Abstract

In March, 1997, Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered on the WB network, introducing television viewers to Buffy Summers, a California cheerleader with a calling to save the world from innumerable demons and otherworldly beasts. Buffy's challenge to gender norms as a female warrior, alongside her penchant for shopping, place her firmly within the Girl Power debate. Scholars and the press alike have weighed in on the meaning of this complex series. The purpose of this study is to incorporate the voices of the audience into this discussion. Using a combination of interviews and questionnaires, I investigate how viewers negotiate the contradictions in the show and the work they do as audience members. My participants' responses go beyond merely interpreting a television series. Buffy the Vampire Slayer became a forum for debate and a site of community building. The series was a catalyst for debating Girl Power and feminism: intersecting, reflecting and informing feminist discourses. Furthermore, my participants described a detailed and nuanced depiction of ideal communities in the series, one they identified with and emulated in their own lives. This research indicates how a series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer can extend beyond the viewing experience itself.