Black Widow

Not-Your-Average Role Model

When I think "female ass-kicker," Bethany Sloane is not the first person who comes to mind. She's not physically as strong as Buffy Summers au River Tam. She's not intellectually as strong as Temperence Brennan au Hermione Granger. She's just a normal, lapsed Catholic who works at an abortion clinic.

In fact, the only thing that makes Bethany Sloane even the least bit extraordinary is the fact that she is the last blood relative of Jesus Christ.

That, in itself, shouldn't qualify her for membership in the "strong women" club. A person's lineage and situation doesn't...

I have realized in my life that there aren't that many hard-core female gamers out there. I wouldn't even describe myself as a hardcore gamer, although I might come close. Regardless, a feminist can't help but appreciate the steps the video game world has taken in order to elevate the status of women. And some may argue that, since the target audience of video games is men, the fact that women are portrayed with brains AND brawn in them is twice as progressive as the portrayal of tough women in sinema and television, whose gender audience is often mgawanyiko, baidisha down the middle, au targeted at women....