Here’s why the term “Mary Sue” sucks and needs to die:
Mary Sue’s been around for forever, and nobody cared until the trope was applied to a woman. Novelists have been writing men who are outlandishly perfect for a long time. I give you Westley from The Princess Bride who couldn’t even be tortured and when he actually died, it didn’t take. I also give you The Count of Monte Cristo, who went to prison to get more awesome. These male characters, and many like them, are impervious to everything. They’re inexplicably superior to everyone they meet. They are ridiculous, and unrealistic, and nobody cared. People give Bella Swan of Twilight a hard time for being a Mary Sue and Stephenie Meyers laughed all the way to the bank. Obviously the trope is not keeping fans away. So why bring it up like it’s something anyone should care about? “Rey’s a Mary Sue!” Sorry. Find a different excuse to hate the sequels, ‘cause that’s an unoriginal, boring reason, and history has taught us that nobody really cares about Mary Sues.
So why did someone all the sudden stand up and shout, “Hey! This female character in this fan fic is unrealistically boss! We need a term for this offense so we can shame others and act like it’s a new thing!” I’m having a problem coming up with a reason apart from: blatant sexism.
Am I wrong? I’d love to be wrong.
