Now that both The Flash and TWD are back, the bullshit goalpost moving has never been more clear.
On one hand, Iris West doesn’t deserve Barry (and shouldn’t even be on the show) because she hasn’t been deemed “useful” enough for some (read: useful in the way that they think she should be useful which is basically the opposite of whatever she’s doing at the time).
And on the other hand, you have a Michonne Grimes (yeah, I said it) who shouldn’t be with Rick because she’s *too* useful for some (read: a badass who can hold her own against walker and human alike aka a strong black woman who doesn’t need a man aka good enough for friend material and mammy duty to his kids, but not as a lover/girlfriend/wife).
So. According to the ever-shifting goalposts, black women aren’t love interest worthy or leading lady worthy if we’re not “useful” in the “right” way, BUT we’re also not love interest or leading lady worthy when we *are* useful in that traditional badass, asskicking way that fandoms usually love so much because she’s suddenly weak something something was better by herself something something now she’s boring. Or whatever. We’re either too much of something or not enough. And to some, both of those somethings makes black female characters (and/or aspects of what would otherwise be a full, well fleshed out storyline for any other character) unnecessary. And when the goalposts slides to what they say they want from her character, it moves yet again.
Watching people walk that tightrope this season has been very interesting. Maddening, but interesting. Especially given that the roles have sort of flipped with Iris being all useful and whatnot leading Team Flash and Michonne out of commission temporarily as she recovers from the fight she had with the Savior in the season seven finale.
It’s almost as if usefulness and badassery has nothing to do with it. 🤔
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