You know that one time you were in grad school and you thought you would write on comic books because those are easy and fun, but by the time you were done with the paper all that was good and fun in the world had been sucked out of your life? No? Maybe that's just me.

I've made my argument that Hippolyta, the poor beleaguered queen of the amazons has been misunderstood. That's all spectacular, except now I'm so sick of reading about amazons, writing about amazons, or even considering the possible existence of amazons that the idea of reading or watching anything with an amazon-like character (think Wonder Woman or Red Sonya) gives me heartburn. Not to mention, after studying this subject so intensely I've become hypersensitive to the way our society counteracts the "strength" of these female characters by hyper-sexualizing them.

People suck.

It is a sad state of affairs you must understand. As a student I take enormous pleasure in learning new things and my abilities to analyze society, but as a girl that just wants to have fun (thank you Cindy Lauper) I become so depressed by what I see as I analyze society. It was asked of me previously why I bother to analyze anything at all and I offered one explanation, but, in an effort to reclaim soul, I think I would like to ponder that question anew.

I began this particularly inquiry, how we read/watch the characters of warrior women, because I wanted to understand the disconnect between the pull these characters have the actual existence of strong, independent women in society. If you enjoy living on your own, if you are emotionally fulfilled without a boyfriend/girlfriend you seem to lose attraction in the eyes of those you hope to attract. I've had many conversations with my guy friends over the years that revolve around their heartbreak of having dated yet another crazy girl and the seeming inability to find a woman that isn't crazy. Meanwhile I have listened to their woes and wondered, why do you continuously seek out the obviously unstable, obviously crazy women? Crazy can be fun, there is no denying it, but at least in male-female relationships it seems that a relationship appears more natural when the male is dominant and the female submissive. In this case, he's normal and she's crazy. Despite that, however, the prevalence of such characters as Xena, Buffy, and Wonder Woman point to an enjoyment and appreciation of strong women.

So I decided to examine Hippolyta, amazon queen and mother of Wonder Woman, and see what I could make of it. My conclusions were not exactly promising. It appears that the craziness of women has been normalized, that means that women seem more normal, and hence more attractive, when they are a little bit crazy and just can't get enough of their man. This trend is even present in those same strong female characters mentioned earlier in their hyper sexualization. Their "hotness" counter-balances their strength and so a man can still want them (want to do them) without feeling the pressure of conforming to gender roles.

This means, ultimately, that part of the reason sane women don't end up with boyfriends/girlfriends, is because it feels unnatural to those very people that might want to date them. They don't conform to our societal understanding of woman and that means they lose some of their attractive appeal. As a woman that works very hard at being sane I find this very depressing. It is not my goal to whine about why I "can't find a man" but specifically to point out why researching things you love can take all the fun out them. I can never look at amazons the same way again.

But, as I say with every new piece of knowledge I gain, I wouldn't have it any other way. I now understand more about myself and the world around me and that is necessary to my continued sanity. And who knows, perhaps after a week of sleep and reading something more lighthearted than Atlas Shrugged I will return to my usual, shallow self.

I'm guessing watching 300 Spartans run around in their itty-bitty, teeny-weeny, little leather panties might help with that. See? Educated women can objectify too.