vox canonically does not hold typical toxic fifties social values: a masterpost
this is a collection of meta posts I've collected for my own amusement and want for a comprehensive vox social values analysis masterpost. im also going to include posts about alastor, his masculinity and gender expression. youll find out why
this is purely about what is canon. people can and should do whatever they like with fictional characters
MASSIVE shoutout to @darkstarofchaos for being 90% of the posts here. i genuinely thought there would be more from different users but seems i was wrong (pls prove me wrong) i will edit this as i find new posts to include, so please do give me your suggestions!
fifties social sensibilities vs vox by @darkstarofchaos:
this is the one that started this all. "If you compare Vox's behavior in modern-day canon with actual 50s-level bigotry. And you assume he held opinions typical of his era while he was alive. He's um. He's pretty progressive." i cant put this better than op did
comparing what was normal in the fifties usa when it comes to racism, misogyny and the ideal of masculinity. the race of vox's partners straight up isnt important to him (vs fifties man would think it is beneath him to work with anyone not-white), he doesnt expect women to be subservient to him, and he does not live up to fifties ideals of masculinity
how vox's social values might have been when he appeared in hell vs. how they might have changed since by @darkstarofchaos:
"Considering he can't have been in Hell for long before meeting Alastor, and he made his offer a few years into their friendship, I'd say he either changed his mind about a lot of things very quickly, or he was already on the progressive side of the political spectrum while alive. Or both." once again, another banger from op
post goes over some historical facts abt the usa in the 50s, how vox had Plenty of things to have a breakdown over (he became dark-skinned in hell. his bestie was black), and then an outline of how if he Did have issues with racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. (which he Did, realistically. but not as majorly as many of this contemporaries) how his relationships with the vees will have had him put in situations where he has had to work through them
vox and his (lack of) misogyny by @darkstarofchaos:
lists common misogynistic behaviours that vox p much never does, even when he easily could. most notable is that he spent all of season two slandering charlie, and he didnt use the fact that she is a queer woman against her once, but instead only focused on fair criticism. that if something is a prime spot for misogyny, which he doesnt display
theres also a similar post about alastor, going over the same list of behaviours. compared to vox who doesnt do any of the behaviours, al is belittling in a way that Does have a gender aspect. he also doesnt really touch any men, where vox touches everyone inappropriately
this isnt mentioned in the alastor post, but one more misogynistic trait al has is his belief that emotions and cooperation make someone weak. he doesnt Say that these are feminine qualities, but we do live in a society. the reason theyre considered weak is because theyre considered feminine (or feminine bc theyre weak, same difference)
vox and his relationship with sexual dynamics by @darkstarofchaos:
this may be my favourite analysis linked here. ill try to not get carried away summarising
the post is about how the crowd who argues that vox Canonically Only tops dont really have a leg to stand on, if their arguments are based on vox being insecure in his gender presentation or of not being (or appearing to be) in control
vox's gender presentation can with good conscience be called genderqueer, and he is very secure in it. this is explored in depth in many other analysis posts (linked below). he also does not mind taking the more feminine role at times: he lets val lead when theyre dancing. he also doesnt have Any reaction to val having drawn him tied up, when he could have been flustered or angry if this had been val trying to get on his nerves. so theres no reason to believe he would canonically be vehemently against the idea, or that he would Only dom and top
theres So Much More here that i dont mention, please go read it!!
analysing alastor and vox's gender presentation by @darkstarofchaos:
vox: vox has both very masculine and feminine mannerisms he openly and comfortably displays no matter who is watching.
alastor: alastor has feminine mannerisms in the way he uses his hands, how he sits "primly" at times. he also does slouch and manspread. he is very emotionally restrained and believes he has to always survive entirely on his own (compare vox whos much more emotionally expressive and believes in cooperation)
alastor and vox's toxic masculinity by @r3tr0b3tty0:
part 1: just alastor: alastor and his relatonships with men are often based on power and dominance, alastor suppresses his emotions
part 2: al and vox: vox idolises alastor and thinks al is "peak masculinity", emulates him, seeks his approval. vox's toxic traits are triggered by alastor's proximity
alastor's relationships with women vs vox's with velvette + al's toxic masculinity by @g00dberry and @darkstarofchaos:
lists alastor's relationships with women: rosie, niffty, charlie and velvette, none of being really "friendly" or "close". granted, al doesnt really Do friendship, but still. also includes a tldr of alastor's main toxic masculinity traits that have been explored more in-depth in the posts linked above
this is compared to vox's relationship with velvette: "comfortable with a degree of closeness society normally reserved for same-gender friendships", as the post states. theres also a separate post entirely focusing on this, also by darkstarofchaos
alastor as a "benevolent sexist", reading on the meat shop prequel comic by @phddyke
this is here to contrast with vox's relationship with velvette and women in general, and also to show how far in the "not sexst" end of the spectrum vox is. alastor positions himself in the role of "the saver of women" because he believes women to be "fairer". this is sexist By Definition and a recognised archetype in feminist literature. vox treats velvette as his equal and charlie as a fair rival
the point is that reading al as a feminist girls' girl and vox as a sexist creep is not backed up by canon. if vox is sexist, alastor is worse. if alastor isnt sexist, vox is even less
this list is incomplete, and i will add more to it as i find more meta. last updated on july 17th 2026
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