I was wrong about Buttercup
Okay, so I just watched The Princess Bride again, and I had a new realization: I have always had an unfair hatred for Buttercup.
I’ve always thought of her as window dressing, but she has a surprising amount of agency in this movie. Think about it:
The very first chance she gets to escape from Vizzini, Fezzik, and Inigo, she does it. She leaps into a sea full of SHRIEKING EELS. Mind you, this is right after she tells them they will be hanged if they are caught. Buttercup has no problem telling people off when they need it.
Then, she tells off the Dread Pirate Roberts the second she figures out who he is. And then pushes him down a hill just because she can.
After their adventures in the fire swamp, she agrees to go with Humperdink to save Westley’s life with NO HESITATION WHATSOEVER. Just because that is the only way she can save him.
And then is my favorite part: she tells Humperdink off. She confronts him on his cowardice, knowing that he legally owns her at this point. And she doesn’t care, because that fucker needs to know what she really thinks of him.
After Westley is seeming killed, and she is forced to marry Humperdink, she decides that killing herself is the only form of agency she has left. And she’s fully prepared to do it. Until Westley is there to remind her that she has perfect breasts (he’s got a point).
And then Westley gets all the points for understanding that this was not a consensual marriage for Buttercup. “You didn’t say it, you didn’t do it.” Can we get that on t-shirts?
Buttercup is not an action girl. She’s not going to pick up a sword and start beating up on those that hurt her, but that’s not a reason to hate her. Every chance she gets, she tries to be an equal partner in this relationship. And, let’s be honest, this movie isn’t even about her. The agency she has in this movie is really impressive.
This is important because we need a wide range of women in our media. They can’t all be Xena Warrior Princess because that’s not what all women are like. But we need to appreciate the other types of women out there. The ones who won’t fight or do anything that’s considered traditionally masculine, but still deserve respect anyway.
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