Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Why the Slayer Is Eternal A Feminist and Cultural Revolution Before Buffy, blonde women in horror movies had a life expectancy of about 5 minutes. They ran, screamed, and died. Joss Whedon wanted to subvert that cliché by creating a young girl who, when she walks into a dark alley, is the monster that monsters fear. Buffy Summers is not just an action heroine. She is a complex metaphor for modern femininity. She wants to be a normal girl, go to prom, have dates — but she carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. The series brilliantly explores the conflict between duty (the Slayer) and desire (Buffy), showing that being a powerful woman is often a lonely act of sacrifice. Whether you're a Slayer, a Witch, or simply someone trying to survive high school (or the office), remember that your power lies in your choices. Grrr. Argh. Did You Know? Psychological Analysis of the Scooby Gang Why Does Sunnydale Still Resonate Today? The "monsters of the week" in Buffy were always metaphors for the real anxieties of adolescence. The boy who ignores girls literally becomes invisible. The mother who wants to relive her youth takes over her daughter's body. The boyfriend who changes after the first night together literally loses his soul (Angel). The episode "The Body" (Season 5), dealing with the natural death of Buffy's mother, is considered by critics as one of the greatest episodes in television history for its brutal realism, with no background music. The strength of the series lies in its supporting characters who evolve in spectacular ways. This personality quiz reveals your role in this essential group dynamic. Twenty years after it ended, Buffy remains relevant because it invented modern television. The multi-season story arc (the "Big Bad"), the rapid pop-culture-laden dialogue ("Buffyspeak"), and the genre-blending (horror, comedy, drama) are now the norm. But above all, the series taught us that we all have demons to fight. Sometime...