"Esther M. Friesner - Chicks 05 - Turn The Other Chick" - читать интересную книгу автора (Friesner Esther M)

battles with a sword, and that a wand is close kin to Buffy's favorite vampire-slaying stake, Mr. Pointy. I
can't say no to Hermione. Really. Ican't. She slapped thisLet Me In Or Elsespell on me and I had no
choice.

Ironic, that. Freedom is all about having options and until fairly recently, being a woman was not. We
were forever hearing "But you're agirl, so you can't:

"1. vote.

"2. live on your own.

"3. manage money.

"4. be paid the same as a man who's doing the same job.

"5. defend your country or even yourself.

"6. compete in professional sports.

"7. save France."

Women warriorsтАФall of us, not just the ones who look slick in videoтАФstand ready to defend our
hard-won freedoms, our options, and to strive for further triumphs on the battlefield, big or small. Our
battle cry, a thunderous "Sez you!" is often underscored by a resounding Bronx cheer in the direction of
anyone who tells us "Youcan't'cause you're agirl."

Among these freedoms is the choice of keeping a sense of humor on your person at all times. On
occasion we don't hear "You can't do that 'cause you're agirl!" but the equally snarky "You can't do that
'cause you're aFeminist!"

Oh yes I can. (See above:Freedom. Also:Sez you.)

You'll notice that the women I've mentioned all hail from movies and television, though some originally
saw the light of day in books and some have come to have spin-off books written about them. Their
sisters who exist in print alone are even more numerous, but the Received Wisdom of the modern world
is that eye candy reaches more people (and thus has more societal impact) than brain food. I'm not going
to debate the truth or error of that, though I'd be the Amazing Ostrichwoman if I denied the
wide-reaching influence of TV and movies.

As long as the aforementioned influence continues to present us with powerful, independent women who
know how to fight in defense of themselves and others, I'm not about to complain. The more people who
getthatmessage, the merrier.

"That is all very well and good," I hear you say, "but that is also the past. Xena and Buffy have gone to
Syndication Heaven. Who's going to replace them? Or are we going to go back to the days when the
most important battle ever fought by women in fiction was Betty versus Veronica to settle that burning,
earth-shattering question,Who will Archie take to the prom?"

I wish I had an answer handy. There are plenty of people who would be all too happy to return women
to being objects of Rescue, Ornament, and Enforced Cheerful Domesticity. This would be bad enough, if