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You are here: Home / Whatever Else / Happy Things / 7 Reasons Why I Relate to Zoe Washburne

7 Reasons Why I Relate to Zoe Washburne

Happy Things, Random, Whatever Else · September 22, 2011

First of all, if you don’t know who that is…please. Go watch Firefly. And Serenity. In that order. (You can thank me later.)

Now, I’m not one of those geeks who is so far gone that I view fictional worlds as real. Nor do I need to see some deep philosophical meaning in what is, after all, intended primarily as entertainment. That being said, there are some shows that I watch for entertainment *and* because they are intellectually stimulating. Pretty much anything Joss Whedon is in that category, with my favorites being Firefly and Dollhouse.

Since I’m contemplating a fun cosplay crossover for a party next month (Steampunk Zoe – how fun will that be?!) I thought I’d write down a quick list of why Zoe is the character from Firefly that I most identify with.

  • She’s not conventionally feminine. (While I may not rock the rifle-holster look the way she does, I’m not conventionally feminine either. I can do all the domestic things, but my life isn’t restricted just to typical feminine roles.)
  • She’s a fiery advocate for things that matter to her. (Like her, I have no problem with authority per se. I mean, yes, she’s an outlaw, so that could be seen as the ultimate in authority-flaunting. But she follows the Captain’s orders unless it is something she knows better on…then come hell or high water, she’s not backing down.)
  • She can and will kick your ass if the occasion merits it. (No, I’m not a huge advocate of physical violence – but even The Boy will tell you that his mama kicks ass when warranted. Actually, he’ll say something like “My mom loves me lots, and I know that I don’t have to be scared. Because if somebody ever tried to hurt me, my mom would – here, I’m going to whisper this because I shouldn’t say it – KICK THEIR BOOTY.” And he’s right. I would. Metaphorically or literally, I’d do anything to protect those I love.)
  • She works with really cool people (no, this isn’t a shameless bit of kissing up for co-workers and bosses who read my blog. It’s the truth – I work with an awesome team, and consider myself blessed to have the job I do.)
  • She’s married to someone quirky and offbeat, who may not be the first person you’d peg as her spouse – but they are perfectly matched. (Me too – I can’t begin to tell you how many people assume The Husband and I are a mismatched couple. There are lots of reasons why we shouldn’t get on as well as we do, and sometimes we have the occasional argument just like Zoe and Wash…but like theirs, our arguments mostly end up with one of us making some smart-aleck quip. Hard to fight with someone when they are making you laugh!)
  • She’s been through a lot of crap, but it just made her stronger. (This I can definitely relate to. Some days, it feels like my life up until, oh, about 25 or so was this never-ending Serenity Valley. But while I haven’t won, in the sense that the patriarchal establishment is still out there…I do believe the end is in site.)
  • She’s confident in who she is, even if her appearance and personality are not conventionally considered society’s ideal. (as someone who is a size…not 4…in a world where size 4’s are considered hefty, I’ve had to learn to ignore what society finds pretty and be confident in the knowledge that those I love find me beautiful.)

For your viewing pleasure, here’s a picture of the Firefly crew.

There’s Inara – the Companion, the classically beautiful one. River, the crazy scary-smart one. Kaylee, the bubbly smart so cheerful you just want to duct tape her mouth and dump her in the hold one. And then Zoe – the happily married, has-the-coolest-outfits, super-strong one. See why I like her?

Now you have it – 7 reasons why a fictional character resonates strongly with me 🙂 So…who’s your favorite? (And if you haven’t yet watched the show – for shame! – feel free to share any other fictional characters you admire 🙂 )

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Filed Under: Happy Things, Random, Whatever Else

Rebecca Diamond

A word about comments…

Please note: Comments are moderated, and are posted at my sole discretion. That being said, I am grateful for everyone who stops by, and I invite everyone to comment!
  • Jennifer@Adam’s Rib

    Isn’t she the one who played some evil world dominating alien in Angel? Yeah…that was awhile back.

  • Sonia Simone

    Zoe is my hero, too. (Serenity made me very mad and sad. And mad again. Still mad, actually.)

    No one can come up with off-center, but still utterly classic, archetypes like Joss.

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  • Stephanie

    Okay, I get that you like Zoe, I loved Firefly and I’ve always loved strong female characters (Xena, Wonder Woman, Tank Girl) but in what universe do you live in where Zoe would be considered “not society’s conventional ideal?” She’s tall, busty, got gorgeous pouty lips, caramel skin and bedroom eyes. She’s not even a little bit fat, or “hefty” as you put it. You could probably ask anyone, man or woman if they thought she was beautiful and they’d say yes even if she wasn’t their type. Yeah, she’s confident, she has plenty of reason to be and even if she doesn’t need outside assurance, I can guarantee she gets it. There’s no parallel here.

    • Rebecca Diamond

      In all fairness, I was referring to myself as hefty, not Zoe 😉 and most societies don’t value strong women, sadly enough.
      Most societies don’t idealize women as warriors, but prefer them a bit more domesticated and a bit less “I will kill you without blinking if I think you should die”.
      You and I may prefer to watch strong female leads (and even play them in real life, minus the bloody slaughter) – but I still stand by my assertion that Zoe isn’t society’s typical female 🙂

  • Reboka

    Hey, I am a huge firefly fan too, and I just crocheted the whole crew, and I´m going to show it in my blog one by one! I just wrote an article, similar to yours, where I describe, why I relate to Kaylee, and I linked back to your page, I hope that´s okay. Please come and visit! 😉
    Regards from Austria!
    Reboka

    • Rebecca Diamond

      Hi Reboka,
      I love your crocheted Kaylee, and of course, Mal! Thank you for stopping by 🙂
      I have this on my list to knit one of these days:
      http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/serenity-ship

      • Reboka

        How cool! Well, as soon as I´ve finished my crew they´d need a ship too… I guess I put the Serenity on my list as well. 🙂 (By the way, today I published Zoe! 😉 )
        Reboka

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