Why Snape appeals (mainly) to women

[Audra1976 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 47938

porphyria at mindspring.com writes:

> But on the other hand, there are some feminine (or yin) aspects to 
> Snape's depiction, aren't there? For one thing, I find it intriguing 
> that his craft is the one most often associated with (female) 
> witches; brewing in a cauldron, as opposed to the traditional 
> depiction of wizards with their really big staffs. In fact, he 
> disdains 'silly wand waving' (because of its overly phallic 
> obviousness?), instead praising the 'subtle' art of potions with 
>  


I agree, and I've often said Snape's character could easily (and maybe 
should) be a woman.  Actually, when I first read PS/SS I couldn't get over 
how similar, practically identical, his character was to Miss Hardbroom, the 
Potions Mistress from "The Worst Witch" by Jill Murphy. That was a very 
girl-positive book that I loved as a kid.  Miss Hardbroom was just as tough 
and aggressive and not the slightest bit nurturing and all those other 
"unfeminine" things that you mentioned Snape is.  And remember who they got 
to play her in the movie of "The Worst Witch"?  The very sexy, sensuous, and 
very cool Diana Riggs, and it *worked*.  For having another female author, I 
can't get over the way girls and women are represented in the Harry Potter 
books.  Maybe JKR has self-esteem issues.  

But getting back to Snape...

That was great idea about Snape personifying the cast-off female animus.  I 
love that.  I agree with what everyone has said on this topic so far, and 
I'll add another reason why he is so popular with the ladies.  He's a 
challenge.  He seems so unmoveable.  Remember Nurse Chapel with Mr. Spock?  
Mm-hm, same deal.  I've seen so many fanfics out there where a female HP 
character or original character is "the one" who breaks through Snape's hard 
exterior persona and to the tortured, misunderstood soul inside and wins his 
love.  This makes "the one" very special and very important, to have done 
what no other person could do.   It *is* romantic.

This also relates to the concept of Snape as a "bad boy"  (and the following 
applies to lucious Lucius lovers as well as Snape fans).  Some women love a 
"bad boy" because of the romantic possibility of redeeming him, to be "the 
one" (again) who is so special that she can tame him, and turn him around, 
and redeem him with her love.  That's also a very romantic concept (Isn't 
that part of why we loved Alan Rickman's evil Sheriff of Nottingham?  See, it 
wasn't just that Kevin Costner was a crappy actor by comparison).

Audra



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