My own personal preference is towards female characters who are badass, possibly "too" badass. This is pretty strongly driven by my love of fantasy/action/scifi genres, where the hero kicks ass and takes names. Every now and then I like to think the Big Damn Hero/BAMF can look like me (because I am not like those heroes at all). But it makes me physically angry when people when people say a woman can't be a good character if she's weak or sensitive. The theory I've seen behind that is that a female character is usually seen to represent EVERY FEMALE CHARACTER EVERYWHERE EVER, so if she's weak, she's perpetuating stereotypes
This. Yes. I think men are accepted as individuals, as human beings first and foremost and men second, and thus male characters can be anything they want to be.
It's the same way with minority groups, just look at how homosexual characters were represented fifteen years ago. Still are to some extent. Always the incredibly trustworthy, loyal, sweet gay best friend who never had any sex ever and just stood there as a shoulder to cry on when the female lead needed to. (Melrose Place must be the perfect example of this.) Sometimes they died of AIDS, too. But of course the gay male can't be an asshole, that would mean all gay men are assholes.
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This. Yes. I think men are accepted as individuals, as human beings first and foremost and men second, and thus male characters can be anything they want to be.
It's the same way with minority groups, just look at how homosexual characters were represented fifteen years ago. Still are to some extent. Always the incredibly trustworthy, loyal, sweet gay best friend who never had any sex ever and just stood there as a shoulder to cry on when the female lead needed to. (Melrose Place must be the perfect example of this.) Sometimes they died of AIDS, too. But of course the gay male can't be an asshole, that would mean all gay men are assholes.