Is the "hero guy saves girl" trope misogynistic?
(Question about my hacker (hacking??) novel.)
Just an FYI, I am a woman.
Edward is a cyber spy and works with an organization named Vox Populi to curate and release all data online, especially the stuff that shady people don't want others to see. Edward copies and releases data that a very dangerous group of people don't want in the public eye, and these people find his place of residence and kidnap his sister, Lily, with whom he lives. With the help of his friend and sorta maybe love interest Thomas, he has to save her and dig deeper into the mess he's caused, to know the bigger picture of why these people don't want their info out in public.
I know the whole "action movie hero man saves helpless girl" trope is used often, and I'm not trying to make Lily helpless or Edward morally untouchable. But is the use of this trope bad and/or sexist? Does it reinforce the idea that women need men to save them? If so, how do I avoid this?
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1 answer
This is a matter of opinion; personally I don't find it sexist. People have genders, and sexual orientations, and they have to mix.
We stray into sexism when we pile up too many tropes. In your case, you avoid the trope of sexual reward for Edward's effort on two fronts; Lily is his sister, and he doesn't seem oriented toward heterosexual reward anyway. Also, any family member has inherent value to normal people.
She doesn't have to be "helpless", she can fight and perhaps injure her captors. I love the little girl kidnapped in Along Came A Spider, she actually manages to escape, freeing herself and then repeatedly injuring herself loosening boards but continuing her efforts despite this. Although she would have been caught if the hero did not show up in time; I was impressed the writers did not make that little girl just a damsel in distress waiting for a white knight.
Do something similar. A stereotype is a collection of traits, you can break it by letting Lily play against type. Heck, you might make it clear that given another hour or two, she might not have needed Edward to save her at all.
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