You know, I'm rewatching Buffy with the Young Man, and wow, I never saw a lot of season 1 and Reptile Boy was written before everyone had learned to tone down the rape subtext, wasn't it. The whole episode is basically FRAT BOYS = RAPISTS, DO YOU HEAR? Which, I wonder if it was written before that stereotype was already firmly established in the public mind, or it was just early enough that the writers were being incredibly heavy-handed.
It's also interesting because in-episode older men = vampires = Angel, old men also equal frat boys which equal rapists, and maybe if I'd been more up on my season 1, season 6 wouldn't have been such a shock. He's no good for you, Buffy!
Another thing that makes me cringe, though the show definitely gets the hell over it admirably, is how Xander, early on, definitely thinks of himself as a Nice Guy. But then he gets better! And honestly, everyone, guy or girl, is a Nice Guy at least once in high school.
On a sartorial note: I want to say here, when I first watched Buffy three years ago, her season 1 wardrobe was hilariously outdated. Now I keep noting things about her hemlines and the sit of her shirts and jackets and going "that looks really pretty contemporary". We are now only 12 years ahead of our retro. Oh dear.
It's also interesting because in-episode older men = vampires = Angel, old men also equal frat boys which equal rapists, and maybe if I'd been more up on my season 1, season 6 wouldn't have been such a shock. He's no good for you, Buffy!
Another thing that makes me cringe, though the show definitely gets the hell over it admirably, is how Xander, early on, definitely thinks of himself as a Nice Guy. But then he gets better! And honestly, everyone, guy or girl, is a Nice Guy at least once in high school.
On a sartorial note: I want to say here, when I first watched Buffy three years ago, her season 1 wardrobe was hilariously outdated. Now I keep noting things about her hemlines and the sit of her shirts and jackets and going "that looks really pretty contemporary". We are now only 12 years ahead of our retro. Oh dear.
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