Buffy The Vampire Slayer 1.3

In the first season episode 3 of Buffy the vampire slayer, Amy's mom switches body with her daughter to relive her "glory days" as a cheerleader. Through this act she is showing that not only men are strong and powerful, women can be powerful and be independent while doing it. She casts spells on Cordelia and Buffy to keep them out of her way of getting what she wanted most becoming a cheerleader. Buffy, Xander, Willow and Giles try and figure out the problem of why in the beginning of the episode one of the cheerleaders hands caught on fire, leading from that incident they found out that Amy is a witch. Within this episode many gender roles are portrayed throughout the characters actions as well as stereotyping women. In this episode women dominated the show seen as evil and or good, we didn't see much action with men trying to safe the day or have men characters. The main concept of the episode witch was how cheerleaders are portrayed throughout the show and women are powerful. 

Stereotyping women: 

Cheerleaders were always seen as figures that need to dress a certain way as well as all of the girls on the squad were disrespectful and rude. In High School, cheerleaders were the popular girls in this episode you have all the popular girls then Amy and Buffy as the outcasts of the squad. Cheerleaders outfits are seen as tight, "slutty" and the girls are always willing to put out. For example during tryouts Cordelia's outfit is a tight black sports bra with tight short spandex shorts reveling to much of her body. Throughout centuries we have painted a mental picture of cheerleaders with the way they act, dress and their physical looks. Movies and TV shows portray these skinny girls with long blonde hair, have boyfriends on the football team in which they are cheering for, high pony tails so their bows can stay attached and have uniforms that show more skin than what should be shown. In the episode Amy is afraid to gain weight because she is afraid she will not be good enough or look good enough to be a cheerleader. Cheerleaders also have their clicks, if individuals aren't part of the squad or popular the girls look down to others. Today cheerleading is a gender neutral sport that is intense and one that is greatly appreciated among many. 

Women are Powerful:

The relationship between Amy and her mother is unique, her mother takes over her body so that she can relive her high school years. Throughout the episode you hear her mom say that "I gave up my life so you could drag that worthless carcass around and call it living"? Amy's mother is sassy, disrespectful and selfish, going back to the cheerleader aspect you can tell that she lives through still having the qualities. Amy's mom is a witch meaning she is powerful and is able to cast spells upon anyone, looking deeper into that analysis being a witch is having power but also it shows that women are powerful without men she represents femininity and power. When She takes Buffy's bracelet it's making Buffy a damsel in distress without her knowing, casting a spell to have her death. Buffy also symbolizes femininity within the story, she stands up for herself and other women. Her strength is also portrayed as not only men can be strong and fight others demons but she is always saving the community without getting recognized for it. When Buffy joins the cheerleading squad she is showing stating that it is okay to still want to be a girl and have responsibilities and or unique characteristics about yourself that are needed to be professional. Women don't get enough credit in today's society, salary is still lower than men and when in a workplace setting women are still getting looked down upon and are expected to look up the their superior "men".

In conclusion, the take away from this episode is that always express yourself in the way you want others to see you. Also women are more powerful than men and others notice, we haven't had our first female president but I see it happening in the future. Although there are many different cliches about cheerleaders individuals in movies or casts on TV shows are proving everyone wrong. Women are more powerful than they believe they are and should stick up for themselves. Even though girls/women are sexualized in films or productions there is more to the individuals than what they show in their appearance.