Rose and Her Doctor?

[salienne]

Is it overreacting for me to get really, really annoyed every time I hear "the Doctor and his Rose" (emphasis mine)?

I don't know if this is the feminist in me veering into oversensitive mode, but it's just... you almost never hear it the other way around, and it bugs me. It bugs me a lot. It puts the Doctor in the superior position, and while this isn't exactly wrong, it, in effect, puts the guy in the superior position. Why does the guy automatically have to own the girl? Hell, why does either partner have to 'own' the other one?

Rose saying, "I want you safe, my Doctor" worked because it was Rose saying it to the Doctor in those particular circumstances. Similarly, it worked with the "my Sarah Jane" because he was saying it to her in that paritcular context. But for a third party to refer to their relationship like that just... bothers me, and gives me icky gender-related uncomfy feelings.

So... am I overreacting, or is this a legitimate complaint?

Comments

[orange-crushed.livejournal.com]

Well, if it were the only indicator of sexism in fandom, I'd say "oh, well." But it's not. Oh, it's really not.

It's that, alongside people who refer to the Doctor's (mainly female) companions as "pets." It's people who talk about Rose as useless and whiny (which she wasn't) and go on and on about how the Doctor is apparently The Man Without Flaws (not by a mile.)

If seeing that phrase triggers something uncomfortable in you, I certainly can understand it.

[salienne.livejournal.com]

You know, I've never really thought about those as sexist before... Classist yes (especially with the Rose=chav thing, bleh) and more than a little too focused on/obsessed with the "Doctor=alien, and thus somehow can't form deep emotional connections" thing, but never really as sexist... Hmm. *Ponders* I think you have a point there.

It's just... I was hoping for better from the sections of fandom that I frequent (mainly Doctor/Rose communities, where everyone is nice and fuzzy, and DWF, which can get really interesting), and time_and_chips declares that it's a community for "the Doctor and his Rose" right there at the top. Lots of the members of the ship refer to the ship in that way. So I feel odd complaining, and it's a small complaint, but it does bother and disturb me, yes.

So, in other words, thank you for understanding and telling me that I'm not just overreacting! :)

[baddogsprocket.livejournal.com]

You can act all feminist if you want.

But if the right person referred to you as "My Yelena," you'd swoon like the moon in June.

You know I'm right.

[salienne.livejournal.com]

Hee, perhaps, but I doubt I'd feel quite the same way if some third party referred to me as "his/her Yelena." That would be a problem.

[baddogsprocket.livejournal.com]

I was listening to some eighties music today, and the Knack's My Sharona came on.

Do I need to finish that thought???