Women have always had inherent value owing to their ability to birth children. By contrast, men have always had to accrue value unto themselves by their works and deeds. I think this fundamental reality is reflected in our media depictions of male versus female protagonists.
The hero’s journey is essentially the coming-of-age story of boys becoming men via trials and suffering. We become worthy of our stations in life, and our women and our families, through accomplishment and overcoming challenges. Or we fail, and we die, literally or spiritually. Either way, it’s interesting.
Women don’t experience the same climb. They begin the game with tremendous, society-sustaining value. It literally cannot be overstated. It is, however, automatic and requires no effort. There’s no progression or arch or triumph. The only potential for drama is the tragedy that results when a woman squanders her greatest value.
Injecting women into traditionally masculine “hero’s journey” stories is a recipe for boredom. Because women begin the story with all of the value they require to be accepted and promoted by the tribe. Whatever motivations are concocted for these female protagonists are inevitably shallow and pointless. Their arcs are flat and uninspiring. The most they can muster is obnoxious and entitled subversion; they rebel against the “unfair restrictions” placed upon them by nature - as if men are so privileged in their mandatory pain and labor.
I think this theory maps pretty well onto modern girl boss characters. I’m sure it has been explored. Just connecting my own personal dots on this one.
Not just "can't be shown" fucking up; shouldn't be fucking up.
The woman's journey involves avoiding the fuckup in the first place. A man can fuck up and fix it, but when a woman fucks up, in an archetypal sense, she's just screwed.
That's why so many women stories are about realizing inner strength or embracing her own wisdom, rather than learning and growing; a woman's path is laid out for them. They don't need to change. The change happens to them and all they need to do is accept it.
What can a woman become that's better that the progenitor of life for her species, her family, and herself?
Or worse, a woman doesn't need to change. She's already a perfect being, it's the world around her that needs to change and accept her perfection.
Basically the "How many narcissists does it take to change a light bulb?"
One, they just hold it in place and expect the world to revolve around them to screw it in place.
Sort of.
She's going to change, whether she wants to or not. She's going to become valuable without any act of will or sacrifice.
The challenge of women is understanding what this means.
A woman could take this to mean she is perfect and everyone should worship her, but that's a bad idea. Being valuable does not mean you are powerful, rather it actually detracts from your agency and puts a pretty big target on your back. Using your inherent value to play suitors against each other can obtain pretty bad results.
For example, if a woman sleeps with a dozen men and picks the best fuck, it's highly unlikely that she will pick the best man to protect her. Worse yet, the man she picks may not respect her at all given what she values.
It's up to women to set the game properly, to choose for loyalty, competence, social standing, etc, rather than superficial qualities. The men around her must take risks and make sacrifices, but her goal is wisdom and resilience, not courage or strength.
Exactly, women can go through the hero's journey no problem. Sometimes women really do have adversity to overcome. It's rare, but it happens.
It's just that part of the hero's journey is being flawed and useless by definition. Being born amazing and then saving the universe with zero effort isn't a hero's journey, it's self-insert fan fiction.
The Galbrush paradox is responsible for 90% of bad writing in the past twenty years.
You put your finger on why By The Grace of the Gods is trash isekai story.
The main character is reincarnated near perfect child. His flaws are "low-key-bragging job interview flaws" ( patting yourself on the back about how you're a perpetual self-improvement genius ).
He does everything too easily and flawlessly and with uttermost apologetic good manners. He's just perfetly "existing" through everything like a hot knive through lukewarm butter.
Alot of isekai cartoons are like this. Still, most do it better.
I ran out of good stuff to watch I guess.
The other reason it's fake is that "overcoming your own fuck ups by effort and grit" is much more of a male value than a female one. Not to say that women can't do it, but their usual response to "overcoming their own fuck ups" is to find the nearest man to fix it for them. So people can sense that female "hero's journey" stories aren't that realistic.