Buffy the Vampire Slayer was ahead of its time in a lot of ways, and not just because it ushered in storylines and concepts that would be utilized by the dozens of popular series that followed it. Its core focus on a teenage girl who fought to protect her California town from the forces of darkness was loaded with feminist ideals and forward-thinking ideologies, making it in some ways as fresh now as it was in the late '90s.
Like all media however it was a product of its time, and it suffered from some of the same tropes as other television shows in its era. Particularly in the first few seasons, there were unfortunate issues with homophobia, sexism, and especially slut-shaming. Think Buffy and the Scoobies were above it? Think it was only Cordelia's fault? These examples show just how much the female characters on the series were shamed for engaging their sensual side.
10 When Willow Berated Xander and Cordelia
Season 2 was tough for Willow, who still held a candle for Xander and was forced to watch from the sidelines while he dated Cordelia. In "Phases", Willow became interested in Oz, but her new romantic distraction didn't prevent her from lashing out at both Xander and Cordy out of resentment.
When speaking to Buffy, who had become involved in curtailing werewolf poaching, she bemoaned the loss of her friend, stating with an eye roll, "Great. I'll give Xander a call. What's his number? Oh, yeah, 1-800-I'm-Dating-A-Skanky-Ho.". Though Willow was understandably hurt, her constant demonization of Cordelia never made her feel any better about the situation.
9 When Buffy's Mom Made Her Feel Bad For Sleeping With Angel
Joyce Summers was usually a bastion of understanding and compassion for Buffy Summers and the entire Scooby Gang. Her house was open to everyone, and she made even the most misunderstood misfit (and vampire) feel welcome and loved. That's why her behavior regarding her daughter and Angel was so egregious.
Angel had already been breaking into her house and drawing pictures of Buffy while she slept (which should have given her pause), but instead of directing her ire at him, she blamed her daughter by saying, "He's too old for you, and obviously unstable. I expect you to make better choices," as though a 16-year-old girl who's recently found out she's the Chosen One would know better.
8 After Buffy and Angel Were Intimate
It took Buffy putting absolute trust in Angel in Season 2 to eventually be intimate with him, never knowing that the act would release the curse placed on him hundreds of years before, turning him into the bloodthirsty Angelus and a slut-shamer at the same time.
After they were finished with their night of passion, Angel (then Angelus) made Buffy feel insignificant and pathetic, like she'd thrown her virginity away on someone who didn't really care about her. Angel mocked her for being with him, and she was crushed, the bond between them irrevocably damaged.
7 When Xander Lashed Out At Buffy For Dating Angel
Prior to dating Cordelia Chase, who went from being an aggressor against the Scooby Gang to being a reluctant part of it, Xander pined for Buffy. Along with Xander looking past Cordelia giving Willow a hard time at school due to her awkward social graces and her eccentric clothing, he also engaged in some pretty cold-hearted behavior towards his crush.
After Buffy had broken up with Angel and was looking for a way to prevent him from entering her house, Xander's oh-so-compassionate response was to blame her for Angel's stalker behavior with unsympathetic sayings like, "That's what you get for inviting strange men into your house".
6 When Willow Made Fun of Faith's Promiscuity
Faith had a complicated relationship with most of the characters on the series, in no small part because she often blew into Sunnydale on a whim, made Buffy's slaying task either easier or harder depending on her mood, and never stuck around long enough to form lasting relationships with anyone.
In the Season 3 episode "Enemies", Willow was the one to slut-shame her for her healthy sex life. "Faith would do that. Faith was built to do that. She's the do that girl." she once told Buffy. After the Slayer reminded her she was supposed to be comforting, Willow simply fired back, "I mean, please, does Angel come up to Faith's standards for a guy? Let's see, is he breathing?".
5 When Willow Resented Faith For Her Body
In Season 4, after Faith came out of her coma and vowed revenge on Buffy, it wasn't a happy reunion between her and the Scooby Gang. Especially not for Willow, who had always viewed Faith with apprehension, not just because she was a skilled fighter, but because she tended to sway the minds of the men around her.
When describing Faith to Tara in "This Year's Girl", Willow referred to her as "this cleavagy slut-bomb walking around 'Ooh, check me out, I’m wicked-cool, I’m five-by-five.'" Tara asked what she meant by that but Willow couldn't really explain, making it apparent that the only reason she slut-shamed Faith was to feel better.
4 When Willow Implied Cordelia's Halloween Costume Was Too Revealing
In Season 2, Willow let herself dress a little more provocatively than normal for Halloween, deciding on being the ghost of a punk rock girl who wore a mini skirt and a mid-drift exposing shirt. Rather than let the costume be an empowering step towards embracing her own sensual side, when Giles made an innocent remark about her appearance, she decided to use it as an excuse to shame Cordelia.
She decided to throw Cordelia under the bus for her Halloween costume, explaining, "Well, this is nothing. You should see what Cordelia was wearing. A uni-tard with cat things, like ears and stuff."
3 When Cordelia Mocked Her Competition
Xander and Cordelia had a toxic relationship during the brief period they dated, and it often involved the worst parts of themselves being brought to the forefront of their personalities whenever they engaged in withering commentary about their fellow classmates.
In the episode "Homecoming", Xander observed Cordy as she proceeded to slut-shame her classmates by saying, "Checking out the I-laughingly-use-the-phrase 'competition', Holly Charleston. Nice girl, brain dead, doesn't have a prayer. Michelle Blake. Open to all of mankind, especially those with a letterman's jacket and a car."
2 When Cordelia And Buffy Were Both Vying For Homecoming Queen
Buffy and Cordelia had an uneasy friendship because Buffy was considered Cordelia's equal in beauty and brains but chose to associate with social outcasts like Willow and Xander, making it more likely that Cordelia and the Slayer would always be competitors.
At their best, they begrudgingly took down vampires together, but at their worst, they tore each other down. When they were both up for the title of Sunnydale High's Homecoming Queen, Buffy decided to call Cordelia a "vapid wh*re", inspired by Cordy's many attempts at dating Angel.
1 When Cordelia Slut-Shamed Faith
In the Season 3 episode "Faith, Hope, and Trick", Cordelia met Faith for the first time when the other Slayer breezed into Sunnydale to drive away a nest of vamps along with Buffy and the Scoobies. Upon first seeing Faith, Cordelia commented, "Check out Slut-o-Rama and her Disco Dave."
After Faith had dusted a few vamps, she complained to Cordy about being starving, "God, I could eat a horse. Isn't it crazy how slayin' just always makes you hungry and horny?". To which Cordelia replied, "I get it! Not the horny thing. Yuck!" as though indicating there was something wrong with Faith's feelings of sexual jubilation.
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