When women consume media for men, do they wish to be like the MALE main character too?

hungrychick404 · 2024-01-02T22:27:57+00:00

I probably don’t relate to a lot of male characters (I haven’t seen Breaking Bad, but I doubt I would wish to be Walter White), but I imagine myself as some male characters. It depends on how relatable the characters are to me. I feel the same way with female characters. If they have a life I would like to emulate, I could imagine myself in their shoes, but if they don’t, I just see them as a character

Safinated · 2024-01-02T23:39:53+00:00

I consume media to be entertained, not insert myself into it

poopy_head4 · 2024-01-02T23:03:09+00:00

i dont really "wish" to be like anyone when i watch stuff, i just enjoy the media for what it is

specifically with breaking bad i don't relate to walter at all, but i can put myself in his shoes and understand what its like to be him and why he does the things he does, though i dont want to be him

fakingandnotmakingit · 2024-01-02T22:48:08+00:00

No I don't want to be the main character of anything. Like I'm happy with my 9-5 suburban life with no one dying thanks.

But yes in general I wish I could be the kind of person who could be Bruce Wayne or whatever. Powerful. Strong. Etc.

Fuck no would I want to be the female sidekick. Maybe if that sidekick kicked ass too (think hermione granger) but skylar? Nope.

I fucking love darth vader destroying things and epic gun fights.

But like I also watch media for the story and the characters so obviously big epic gun fights with a shitty shallow story isn't my jam either.

Like you can want a good story (not necessarily a Disney happy ending) and cool shit happening on screen?

januaryphilosopher · 2024-01-02T22:38:41+00:00

It depends on the woman and piece of media. Sometimes when I watch something I'd like to be in that situation, other times I really wouldn't, most of the time I'm not really thinking about it. That applies whether there's a man or woman on screen. There's often no character I really want to be, in Breaking Bad certainly no role seems nice. Some women are peaceful and others aren't.

PerfumedPornoVampire · 2024-01-02T23:38:35+00:00

This really depends. It’s rare that I ever want to “be” any character regardless of their gender, and more so just relate to them on a human level. I have empathy for victims in horror movies but would definitely never want to be them.

Take a male fantasy movie like “Conan the Barbarian”. I feel empathy for him since he is enslaved as a child and happy for him when he becomes self actualized. I never want to be him though. I just asked my husband if he wants to be Conan and he responded with an emphatic “fuck yeah!” so there you have it.

But sometimes I will watch male fantasy films so I can sexualize them (I am a big fan of James Bond movies for this reason). It is fun to admire attractive, masculine men. Don’t want to be them, might want to have sex with them though.

MyLastBestChance · 2024-01-02T22:26:21+00:00

WTF is “media for men”?

thelajestic · 2024-01-03T00:26:31+00:00

Not generally. I don't tend to want to be the female main character in things I watch either though.

When women see a gun fight in shows, do they want the gun fight to end and for stuff to be peaceful, or do they also think "Wowww this is so epic"

I enjoy fight scenes. I like rooting for whoever I want to win. There may be some movies where I don't want the fight to happen (for instance if I like both characters and don't want one to die or something, but I can't actually think of any examples of that right now) but in general I'm not wanting things to end and be peaceful. If I wanted that I probably wouldn't watch action movies.

Realistic-Ad-1023 · 2024-01-03T04:23:16+00:00

I don’t think you’re supposed to get a “dopamine hit” watching breaking bad. You’re supposed to feel empathy for a flawed character who’s ego put him in deplorable situations. You’re watching someone slowly unravel by their own hand. That isn’t a “power fantasy” anyone should relate to. And if you do, you should absolutely get therapy. It’s like men who admire fight club or the joker. Or women who admire “promising young woman” “gone girl” or “black swan.” Girl, no!

Women absolutely see themselves in media that isn’t intended for them, because we have to. We often don’t get any other form of representation in media that isn’t pandering or misogynistic. Seeing yourself reflected back at you is important. But so is being a conscientious consumer of media. I adore the pandering bit in avengers endgame when the women get together to kick ass. But they’re such poorly developed characters, and then one character is a literal deus ex machina. Like it was nice, but does nothing for genuine representation and allowing me to see myself in the character other than strong? Maybe? Smart? Insanely good looking? Like, it’s so shallow. A better movie to find yourself in would be something like Mad Max. A personal favorite of mine and a wonderful arc about class and sexism in the post apocalypse. Plus the hero’s are super bad ass and intrinsically flawed. It’s wonderful.

MiddleZealousideal89 · 2024-01-02T23:32:10+00:00

Personally, I like imagining I'm the badass in the movie/show/video game. That being said, I also realize that I don't actually want to be like John Wick or Walter White. Yeah, it looks really cool because it's made to look cool but all the bullet wounds and anxiety that a bunch of mafia dudes are on their way to turn me into deli meat doesn't sound great. I enjoy beating people with a floppy purple dildo in Saints Row, I don't really want to be that person irl.

KikiYuyu · 2024-01-03T00:54:32+00:00

When I watch Breaking Bad, I don't see anything like a power fantasy. I see a rotten man who lets his true self come out. I enjoyed it for the characters, not because I think being a drug dealer is epic. If someone wants to be like Walter I think they have very big problems.

When I watch an action scene, I love the action (if it's done well). If I wanted to watch a movie without action, I would do that.

When I play videogames I'm usually on the side of peace, but I enjoy achieving that peace through lots of ass-kicking.

TidyMess123 · 2024-01-03T01:02:24+00:00

FFS bro - some women do while some women don’t. Just like some men do and some men don’t. Why do you feel the need to gender things that don’t apply to one gender or the other neatly?

toasterchild · 2024-01-02T22:56:08+00:00

Why would i want to rule anything? That sounds tedious and annoying. I don't think i ever really fantasize about power or being someone else. I fantasize way more about being left alone for days.

Susiewoosiexyz · 2024-01-03T02:10:28+00:00

I don’t think Breaking Bad was made “for men”. It appealed to both genders IMO. That’s part of why it was so successful.

ohdiddly · 2024-01-03T05:05:43+00:00

If you watched breaking bad and wanted to be like Walter White you did not understand the show correctly lmao

AngeCruelle · 2024-01-02T23:43:49+00:00

From a young age I related to male characters who went on adventures that involved meeting fantasy creatures and more importantly making lots of friends. Think Ash Ketchum, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, lots of JRPG protagonists. "Power of friendship" and learning that you can't do everything by yourself are major themes in the male-led works I still enjoy to this day. If a game gives me a choice between taking over a kingdom and sticking with your small band of brothers (and sisters) who turn into wolves or are immortal or something I'm virtually always going to choose the latter.

The Boys is an example of a more mature and gritty show that fits my tastes precisely because it heavily criticizes the male power fantasy and focuses on a band of heroes who need each other to succeed. Even though some members are more prone to losing sight of that than others.

Makuta_Servaela · 2024-01-03T00:35:23+00:00

It depends on the character.

For Breaking Bad, I definitely don't want to be him because the show is all about how much of an asshole he becomes when he loses control, and nor do I want to be Skylar since her role is all about suffering under that until she loses her mind and snaps too.

This is generally true for a lot of shows: male power fantasies look unappealing to me not because they are about males, but because what males seem to want in power just looks inconvenient and uncomfortable to me. Why would I want to go shoot people and kill people and hurt everyone around me, especially the people I love? The only male power fantasies I like are the ones where he wins not because he is brash and obnoxious, but because he is smart and empathetic and friendly.

If your male character, say, lived a peaceful life (or the struggles he deals with are more reasonable) and helped people around him and wasn't getting abused by everyone, then I would see myself in him, sure. I don't see a lot of male characters like that, though (tbh it doesn't make an interesting or well-written TV show). Now, as a kid, I was more into heroes, but even then I could recognize the difference between gritty hero and happy hero: small-child me loved child Anakin from the Phantom Menace: he was cool, he got the girl, he won a race, he defeated the baddies, and he was barely stressed about it all, too. Early-teen me loved Harry Potter and plenty of tom and she warrior cats. Child me loved Pohatu and Krika from Bionicle, the former because he was so much fun and wasn't bothered by anything, the latter because he stood up in the face of evil, but only when it was smart to do so, not all wily-nilly. He was clever.

There's also, as a same-sex attracted person, I grew up seeing myself in the male characters who get female partners, since I was seeing myself oddly enough both as the girl herself and as the guy who gets a girlfriend. It's pretty normal for same-sex attracted people to connect to opposite sex characters for that reason.

badgersonice · 2024-01-03T00:37:32+00:00

Depends on the character and what his “powers” are.

Walter White, no. Watching him was like watching a train wreck in slow motion— fascinating and kinda cool to watch him do well, but I definitely never wanted to imagine myself as him. He was a horrible man very early on. And lol, I definitely didn’t want to be Skylar— there is nothing appealing about her life, lol.

But other characters, kinda. Like, I’d imagine I’m a female version of doing their thing (e.g. watch original Star Wars trilogy and imagine myself as a Jedi, even though there were no female Jedi in the universe at the time).

Likewise, being the useless token girl sidekick was definitely not appealing, lol.

Lyzard9666 · 2024-01-03T00:49:09+00:00

I most identified with Jessie in Breaking Bad.

Don't know what that means but yeah.

FaradayBurka · 2024-01-03T03:01:59+00:00

Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are my favorite TV shows, so I can answer this. I never once imagine myself as Walter or Saul. I imagine living in Albuquerque and I feel horrible for the characters and Jessie and his girlfriend and I relish the little details and the epic writing and the feel of 20 years ago. I love every bit of it.

At no point did I think it's a Man's Show as it is made for everyone. Do you read Anna Karenina and imagine yourself as Anna?

87AudreyHorne · 2024-01-03T06:34:32+00:00

I don't really see it that way, I identify with characters based on personality so I often identified with male characters, and experienced excitement when "My" character does well. But often I don't want to be a character, I just find that when a character is well written and I understand their motivations, they make sense. I think it's kind of childish to watch something wanting to be a fictional character, it's more children who look up to roles, and yes as a kid I did it easily with male character and female characters if they impressed me in some aspect

In BB I didn't really want to be Walt or relate to him (and definitely not to any of the female characters) but I did feel the kicks of when he at first started asserting himself because that's a pretty universal power fantasy - underdog to someone in control, puttting idiots in their place. Everyone has those.

I definitely don't get many action power fantasies, I never really wished to be an action hero who can fight well, but I had witch/special powers power fantasies as a kid, as well as intellectually outsmarting someone. I preferred medium like Death Note with all the mind games over an action or superhero movie

theReaders · 2024-01-03T02:04:08+00:00

I wish men a very media literacy

TSquaredRecovers · 2024-01-02T23:07:21+00:00

I’ve always liked dramas and thrillers rather than rom-coms or comedies. I don’t exactly envision myself in the roles of the lead characters, nor do I necessarily wish for peaceful endings in the shows or movies. Obviously in real life, I hope for global peace.

Trikger · 2024-01-03T05:27:33+00:00

I guess I never really considered it much of a gendered thing. Do all women desire fictional world peace? Do all men desire fictional anarchy? All the time?

The answer is obviously no.

I've never met a soul who would choose Skylar over Walter. All the women in Breaking Bad are pretty shit, honestly. Skylar was shown to be an asshole from the first episode and her entire character is hard to relate with.

In most shows, I don't imagine myself to be the main character. I'm no Walter White, no Kim Possible, no Eren Yeager. I'm the one who's rooting for them and I want them to win. I want to see what choices they make along the way and I want to see them grow and change as the story progresses.

It's easier for me to put myself in the protagonist's shoes if it's a video game since I'm the player, so I'll go with that. If I play as a male king, I'd be this king as much as someone with a penis. What gives a king power isn't his sex, it's his crown. A man will need to pretend to have one as much as a woman.

The goal is still tricky. World domination or world peace?

For me, it's not the goal that I like, but rather the skillsets required. The power fantasy requires tactics, risk-taking, perhaps reflexes. Peace requires planning, organizing, patience. It's not about the result, but rather how to get there.

Whatever we like to watch or play, in the end, we all just want to win.

YouHateTheMost · 2024-01-02T22:36:03+00:00

I grew up with a brother who's been a great influence on what kinda media I was exposed to, so I engaged a lot with that "male media", and I guess it shaped me in a way I see my role in the world.

I understood pretty early that I'd never be the main character of a story like that, simply because I lack physical strength and testosterone to assert myself the way tough guys do, and just from understanding the public perception of men and women as well. Instead, I worked on shaping myself into "the sidekick" - a girl who, while isn't carving her own path and girlbossing, is invaluable to the main character not just as a bed warmer, but as a full-fledged companion on his adventures. Then I learned about Jesus from my now husband, and the concept of being "the helper suitable to the man" was so fitting to what I was working on becoming!

So, that's how this kind of media influenced and motivated me.

SandBrilliant2675 · 2024-01-03T07:03:35+00:00

Breaking bad follows an epic hero story (originating from the Mesopotamian epic, Gilgamesh). Epic Hero Story’s can be inherently masculine because the original epic hero story was also about a man, but contains the classic hubris gets them in the end. It’s actually less of a “man” story and more of a very human story about achieving it all and then losing it all due to one’s own humanity. Which is why it’s very relatable to all people and so popular.

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isthisregrettable · 2024-01-03T00:09:36+00:00

Depends. I never really projected myself onto any character while watching Breaking Bad, I had no desire to be like any of the characters. If Walter wasn’t so easy to hate that might have been different.

I absolutely think gunfights and explosions and stuff are fun. I don’t imagine myself in them, I just think they’re cool to watch. I don’t imagine myself in intense scenarios, like battles or becoming powerful. I think my most “masculine” fantasy when it comes to movies is that scene from Jeremiah Johnson where he builds a cabin and takes care of his family. That shit rocked, I wanted to build a cabin for my non existent wife and kid so bad.

-Shes-A-Carnival · 2024-01-03T01:24:02+00:00

yeh i think i relate to the male characters if they are intj's or entjs, like walter white and ragnar lothbrok. i play looter shooter type games and RDR2 and really enjoy playing the male character. if i dont relate to them i admire them, like cullen bohannon in hell on wheels or nucky thompson in boardwal empire. ive almost never seen a female character i relate to, maybe Claire in house of cards, she had one moment i remember really relating to emotionally, id have to watch it again. i have nothing to watch on tv anymore because all tv is made for women

87AudreyHorne · 2024-01-03T07:06:23+00:00

A recent male character I related so much to was Kendall Roy haha

lvoncreek · 2024-01-03T07:23:31+00:00

Sometimes

That__EST · 2024-01-03T13:31:31+00:00

Honestly yes. I'll watch a movie about some man being tough and I will imagine myself doing the same things and coming across as a badass. It's definitely something that made me see myself as different when I was a teenager. I would go watch a movie with a bunch of girls who would wish that the main character fell in love with them, and I just want to be the main character who does cool stuff and that has girls wanting his attention.

operation-spot · 2024-01-03T14:28:15+00:00

I thought Walter White was annoying and abusive to Skylar so I didn’t feel the power fantasy. I thought he did cool things but I think he’s a bad person and I don’t see myself in him.

I absolutely love action and some of my favorite scenes are from The Punisher and Captain America Winter Soldier. With that said I don’t think conquering games are fun but I do think the concept of war is interesting and necessary in certain situations.

I like shows like Queen of the South more than Breaking Bad but I think that’s because I understand her actions and she’s the narrator so we know more about what she’s thinking.

Overall, I typically play games like Animal Crossing but I am interested in action games and media. I like political dramas are interesting and I think it’s a lot more difficult to broker peace than it is to start a war so I think it’s a better topic for a piece of media.

confused_makeup · 2024-01-03T17:52:54+00:00

It really just depends on if they have enough relatable characteristics

YaKnowEstacado · 2024-01-03T20:11:24+00:00

I don't really consume any media through the lens of wanting to be the main character/narrator/protagonist. If characters are written with verisimilitude then I will often find them relatable, and that's true of male or female characters. But I can't think of ever reading/watching something and trying to insert myself into the story.

To use your example, I think Walter and Skylar are both sympathetic characters in a way and I relate to both of them on a human level. I probably relate to Skylar more. But I never once thought I wanted to be her. Is this how most people relate to media?

apresonly · 2024-01-04T22:40:47+00:00

No and it turns me off to men as a group that they do this.

a guy once told me he fantasized about robbing banks. like?????

and then they'll get mad when you think women are more moral than men.

Title	When women consume media for men, do they wish to be like the MALE main character too?
Author	Consistent-Gur6932
Upvotes	7
Comments	116
Date	January 2, 2024 10:20 PM UTC (2 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/PurplePillDebate
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/PurplePillDebate/comments/18x28iy/when_women_consume_media_for_men_do_they_wish_to/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/PurplePillDebate/when-women-consume-media-for-men-do-they-wish-to.1242113 https://theredarchive.com/post/1242113

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