I can't speak for Renay, obviously, but here are my own two cents: I felt that the problem was mainly that the storyline was brushed aside much too quickly for it to be able to deal adequately with all the momentous questions it raises, you know? Yes, Lydia is portrayed sympathetically all the way through, and considering the track record of most media, this isn't something I take for granted. But considering how poorly established the fact that a woman is not in a way to blame if she's taken advantage of still is (see: Steubenville), I think they ought to have delved deeper.
I remember this one episode where Lizzie and Lydia have a conversation in which Lydia says, "he asked to film us having sex and I let him do it. I let him, Lizzie." Lizzie doesn't really do anything - at that point Lydia's crying, so she just hugs and comforts her. And yeah, obviously she's not all, "you suck, Lydia!", but the episode still made me really sad because they never once address the fact that there's nothing whatsoever wrong with "letting him do it". Making a consensual sex tape with your partner is not bad or shameful or degrading - it's a valid sexual choice for a young woman to make. If Lydia wanted to make a tape, more power to her. The problem wasn't that she said yes to that - the problem was that George then went ahead and tried to put it online without her consent. But because of the hasty manner the whole thing is dealt with, it's possible to look at the whole story and conclude that Lydia invited this whole situation by consenting to the sex tape; that she screwed up by saying yes. I know a lot of viewers will know better than to victim-blame like that, and yes, a series should trust its audience's intelligence and not make every storytelling decision based on the lowest common denominator. BUT. The more culturally fragile an idea is, the more care you have to take. And as I was saying above, the idea that young women who make sexual choices like Lydia's have done absolutely nothing wrong is still far from established.
The other thing that really bugged me is that they stuck so close to the original when it comes to Darcy coming in with his money and saving the day. I wish they'd found a way to have Lydia be an active part of the solution to the situation. They changed so many other parts of Austen's original story, so why not this? Anyway, personally I still love the series to pieces and I appreciate what they tried to do. But to me they fell short because the way female sexuality is perceived means these questions merit more care.
PS: Is that a book blog you started in the URL? :D
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I remember this one episode where Lizzie and Lydia have a conversation in which Lydia says, "he asked to film us having sex and I let him do it. I let him, Lizzie." Lizzie doesn't really do anything - at that point Lydia's crying, so she just hugs and comforts her. And yeah, obviously she's not all, "you suck, Lydia!", but the episode still made me really sad because they never once address the fact that there's nothing whatsoever wrong with "letting him do it". Making a consensual sex tape with your partner is not bad or shameful or degrading - it's a valid sexual choice for a young woman to make. If Lydia wanted to make a tape, more power to her. The problem wasn't that she said yes to that - the problem was that George then went ahead and tried to put it online without her consent. But because of the hasty manner the whole thing is dealt with, it's possible to look at the whole story and conclude that Lydia invited this whole situation by consenting to the sex tape; that she screwed up by saying yes. I know a lot of viewers will know better than to victim-blame like that, and yes, a series should trust its audience's intelligence and not make every storytelling decision based on the lowest common denominator. BUT. The more culturally fragile an idea is, the more care you have to take. And as I was saying above, the idea that young women who make sexual choices like Lydia's have done absolutely nothing wrong is still far from established.
The other thing that really bugged me is that they stuck so close to the original when it comes to Darcy coming in with his money and saving the day. I wish they'd found a way to have Lydia be an active part of the solution to the situation. They changed so many other parts of Austen's original story, so why not this? Anyway, personally I still love the series to pieces and I appreciate what they tried to do. But to me they fell short because the way female sexuality is perceived means these questions merit more care.
PS: Is that a book blog you started in the URL? :D