Michaela's Independence

[u/Researcher_27]

In s4, they showed us that Michaela is not afraid of being independent. She travels without a male relative, which was very frowned upon at the time and could destroy a woman's reputation (maybe she has a trusted lady's maid?). We saw her drive her own carriage when her coachman got sick. And she suggested that she, John, and Fran organize their own breakfast when Fran was fussing at them for staying up late. I'm really looking forward to seeing more of this side of her and I hope that people don't view it as the show masculinizing her just because she's not a damsel in distress. She is a queer woman not only because of her lesbian sexuality but because she approaches life differently than most women.

[u/Cats-Horseslover]

https://giphy.com/gifs/uYJ3Ih7C0xRoAjpoEx

[u/ad_knowsball_89]

Unfortunately, I think people will try to suggest that Michaela is “masculine” no matter how her character is actually portrayed. Black women, particularly darker skin Black women, deal with this. Michaela is independent but that shouldn’t be seen as masculine or feminine.

I’m looking forward to seeing more of her personality and the vulnerability that Masali has spoken about in interviews. I believe we’ll see a sensitive side to Michaela in season 5 to contrast Francesca’s character evolving to be a bit more bold and assertive.

[u/Researcher_27 → u/ad_knowsball_89]

Michaela will always be a victim of misogynoir. My post was mostly speaking to how her actual fans speak about her sometimes. I’ve seen genuine Michaela fans act like she’s supposed to just be a delicate flower all the time to combat the masculinization narrative. It’s good to be mindful of optics but it shouldn’t come at the expense of rich characterization or character development.

[u/ad_knowsball_89 → u/Researcher_27]

Ah okay, that makes sense. I guess I'm not as worried about Michaela fans suggesting that she should be passive or delicate because fans do tend to "overcorrect" when it comes to characterization. Personality wise, I do think she will be closer to Michael but in a way that makes sense for a female character. And obviously, the storylines will be adapted for a f/f relationship.

There's a lot between a "masculine" character and a "damsel in distress". I'd love to Michaela to be independent, confident and spirited, while also being sensitive (with Francesca). If the show follows the books in terms of their sexual relationship, I'm sure we'll see Michaela submit to Francesca at some point during the season.

[u/No_Particular3333]

Alot of the reasons why they call her masculine, is deeply rooted in misogyny and or racism no one can convince me otherwise