage for truly heroic women in positions traditionally played by men, but are yet able to retain their womanliness. I think the pop icon of Scully not only shifted the tide in the minds of young women, but also in young men who dreamed of being Mulder, and working with Scully all day long. She subconsciously helped us all to see that men don’t have to seem weak when standing next to a strong woman. That in fact, strong women are damn sexy as well as capable and smart. A win-win for all.
I wish I’d learned those lessons when I was younger. I might have avoided a few unfortunate hair cuts and clothing choices in my attempt to not be too girly. But at least young women today are swimming in role models, thanks in no small part to the X-Files creative team and Gillian Anderson for creating one of the most important fictional characters in the past century. I wish you were still around. Maybe we’ll still get that last mytharc movie afterall. The Truth is Out There, but remember to Trust No One.
Cheers,
PersphoneK
P.S. I plan on watching the Pilot tonight on DVD, and then watching the rest of the series in order over the next weeks and months. If you’ve never watched the X Files, or if you’re an old Phile yourself, I’d love to have you virtually join me! I may have more to say about this show as the blog continues.
