In case you missed it: Jodie Whittaker was named the 13th Time Lord in Doctor Who. She’s the first female to be cast after 26 seasons. That’s 54 years, by the way!
While fans rejoiced over the news, some (mostly men) weren’t pleased with Jodie’s upcoming role. And their reasons are quite confusing.
In an editorial on The Sun, Adam Ponstans wrote that the decision to cast a female is “boring, silly, and out of date.” His argument is that BBC is merely using Jodie as a publicity stunt to boost ratings. He furthered this, saying that the network is “[getting] on their sci-fi high horse” by replicating Star Wars’ female leads Princess Leia, Rey, and Jyn Erso.
I’m still digesting what he wrote, to be honest. If he thinks there’s nothing wrong with Star Wars’ leads, then why complain about Doctor Who?
Many male fans are also questioning this transition, insisting that the Doctor should only be a man because of his personality. (So women aren’t allowed to act boyish?) One even noted that it’d be okay if the 13th Doctor was an “effeminate black man” and not a woman.
https://twitter.com/AlbertGIBrammer/status/886510956825763840
https://twitter.com/LewisHart17/status/886665367422197764
I don’t need femimms sorry but a female Doctor Who is just unrealistic. Only a man can believably play an extraterrestrial time lord
— WomanAgainstFeminism (@NoToFeminism) July 16, 2017
Some are even asking why there’s no male Wonder Woman because that’s what equality looks like for men. Hey, go count how many male superheroes there are before you say that you feel discriminated by a woman.
#DoctorWho13 It better not be a woman; not being sexist but it's a male role. Can a bloke play Wonderwoman. Of course not.
— Shane Long (@shanelong0011) July 15, 2017
https://twitter.com/lustycomic/status/886170100658716672
https://twitter.com/chevalier__noir/status/886717533943975936
One netizen also did the math and said that BBC is saving cash by casting a woman.
For once, BBC did a good thing by choosing a female Doctor Who. 23% less costs on star salary. That's how a public entity should operate!
— Austin Smith – BADG3RMAN 🎙️ (@BADG3RMANTV) July 17, 2017
But the worst kind of sexism hurled toward Jodie came from The Sun and Daily Mail Online’s headlines. The two publications thought it was a good idea to publish the actress’ nude photos from past roles after the announcement. This is a classic example of only caring about a woman’s body more than her work. Ugh, sick people.
Meanwhile, fans have come to Jodie’s defense and argued that the Doctor is capable of taking on any gender. Some just poked fun at the misogynists who are whining about the role.
People complaining about the casting of a female doctor are the ones who doesn't truly understand doctor who.#DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/8UK3uOV5kD
— Nitin Kansal (@not_nitinbansal) July 17, 2017
https://twitter.com/LyraMcKee/status/886876832284454912
Superman, Poirot, Indiana Jones, Entourage and Hercules. You're welcome. #DoctorWho13 by #ScottMonty pic.twitter.com/bsvcx0pxO2
— Bill Hunt 💙 (@bill_hunt) July 18, 2017
We don’t know about you, but it’s about time a woman took on this role. If it was never specified that Doctor Who should solely be a man, then why should anyone stop Jodie from doing it?
Screengrab from BBC
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