Feminism, Romance, and 39 Clues
An Essay
I have noticed that in a lot of stories, and fanfiction based off of those stories, romance is depicted in a startlingly one-sided way in regards to who does the wooing, and who makes a move first, and who reacts in which way.
Too often are there passive, blushing, lip-biting, stuttering, fluttering females, and strong, active males that always make the first move, always tell a woman her self-worth, and actively pursue the woman while she sits passively.
Essentially, everything happens to these women, but they do absolutely nothing.
I have seen this on this fandom as well, and I hope to be able to change that, starting with this story, and the the portrayal of the relationship between Amy and Ian.
My thinking is, as a girl in the first 39 Clues series, there is no doubt that Amy is definitely unsure and awkward when it comes to romance of any sort. She's a stuttering, blushing hot mess, unlike Ian, who is quite the smooth operator even at the age of fourteen.
However, they're older now (twenty-three in the beginning of "Again") and both of them have gone through a few relationships each, so who isn't to say that Amy is almost as confident as Ian at this point? She has dated Evan, her first venture into a relationship (no matter how tragic the ending), and had a longer relationship with Jake that would probably make her a lot more experienced in every sense.
My point is, she isn't a girl or a teenager anymore, just the way she isn't a blushing hot mess when it comes to relationships anymore.
Of course, there is unsurety on both sides that will manifest itself in different ways, like it does in the beginning of almost any relationship, however, I will never have a character, especially a female character, that isn't aware of her self-worth, her self-beauty, and most importantly, her own desires
Portrayals of the female sexuality are often non-existent, as if it is something to be ashamed about, and women are often painted as the objects of desire, and not as humans who feel something as natural as desire themselves.
This needs to stop.
Also, this thinking cannot be limited to the courtship part of romance either. Indeed, we often see female characters masquerading under the title of "strong", at least, when a man becomes involved. They are often forced to play second-string to the male, and their relationship and the portrayal of them as a couple often takes precedence to whatever skill/talent/role that made the woman "strong" in the first place. I believe this happened with Cara and Ian, which is part of the reason I never warmed to the relationship.
What I like about 39 Clues is that the Madrigals are matrilineal, plus, Amy basically takes charge of the Cahills at some point, and does a pretty good job of uniting Cahills.
My story will show something similar, and though there will be an underlying power struggle as she tries to balance a relationship and her duties, it will never be the reason Amy gives up anything.
My aim in writing all this is to eliminate double-standards and ideas about romance and love, starting with this 39 Clues fandom, that I have come to love and enjoy in my short time here. I hope every one of you will take this to heart, and the next time you write, remember this.
A/N: I will be taking this down eventually on "Again", but it will remain on the main fandom page. So let me know what you guys think; whether this is an issue, and what you think should be done about it.
