For over 20 years, Joss Whedon has been a hero of mine. As the creator of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Whedon introduced me to concepts of growing up, morality, feminism and so much more.
Over the last week, Buffy and Angel star, Charisma Carpenter revealed that she was victim to Whedon's cruelty jokes and bullying for her seven years on both shows. Since then Sarah Michelle Gellar, Michelle Trachtenberg, Marti Noxon and many more of the show's stars and crew have come out with similar stories.
The validity of these stories was initially incredibly difficult to digest. Whedon's views on female empowerment and feminism run through all of his works, but especially in Buffy.
In light of this, I've taken some time to seperate the art from the artist. Knowing that Buffy had so many unique voices, Noxon, David Fury, Jane Espenson, Doug Petrie and so many more. Although Whedon received most of the acclaim, it was these voices that really steered Buffy, and the voices Ill choose to appreciate moving forward.
My love for Buffy hasn't changed or been tainted. Reflecting over the last few days, I want to make sure I stand clear with supporting Carpenter and the victims of this awful bullying. My love for Whedon has completely changed.
Lots of love.
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