I'm probably too woke, but saying that Snape doesn't know what a shower is feels classist.
I don't really know how to explain this, but it really does, especially since Severus comes from a very poor background ever since he was a child.
People mainly say this because apparently, Severus' hair is way too greasy, which I think is stupid. You can get greasy hair from showering too much, or simply from genetics. Despite his greasy hair and Severus being sickly thin—especially since really low weight tends to make your sweat 10x worse, therefore making you smell worse—it was never mentioned in the books that Severus had a bad smell.
And considering just how brutally honest Harry was—who was the main narrator—he'd definitely state that Snape had a bad odor if Snape never actually showered.
It just doesn't really make sense for me to say that Snape doesn't know what showering is, when everything else indicates otherwise. I mean, I'm not surprised, because Marauders fans tend to be extremely classist (especially the ATYD truthers), but I still find it weird.
Anyway, shoutout to my friend Vania for making me think about this and discussing it with me ;))
I have such a pet peeve for the James potter Spiderman thing going around the marauders fans cus friendly neighborhood Spiderman would never bully someone only because “he exists”
Proof that when a writer already hates a character, they won’t even bother to actually investigate or understand them beyond their own bias. They’ll flatten every bit of complexity just to fit the narrative they already decided on.
Thank God ATYD isn’t canon, because so much of its portrayal of Snape feels completely disconnected from the character 💀
severus snape and the ongoing theme of “insufficient masculinity” (aka homophobia/transphobia)
snape is introduced at a young age wearing a “women’s blouse”, which petunia uses to mock him
snape, when appearing to neville as a boggart, wears neville’s grandmother’s clothing when neville uses riddikilus on him
during “snape’s worst memory”, james turns snape (who he sees as a potential romantic rival) upside down and strips him/humiliates him in an attempt to impress lily, and after snape yells at lily and calls her a mudblood, lily covers up her (justifiably) hurt feelings by commenting on his dirty underwear
snape’s patronus, confirmed by jkr to be a symbol of “true love, love everlasting”, unlike james’ stag, mirrors lily’s patronus by being a doe (which much of the fandom considers to be a sign of obsession, despite never levelling the same accusations against tonks’ wolf patronus mirroring remus’)
most, if not all, of the significantly positive/grounding forces in severus’ life are women (eileen, lily, narcissa, mcgonagall)
-his handwriting was described as feminine
-he specialised in potions which is rather feminine due to its connection to cooking
-he worked as a spy in a way that i felt was more traditionally feminine (mata hari as opposed to james bond)
-the nickname his bullies gave him referenced crying which is something boys aren’t allowed to do
He’s not an attacker, the sum total of his interactions with the marauders are defensive, and aggressive defensive, rather than offensive - which is the opposite of the ‘masculine’ trait of overt and confrontational aggression
-he is terrible at sports and not only that, the girl he wants to impress laughs at him
-he often assists with healing. slughorn who is a fellow potions master doesn’t
-he has little control over his emotions which isn’t strictly feminine but compare it to other male characters’ outbursts and you see there’s this element of ‘he’s overreacting.’
- Speaking of healing: when he creates his first confrontational offensive spell (sectumsempra), its not only “overkill” in the spirit of ‘overreacting’, but he creates a spell that heals the wounds immediately and that spell is described as a lullaby
-we never see him use the full force of his powers
-thematically speaking if sirius is a stand in for james then severus is a stand in for lily
-he is more like his mother than his father
- taking into account that masculine = overt confrontational violence, loud bragging egos and showy heroic deeds, and the opposite is humility, quietly bearing burdens, silent suffering; the fact that snape doesn’t want anyone to know about his heroic deeds. That he was a succeaaful spy until his dying breath, and his last act was teaching/passing on knowledge, instead of slaying the metaphorical dragon.
Snape’s use of potions and poisons is a more traditionally feminine form of violence, as female assassins and characters were more likely to use poison to kill than males, who were more likely to use guns and swords.
If you go by the freudian/jungian interpretation of the wand as a phallic symbol, Snape’s connection to the cauldron is a yonic/vulvic symbol.
Considering the connections between Harry Potter and the Arthurian legends (a prophecied hero who is guided by a wise old man bands together with his loyal friends to defeat a massive evil with the use of a legendary sword), the characters who are the clearest parallel to Snape are the Ladies of the Lake, as they both serve the good guys, kill the wise old leader, and give the sword to the hero. Also the multiple versions of the Lady of the Lake mirror the multiple faces of Snape, as different Ladies of the Lake were evil and hindered the good guys, while others were extremely helpful to them.
sirius and james are both threatened by snape before they are old enough to be jealous of his connection to lily. many times boys don’t fit traditionally masculine roles are ridiculed by their peers, esp their peers who feel their masculinity is “threatened” in any way by the nonconforming boy. james and sirius’ vitriol toward snape seem to be more of that nature esp when theyre young
there’s a lot of focus on snape’s looks - eg that his most recognizable trait is his hair, which seems odd to focus on
speaking of hair, his hair length
has to be “rescued” by james during the werewolf incident, and damsels are often seen as feminine
often described in ways more coded to the feminine
it’s so interesting to me that these kinds of things get internalized to the point where most readers wouldn’t even necessarily pick up on them overtly. and yet, snape is in the traditional position a nonconforming male character often falls into - the bully, the bad guy, the evil person.stereotypes are often cast as a villain and it’s esp common for male villain characters to be androgynous. he’s done nothing worse than many of the other evil characters and yet it is is snape who is so thoroughly villified by fandom, snape who is the fandom punching bag.
and i do wonder if this underlying tension of snape’s gender and sexuality, that we recognize these nuances in snape’s performance of gender without necessarily evaluating them at a conscious level, contributes to that. that’s not to say that everyone who dislikes snape does so because of that, but just in a general sense of how snape is turned to as the paragon of evil in a book where characters like umbridge, the malfoys, voldemort, pettigrew etc all exist… it seems directed at him for a specific reason, somehow. not just that he’s done bad things, but a particular kind of loathing that seems much higher than demanded for the actual level of his crimes.
anyway, sorry im rambling. but yes, this is an excellent list and a really interesting way to read snape’s character, i love it.
Snape’s gender presentation is endlessly fascinating to me.
I don’t have anything major to add, just a few add-ons to points already raised.
- To add to @prosnapeblogging‘s point about Freud/Jung and wands as a phallic symbol/cauldrons as vulvic…Snape dismissed ‘foolish wand waving’, and waxed lyrical about the cauldron instead.
- To add to @severusdefender‘s point about cauldrons and cooking, it’s also that witches - as opposed to wizards - are traditionally depicted with a cauldron, and stirring pots.
- To add to @lamentthebard‘s observation about the blouse, it isn’t just that Snape is wearing women’s clothing, but that a longstanding insult in the UK is calling a boy ‘a big girl’s blouse’ - suggesting that the boy is behaving in an “inappropriate” way, by not being manly enough.
even snape’s narrative trajectory is feminine. he transgresses in his youth, committing a grave sin, and suffers for the rest of his life/the narrative until he dies, at which point he achieves redemption. (this was a common theme in restoration plays, where the heroine would suffer for the whole play for a sin she committed in the beginning, and achieve redemption through death.)
snape’s role, both in the war and the narrative is also very passive, which is typically feminine, especially in a narrative sense; as both a spy and the particular spy that he is, he’s meant to watch and wait. he waits out his adult life at hogwarts until voldemort returns, at which point he becomes a spy, where his job is basically to not act (acting for/against his supposed general, whether it’s voldemort or dumbledore, could jeopardize his position on either side). he’s supposed to gather and share information and, what is primarily a woman’s role in a war, to wait. he doesn’t seem to take part in many battles (see the point above about acting for/against either side jeopardizing his position.)
furthermore, snape’s life and his continued devotion to/fixation on lily reminds me of anne elliot’s speech at the end of jane austen’s persuasion, when she tells a male character that women’s lives are very passive and sedentary, without a lot of action or change, which makes it more difficult for them to move on or develop new perspectives and feelings. wealthy women in that time period were very restricted in where and how they were allowed to travel and even what they were allowed to do at home. in particular, the argument anne elliot is involved in is about getting over disappointed hopes. she says that men recover sooner from heartbreak because they have more to do and more people to help them move on. but snape, spending his whole life stuck at hogwarts, with very little variety, would fall into a more feminine role of waiting out his life with relatively very little to occupy him, rendering him, in this way, exactly like anne elliot.
This is all excellent. Not much more to add except that this is such a pivotal part of Snape’s character, and I wish it was discussed/included in fics more often. @ensnapingthesenses and @professormcguire both have excellent tags on Snape and femininity, if you are on the hunt for more. :)
PLEASE, does anyone know any fem!oc/reader x Severus fic insert in this scenario? :
*marauders era* but not focused on them
Snape pre/during marauders bullying.
he’s bullied because of his appearance and status.
oc/reader asks Snape’s help with potions, and he started mentoring her only as classmates
he’s childhood bsf with Lily and likes her in the beginning, but starts having a crush on oc/reader after he started helping her with potions.
oc/reader has a crush on him as well, and they start hanging out even if not for a study session.
both of them are shy, but Snape’s especially so, mainly because of his low self stem and the fact that oc/reader is aware of the bullying he suffers from the Griffindors boys.
Fluff and teen romance, idc about any weird #’s or kinks lol ;)) I’m up to anything
I’m desperate for any crumbs of severus non snily romantic life!!!! Let him be!!!! 💔
Every time I come on here, I’m surprised by how much more geeked out some of my mutuals are when it comes to Snape. The amount of knowledge and understanding they have of his character is honestly pretty awesome.
It also makes me reflect on how much sense that makes. Snape is such a complex character, and to be honest, he’s never been particularly well-liked by the general media or fandom. I guess that complexity is exactly what draws people into analyzing him so deeply.
10 things about Severus Snape’s portrayal in fics that I don't particularly like
(Which means I still fully support you using them, but I simply don't use them in my fics)
1. When he's "big and strong"
Severus Snape is not big and strong in the canon.
He's repeatedly described as thin, almost the sick kind of thin, and rather short. Not too short, but short enough for Sirius to be remarkably taller.
Yeah, I know Alan Rickman doesn't exactly fit this description, as much as l love him. I simply like books Severus more.
2. When he’s a “macho” or a “daddy”
No slut shaming. You do you.
As a media analyst though... Severus is kinda queer coded. The Marauders called him "Snivellus" because he cried a lot (from "snivelling"). Basically because he was a sensitive boy. During a huge part of HBP (book) plot they suggest that the Half Blood Prince may be a woman because of how he writes in Advanced Potions. Also his father was a toxic macho man. I personally can't see him becoming something he hated so much.
3. When he flirts a lot
Now... I'm not saying he's COMPLETELY inexperienced...
(Even though he is in my fics, because he lost every desire to be experienced after Lily's death)
I just can't see him flirting.
The man who looked like he could throw up at any given moment during the Yule Ball? Don't think so…
4. When he's too calm and composed
This is debatable, because he actually is in the movies. They didn't include one of my favourite chapters in POA, "Snape's Grudge", as well as many other scenes from the books in which he's an absolute menace (honorific).
"Snape's face contorted with rage" >>>>>
5. When he's completely apathetic
Doesn't happen as often as the other things, but sometimes it does.
Severus is not apathetic.
He's written just like any other INTJ character. He feels a lot, possibly more than anyone else. He's just learned that he can't show it, due to trauma, and due to nature. If the fic is written in his pov, like mines, you have the chance to give a glimpse into his inner self. He feels. He just doesn't accept he's feeling.
6. When he's overly serious
He doesn't joke, he doesn't prank, of course. He's not exactly the life of the party...
But damn my man was funny af.
"You have to kill me, Severus."
"Would you like me to do it now? Or would you like a few moments to compose an epitaph?"
Like come oooon
7. When he suddenly becomes a joy to be around
Specifically in post-war fics.
I understand that he doesn't need to be under cover anymore, and yes, maybe he'd get SLIGHTLY less depressed, but... he's got trauma and 38 miserable years behind him. I don't find it realistic that he's suddenly happy as soon as he wakes up after surviving.
8. When he's portrayed as a hero/as a good person
Please, as the Snape fandom, let's not lie to ourselves. He enjoyed being cruel to the students, especially in the books. He liked it in a kind of sadistic way. And that's okay, he's a fictional character, we can enjoy him anyway. It's part of his charm.
9. When he's handsome
Similar to the "big and strong" one, but not quite the same.
I don't like when he's described as pretty. When the fic explicitly states that his hair is groomed, or that he has muscles, or that he smells like wood and musk, or whatever.
My man is obviously written to have PTSD. As someone who has PTSD... I find it more plausible he barely takes care of himself. He canonically has greasy hair, uneven yellow teeth and people hint at the fact that he's not exactly a fan of showers.
And yes, I like it. I LOVE it.
Realistic portrayal of past abuse. Chef's kiss
10. When he hates for no reason
Don't get me wrong. He's a hater. He's the biggest hater.
But he hates with critical thinking. He's quite possibly the cleverest character of the saga. Even if he hates someone for unjustifiable reasons (like with Harry) he needs to rationalise his hatred (stating that it's because Harry constantly gets into trouble and lying to himself).
1) daring to prioritise himself as a teenager and a young adult, closing his needs for emotional and physical safety and acceptance while being continuously abused and systematically disadvantaged, instead of caring about discrimination of other people; then deflecting at the unforgivably late age of 20 and eventually becoming so selfless it's literally unhealthy;
2) not leading a pedagogical revolution in Hogwarts as the most disadvantaged member of the staff, and having his weak sides/making some unprofessional comments as a teacher while being under insane psychological pressure;
3) having emotions;
and a bunch of made up things he never did.
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