Can male writers properly express female characters and their emotions?

[Odin's Lapdog]

It's recently come to my attention that women may read and watch programmes from this genre and probably feel that they are being misrepresented.

This might come down to the fact that a lot of the writers perhaps are males and may not know what's what when it comes to putting across female emotions and their motivations to do certain things.


As i've tried to discover in another thread recently, there seem to be no or very few stories of mothers becoming superheroes and how they have had to adapt their roles as being a parent and also crimefighting and so forth. Perhaps the reasons this is so is due to the fact that the male writers feel that they can't properly capture what it is to be a mother. Even another older thread of mine seems to give the impression that being a stay at home parent may not be as stressful as what a 9-5 job may be by some members.


Certainly in the films a very large proportion of the females shown on screen tend to be one sided and very flat and less dynamic than their male counterparts. victims, vixens, weak, sex figures, silent assassins, revenge driven, lead by men, anti men.


i know it's strange to want to look at things the way they are from a woman's perspective but it would be nice to know if this demographic thinks of what they are getting.

It's one of the reasons i really wish Dew and other ladies break it into the industry but i hope she doesn't get typecast as a female realist writer but then that would inevitably bring the future follow up to this thread asking whether woman can really portray males and their emotions well but i feel this thread is a long way off.

so in the mean time i will just try and deal with this.

[Matt]

Most realistic female character ever written by a male: Seinfeld's Elaine.

[Odin's Lapdog]

i've never watched seinfeld. what makes you say this about her character?

[Backdrifter]

Simple answer. Yes.

The majority of great writers in history were male. The majority of screenwriters are male.

[PLAS]

although a man will never totally understand a woman and vice versa, I've seen some pretty well written female characters in different media

[Kritish]

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/forumfun/gay9.gif

[Strange]

I agree that men may get it wrong. How many females are going to fight crime in a skin tight outfit that shows off her great curves and lots of cleavage.

[Odin's Lapdog]

Simple answer. Yes.

The majority of great writers in history were male. The majority of screenwriters are male.
but how can you really judge yourself as a man, unless you've surrounded yourself with a large number of females either as friends or even had plenty around you growing up in the form of cousins and sisters.

[Daisy]

I find it funny that it's all men saying this.

What about the other way around? Can female writers properly express male characters and their emotions? It strikes me that's the question men are better suited to answer.

[Odin's Lapdog]

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/forumfun/gay9.gif
wearing female undies does things to your psyche, you should try it.

[Odin's Lapdog]

I find it funny that it's all men saying this.

What about the other way around? Can female writers properly express male characters and their emotions? It strikes me that's the question men are better suited to answer.
i covered this in the first post.

the question you give is not one i cared about since men are generally less likely to be constantly misrepresented since there are SOOO many male writers outthere, while female misrepresentation is more likely to happen quite a lot.

[Carter]

Well we know George Lucas can't

[PLAS]

I find it funny that it's all men saying this.

What about the other way around? Can female writers properly express male characters and their emotions? It strikes me that's the question men are better suited to answer.
yes

[Daisy]

i covered this in the first post.

I'm saying you're doing it backwards.

What we can tell from the answers so far is that male authors do a good job of portraying women at least as far as other men see them. :D

[Strange]

I have read a few novels written by women that had good character dynamics for men and women, but it was usually with an established character(s) like Superman or the X-men. With an alreay established character I think you already have a feel how the character would act or think. I think it would be interesting to have a good male and female writer, both given a general plot, write a Wolverine story. It would be interesting to see the gerneral plot unfold but to look at how a man and women would write it different.

[Daisy]

yes

Got any examples? Of either case.

[Wilhelm-Scream]

As with most of these question threads, the truth is not black and white, which isn't as much fun. The answer is, some can, some can't.

[PLAS]

I'm saying you're doing it backwards.

What we can tell from the answers so far is that male authors do a good job of portraying women at least as far as other men see them. :D
okay, what do you think then?

[jaguarr]

I find it funny that it's all men saying this.

What about the other way around? Can female writers properly express male characters and their emotions? It strikes me that's the question men are better suited to answer.

I've read quite a bit of fiction from authors of both genders who've made wonderful efforts at trying to capture the complexities and complimentary/contrasting attributes of the genders without coming off as stereotypical or one-dimensional. I've also read quite a bit that was not done so well. I do think that the book/novel medium lends itself better to doing this. Television and movies seems to produce more one-dimensional characters in general on both sides of the chromosome fence.

jag

[Kritish]

Everyone is a little bit sexist. It should also be asked if a woman can truly portray a man.

[SapphirePrima]

The only guy I can think of is RL Stein and he really doesn't count

[Odin's Lapdog]

I'm saying you're doing it backwards.

What we can tell from the answers so far is that male authors do a good job of portraying women at least as far as other men see them. :Dit's really the female point of view i'm asking for but i'll get what i'm given...

besides i'm not aware of that many female writers myself so taking myself as a norm, i assume that many other hypers couldn't go on to name more than five either which limits the disccusion considerably.

[PLAS]

Got any examples? Of either case.
Rose Walker from Sandman
God's Warpped Lines (in spanish is called Los Renglones Torcidos De Dios, dunno what's it called in english) main character

[Calvin]

Most realistic female character ever written by a male: Seinfeld's Elaine.
Damn straight. So many of my chick friends are a lot like her.

[Calvin]

As with most of these question threads, the truth is not black and white, which isn't as much fun. The answer is, some can, some can't.
Something needs to be done about this fad.

[Daisy]

okay, what do you think then?

I think there are male authors that do a good job with female characters and vice versa, but they're not in the majority (although you make the argument that authors who do a good job with characters - regardless of gender - aren't in the majority :o).

As for men doing good female characters, I think they are particularly lacking in film and television writers.

[Odin's Lapdog]

As with most of these question threads, the truth is not black and white, which isn't as much fun. The answer is, some can, some can't.
go on elaborate.

also how can you personally tell what is the correct portrayal of female emotion.


if stated a given situation, would you be able to tell me how the majority of females may react, or at least be representative of a certain group in a manner that other females would be able to go 'aha, yeah that happens to me all the time' or 'i would have done the same thing in the same situation'

[Strange]

IAs for men doing good female characters, I think they are particularly lacking in film and television writers.

I think porn movies paint a pretty good picture.:D

[jaguarr]

Got any examples? Of either case.

On the female side of the equation: Patricia Cornwell, Laurell K. Hamilton (an excellent and highly underrated fantasy fiction writer) and Anne Rice all do a very good job of representing both genders (though Rice tends to write many of her male characters as somewhat effeminate).

On the male side: John Grisham, Michael Crichton and Dean Koontz.

jag

[PLAS]

I think there are male authors that do a good job with female characters and vice versa, but they're not in the majority (although you make the argument that authors who do a good job with characters - regardless of gender - aren't in the majority :o).

As for men doing good female characters, I think they are particularly lacking in film and television writers.
interestingly enough, I've been said that I write a very good female perspective in my lyrics

[PLAS]

On the female side of the equation: Patricia Cornwell, Laurell K. Hamilton (an excellent and highly underrated fantasy fiction writer) and Anne Rice all do a very good job of representing both genders (though Rice tends to write many of her male characters as somewhat effeminate).

On the male side: John Grisham, Michael Crichton and Dean Koontz.

jag
does Anne Rice write male characters? :p

[Wilhelm-Scream]

I'm not a chick, but I've seen tons of female characters that at least remind me exactly of real-life females I've known. I could go on and on.

Edith Bunker
The wife and Mom on Everybody Loves Raymond
Everyone on Little House on the Prairie
the women on ER
John Byrne's Sue Storm
Princess Leia
Lois Lane in the Superman movies
Richard Dreyfuss' wife in Close Enounters of the Third Kind

I could literally go on all day long.

[Odin's Lapdog]

since we are on a superhero board, do fantasy writers have a good grasp of their female heroines, civilians, mother,daughters, wives and villains of their respected universes.

[jaguarr]

does Anne Rice write male characters? :p

Well, some of her characters can be very masculine (Armand and Magnus are both written this way) but the majority of them, such as Louis and Lestat, have a lot of feminine characteristics. In fact, Lestat always struck me as being written as if he were a very predatory female.

jag

[Wilhelm-Scream]

do fantasy writers have a good grasp of their female heroines, civilians, mother,daughters, wives and villains of their respected universes.


yeah, um...some do, some don't.

[Daisy]

it's really the female point of view i'm asking for but i'll get what i'm given...

besides i'm not aware of that many female writers myself so taking myself as a norm, i assume that many other hypers couldn't go on to name more than five either which limits the disccusion considerably.

Yeah, that's the thing. A lot of female writers are pigeon-holed into the 'chick lit' category and aren't read by men... which is kind of funny because most lit is 'chick lit' if you look at the audience... since the majority of readers, particularly of fiction (men tend to be much closer in non-fiction reading), are women - well, and gay men. It's why you find women writing with male psudeonyms or at least gender-neutral names when they write books with male leads... fortunately this his happening less and less.

[Kritish]

I'm tired of "smart" threads. Lets make threads about boobies.

[Odin's Lapdog]

yeah, um...some do, some don't.
if you give me one more vague answer i swear to god i'm going to fly over there and kick your head in.....

*chuckles*

i tried to type that with a straight face, oh my.

:D:D:D

[Daisy]

On the female side of the equation: Patricia Cornwell, Laurell K. Hamilton (an excellent and highly underrated fantasy fiction writer) and Anne Rice all do a very good job of representing both genders (though Rice tends to write many of her male characters as somewhat effeminate).

On the male side: John Grisham, Michael Crichton and Dean Koontz.

jag

I've never though Rice did well at representing men, and don't know Hamilton. I'd have to think about Cornwell. Scarpetta (and Lucy) tend to overshadow them.

Truthfully, I've never read a Grisham, but I wouldn't have guessed it from the couple films I've seen. The only Crichton I've read was Timeline and while I liked the story, I don't really remember the female charaters. I've never read a Koontz either.

[Odin's Lapdog]

I'm tired of "smart" threads. Lets make threads about boobies.
feel free to if you wish:confused:

[Wilhelm-Scream]

if you give me one more vague answer i swear to god i'm going to fly over there and kick your head in.....
Bring it, Grandma.

[Daisy]

I'm tired of "smart" threads. Lets make threads about boobies.

Would you just post some porn already ? Please?

[PLAS]

this is, after a fashion, a thread about boobies

[Wilhelm-Scream]

she means it. :eek:

[Kritish]

Would you just post some porn already so I can ban ? Please?

Sorry honey, I wouldn't wanna break the rules.

I'm a good boy.:( :up:

[Odin's Lapdog]

Bring it, Grandma.
it's official, there are no pictures of a grandmother dropkicking a kid on the internet.

:(

[Daisy]

it's official, there are no pictures of a grandmother dropkicking a kid on the internet.

:(

Guess you'll have to create one. :)

[Odin's Lapdog]

Yeah, that's the thing. A lot of female writers are pigeon-holed into the 'chick lit' category and aren't read by men... which is kind of funny because most lit is 'chick lit' if you look at the audience... since the majority of readers, particularly of fiction (men tend to be much closer in non-fiction reading), are women - well, and gay men. It's why you find women writing with male psudeonyms or at least gender-neutral names when they write books with male leads... fortunately this his happening less and less.
well the problem is that no man is really going to complain that they are being misrepresented since there's bound to be something outthere in one form or another in all forms of media that some male is able to identify with a male character.


however looking across the whole spectrum of females and their characters then it's just not the case, especially in this superhero fantasy medium.

i won't get started on sexual orientation cause it would lead to this topic being thrown out into race and religious identification as well so i wish to keep it as concise as possible (not to say it's going anywhere but still)

[Odin's Lapdog]

Guess you'll have to create one. :)
can you lend me a dress and a kid?

:o

[jaguarr]

I've never though Rice did well at representing men, and don't know Hamilton. I'd have to think about Cornwell. Scarpetta (and Lucy) tend to overshadow them.

Truthfully, I've never read a Grisham, but I wouldn't have guessed it from the couple films I've seen. The only Crichton I've read was Timeline and while I liked the story, I don't really remember the female charaters. I've never read a Koontz either.

Well, PLAS and I already talked a bit about Rice. I think she can write pretty good male characters when she wants to, but she has a fetish for effeminate gay men and her male leads tend to reflect that. Also, true about Scarpetta and Lucy in Cornwell's books, but her male leads tend to provide good counterpoint to those strong female leads. Of the three, I enjoy Hamilton quite a bit.

Grisham's books are much better than any of his films. Same for Crichton and Koontz.

jag

[Wilhelm-Scream]

"Clear off, ya faht Koontz!:mad:"

[jaguarr]

"Clear off, ya faht Koontz!:mad:"

Picture the scene: The other f**kin' week there, doin' the f**kin' Volley with Tommy, playing pool. I'm playing like Paul-F**kin'-Newman by the way. Givin' the boy here the tannin' of a lifetime. So it comes to there, during the last shot, the deciding ball of the whole tournament. I'm on the black and he's sittin' in the corner looking all f**kin' biscuit-arsed. When this hard koontz comes in. Obviously f**kin' fancied himself, like. Starts staring at me. Lookin' at me, right f**kin' at me, as if to say, "Come ahead, square go." You ken me, I'm not the type of koontz that goes looking for fu**in' bother, like, but at the end of the day I'm the koontz with a pool cue and he can get the fat end in his puss any time he f**king wanted like. So I squares up, casual like. What does the hard koontz do? Or the so-called hard koontz? ****es it. Puts down his drink, turns, and gets the f**k out of there. And after that, well, the game was mine.

jag

[Odin's Lapdog]

i don't think brits get a fair deal either...

:o:o

[jaguarr]

i don't think brits get a fair deal either...

:o:o

To be fair, Begbie was a Scotsman. :)

jag

[Odin's Lapdog]

scotland is in britain

[jaguarr]

scotland is in britain

Depends on who you ask. :o

jag

[Odin's Lapdog]

no it doesn't

countries are: england, scotland, wales, northern ireland

britain is england wales and scotland

great britain are england scotland wales and northern ireland.

united kingdom i think also used to encoporate the republic of ireland but i don't think that's the case anymore so i don't know what the hell that is...

all and all, scotland is always in britain.

[PLAS]

Milton's Eve is an interesting female character

[jaguarr]

no it doesn't

countries are: england, scotland, wales, northern ireland

britain is england wales and scotland

great britain are england scotland wales and northern ireland.

united kingdom i think also used to encoporate the republic of ireland but i don't think that's the case anymore so i don't know what the hell that is...

all and all, scotland is always in britain.

I know some Scots who disagree, even though the official borders of the UK encompass Scotland. ;)

jag

[pHat_aL]

Yes. Yes! It is the female who can't properly express male characters and their emotion. If you're a reader--you should know that by now.

[Peacekeeper 2.0]

I'm surprised no one quoted Melvin Udall yet in this thread:spidey:.

Female Receptionist: "How do you write women so well?"
Melvin: "I think of a man... and I take away reason, and accountability. "

[ScottyBBadd]

It is a tricky situation. I do some writing on another forum, and my lead character is female. My readers pushed me to push her as my lead character. It does work for me.

[8Ball2/JanG5]

What is odin's lapdog talking about in the first place. He says "in this genre." What genre? Anyway, i've seen plenty of pretty well written female characters, but then again I usually watch critically acclaimed movies.

Anyway, a movie by a female director who portrays men pretty well is Vegabond.

[ScottyBBadd]

What is odin's lapdog talking about in the first place. He says "in this genre." What genre? Anyway, i've seen plenty of pretty well written female characters, but then again I usually watch critically acclaimed movies.

Anyway, a movie by a female director who portrays men pretty well is Vegabond.

Beats me.

[E. Bison]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/Bane_Lily/Spider_Lantern/bison6.bmpOf course men can write women well. Most men gain their understandment of women through the first women in their lives: their mothers. It's just that women are portrayed in various stereotypes in the media because it set in standard for stupid reason.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/Bane_Lily/Spider_Lantern/1085635345618.jpgFor example: Many critics have claimed that the character Cybil and Sharon were sharing awkward sexual tension in the movie Silent Hill recently. Why? Just because Cybil was portrayed as a head strong, stable female cop. ALSO, because she HAS SHORT HAIR!! THAT is also a stereotype in the media that when a woman has short hair it's because she is a lesbian or bisexual.

[ScottyBBadd]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/Bane_Lily/Spider_Lantern/bison6.bmpOf course men can write women well. Most men gain their understandment of women through the first women in their lives: their mothers. It's just that women are portrayed in various stereotypes in the media because it set in standard for stupid reason.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/Bane_Lily/Spider_Lantern/1085635345618.jpgFor example: Many critics have claimed that the character Cybil and Sharon were sharing awkward sexual tension in the movie Silent Hill recently. Why? Just because Cybil was portrayed as a head strong, stable female cop. ALSO, because she HAS SHORT HAIR!! THAT is also a stereotype in the media that when a woman has short hair it's because she is a lesbian or bisexual.

As far as the hair thing goes, you may have a point. I visualise my character with long hair.

[E. Bison]

As far as the hair thing goes, you may have a point. I visualise my character with long hair.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/Bane_Lily/Spider_Lantern/bison6.bmpAnd all writers are aware of this. Even female writers share in the vagueness that portrays women very shallowly. I mean for crying out loud. Who stops to think about lesbian sex when your daughter is missing in a demon infested, ghost town and a guy with a f'n pyramid helmet and head is trying to rape you? Did those critics forget that ROSE WAS MARRIED in that movie.

[ScottyBBadd]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/Bane_Lily/Spider_Lantern/bison6.bmpAnd all writers are aware of this. Even female writers share in the vagueness that portrays women very shallowly. I mean for crying out loud. Who stops to think about lesbian sex when your daughter is missing in a demon infested, ghost town and a guy with a f'n pyramid helmet and head is trying to rape you? Did those critics forget that ROSE WAS MARRIED in that movie.

I don't

[E. Bison]

I don't
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/Bane_Lily/Bison_sad.bmpI do...there's something wrong with me.

[Kurosawa]

Well we know George Lucas can't


I dunno...Princess Leia is a pretty strong character. He at least could at one time. And his female characters in American Grafitti are very interesting.

Padmé is more an archetype than a character.

[Kurosawa]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/Bane_Lily/Spider_Lantern/bison6.bmpOf course men can write women well. Most men gain their understandment of women through the first women in their lives: their mothers. It's just that women are portrayed in various stereotypes in the media because it set in standard for stupid reason.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/Bane_Lily/Spider_Lantern/1085635345618.jpgFor example: Many critics have claimed that the character Cybil and Sharon were sharing awkward sexual tension in the movie Silent Hill recently. Why? Just because Cybil was portrayed as a head strong, stable female cop. ALSO, because she HAS SHORT HAIR!! THAT is also a stereotype in the media that when a woman has short hair it's because she is a lesbian or bisexual.

That thought never crossed my mind...and i'm as dirty-minded as the average guy. Those critics must be straight up perverts.

[Johnichi Chiba]

Bret Easton Ellis is pretty good with writing female characters. Then again he is bisexual...

[PhotoJones]

ever watched chasing amy?

then, the answer is yes.

[Abaddon]

Joss Whedon

[8Ball2/JanG5]

Joss Whedon

What? Maybe..but only the dorky female/open female. His good characters on television are intellectually open and talkative. Whedon can't portray someone's inner throughts through images, he just puts characters in situations.

And that girl in Serenity annoys me as much as any character in that movie. She's written as an awkward girl begging for sex. That is just to appease all the balding browncoats of the world, it's so pathetic.

[Abaddon]

What? Maybe..but only the dorky female/open female. His good characters on television are intellectually open and talkative. Whedon can't portray someone's inner throughts through images, he just puts characters in situations.

And that girl in Serenity annoys me as much as any character in that movie. She's written as an awkward girl begging for sex. That is just to appease all the balding browncoats of the world, it's so pathetic.


I'm not sure what you mean by that.

[Galactus]

Personally I think Stephen King has written some strong female characters in novels like Dolores Claiborne.

[Outsiderzedge]

It's recently come to my attention that women may read and watch programmes from this genre and probably feel that they are being misrepresented.

This might come down to the fact that a lot of the writers perhaps are males and may not know what's what when it comes to putting across female emotions and their motivations to do certain things.


As i've tried to discover in another thread recently, there seem to be no or very few stories of mothers becoming superheroes and how they have had to adapt their roles as being a parent and also crimefighting and so forth. Perhaps the reasons this is so is due to the fact that the male writers feel that they can't properly capture what it is to be a mother. Even another older thread of mine seems to give the impression that being a stay at home parent may not be as stressful as what a 9-5 job may be by some members.


Certainly in the films a very large proportion of the females shown on screen tend to be one sided and very flat and less dynamic than their male counterparts. victims, vixens, weak, sex figures, silent assassins, revenge driven, lead by men, anti men.


i know it's strange to want to look at things the way they are from a woman's perspective but it would be nice to know if this demographic thinks of what they are getting.

It's one of the reasons i really wish Dew and other ladies break it into the industry but i hope she doesn't get typecast as a female realist writer but then that would inevitably bring the future follow up to this thread asking whether woman can really portray males and their emotions well but i feel this thread is a long way off.

so in the mean time i will just try and deal with this.

All women are not the same, so being able to write a certain female character well does not mean you can write any female character well and, vice versa, not being able to write a certain female character well does not mean you can not write any female character well.

Writing a character well, male or female, is not difficult if you know the character before hand. The question shouldn't be whether one can write the opposite sex, but can one write a person they do not know.

[8Ball2/JanG5]

I meant he can't mesh images and contexts with a character. In other words, everything in Serenity is set up like a T.V. show, not a film. This could have something to do with the low budget but still, he's just another director of actions and stories, not images. One should be able to place through montage and mise-en-scene a characteristic of said character under observation.

[Abaddon]

I meant he can't mesh images and contexts with a character. In other words, everything in Serenity is set up like a T.V. show, not a film. This could have something to do with the low budget but still, he's just another director of actions and stories, not images. One should be able to place through montage and mise-en-scene a characteristic of said character under observation.


I haven't seen Serenity so I can't comment on that,but I believe he's fully capable.

[8Ball2/JanG5]

Of what? hopefully his images which he never has had a chance to prove, because his writing is so hackworthy.

[Abaddon]

I disagree about the writing but ok.

[Hudson]

I find it funny that it's all men saying this.

What about the other way around? Can female writers properly express male characters and their emotions? It strikes me that's the question men are better suited to answer.

yup:up:

Try and read Robin Hobb's Fantasy novels, very well written with I narrative with a male hero.

[Shuley]

I find it funny that it's all men saying this.

What about the other way around? Can female writers properly express male characters and their emotions? It strikes me that's the question men are better suited to answer.

Women can't write as good as men can.It's true.

[Odin's Lapdog]

What is odin's lapdog talking about in the first place. He says "in this genre." What genre? Anyway, i've seen plenty of pretty well written female characters, but then again I usually watch critically acclaimed movies.

Anyway, a movie by a female director who portrays men pretty well is Vegabond.
'this genre' as in the one that has all brought us to the hype

superhero characters in all forms of medium such as film, comics, books in animation.


I was trying to focus more on this genre but it seems the conversation has been more open.


a lot of people are saying i should be discussing whether or not female writers can truelly write men but i feel this is kinda irrelevant just based on the sheer larger proportion of male writers out there in all media, it's not likely that with all the different types of shows out there that men are going to complain about being misrepresented, hence why i've tried to kinda focus on the vice versa.

i hope this brings some insight, feel free to ask anymore questions if you need to.

[Odin's Lapdog]

All women are not the same, so being able to write a certain female character well does not mean you can write any female character well and, vice versa, not being able to write a certain female character well does not mean you can not write any female character well.

Writing a character well, male or female, is not difficult if you know the character before hand. The question shouldn't be whether one can write the opposite sex, but can one write a person they do not know.
but there is a difference in knowing someone and being someone though. There are plenty of things that go without being said or perhaps noticed in real life that people do and no matter how well you think you may know someone, if you don't see them in that situation then you'll never truelly know.

that's the strength of observation based comedians, especially race specific ones that pick up on behaviour they've been put under and put it out there knowing they can't have been the only one to go through this and that others probably know exactly what they are going on about.

here's throwing something out.

do you think a female white comedian could perform a sketch based on upbringings of black males in the 80s if she went and got all her background knowledge to a black audience?

heck, i will make it easier, do you think if she just wrote the sketch and gave it to a black male to perform that it would be as funny and insightful as if he had written it himself?

because on a parallel, that's really what i'm trying to get down to.

[Movies205]

I find it funny that it's all men saying this.

What about the other way around? Can female writers properly express male characters and their emotions? It strikes me that's the question men are better suited to answer.

Men are allow to answer questions about women and vice-a-versa, whether or not there opinion is bias is another story.

[Whirlysplat]

They can convey a female as a male sees them. So their observations would be right for just under 50% of the population.

- Whirly

[8Ball2/JanG5]

but there is a difference in knowing someone and being someone though. There are plenty of things that go without being said or perhaps noticed in real life that people do and no matter how well you think you may know someone, if you don't see them in that situation then you'll never truelly know.

that's the strength of observation based comedians, especially race specific ones that pick up on behaviour they've been put under and put it out there knowing they can't have been the only one to go through this and that others probably know exactly what they are going on about.

here's throwing something out.

do you think a female white comedian could perform a sketch based on upbringings of black males in the 80s if she went and got all her background knowledge to a black audience?

heck, i will make it easier, do you think if she just wrote the sketch and gave it to a black male to perform that it would be as funny and insightful as if he had written it himself?

because on a parallel, that's really what i'm trying to get down to.

Nobody can stay on your superhero genre because both men and women are portrayed archetypally in this type of fiction. It's not accurate, it's not a good genre for character development.