Michonne and Andrea on The Walking Dead have raised questions about whether the show is sexist. | Source: AMCTV.com

The Walking Dead is one of my favorite TV shows ever, so when I heard that it was being accused of sexism in its writing, I was so bummed. I knew a lot of fanboys had pretty sexist opinions about The Walking Dead–just read any blog or forum written first about Lori, then about Andrea to confirm (people basically slut shame both characters).

It was pretty easy to dismiss those sexist attitudes as just being weird fans and anomalies, but then I saw this quote from Robert Kirkman, one of the show’s creators: “I don’t mean to sound sexist, but as far as women have come over the last 40 years, you don’t really see a lot of women hunters. They’re still in the minority in the military, and there’s not a lot of female construction workers. I hope that’s not taken the wrong way. I think women are as smart, resourceful, and capable in most things as any man could be … but they are generally physically weaker. That’s science.”

Here’s what sucks: He’s right about female construction workers and women in the military. But maybe the reason he’s right is because attitudes like this are still so prevalent. It almost becomes a “chicken or the egg” sort of argument: Attitudes like this are why women in the military and female hunters and female construction workers aren’t too common, and it reinforces those attitudes.

That said, do I think The Walking Dead as a TV show is sexist? Not necessarily. I’ll go character by character to show why: Beware of show spoilers ahead–I don’t want to ruin anything for you, but I also need to use some key plot points to get my message across!

Lori Grimes on The Walking Dead was considered a sexist portrayal of women. | Source: AMCTV.com

Lori Grimes
Lori was almost universally hated on the show and in the graphic novels because she slept with both Rick and Shane. The people who fault her for this seem to forget that she thought Rick was dead and they’re in a zombie apocalypse. That will mess with your morals, and that devastating sense of loss–with or without walkers involved–can serve as a bonding agent. With that said, was it lame that she scolded Andrea for wanting to learn to shoot instead of doing laundry and cooking? Of course. But her character and her relationships were sort of symbolic of normal, traditional domestic life–and when she died doing the most feminine thing in the world, giving birth, and began appearing to Rick as hallucinations, it became clear that that sort of life is gone for good.

Carol
In The Walking Dead graphic novels, Carol is much more of a lonely mess than she is in the show. She overcame an abusive marriage to become a force to be reckoned with in the prison, helping the injured and shooting walkers at will. She’s only gotten stronger and more likable as a character over time despite suffering the loss of her daughter, Sophia–something that most people would have a complete breakdown over.

Andrea
Not gonna lie–I wasn’t a fan of Andrea in the show until her final moments, and even then she pissed me off a little. Why does she only have sex with sociopaths? Why didn’t she stab the Governor or shoot him when she had the chance? Why couldn’t she talk and reach for the pliers at the same time? Where is she always getting a curling iron? She’s much stronger in the graphic novels, where she’s actually still alive and a really fierce fighter. But I don’t think her character flaws were a result of sexist attitudes–I think they were just plot devices, because no other character could have made sense doing so much ultimately damaging stuff . . . except maybe Carl, and let’s not lie: a lot of us didn’t like him last season, either.

Maggie is a bigger badass on The Walking Dead than people realize. | Source: AMCTV.com

Maggie
The people who say Maggie wasn’t used much after being almost raped by the Governor are forgetting a lot of things. One, when someone is sexually assaulted or abused, they tend to withdraw–that’s a facet of human nature that even walkers (or biters, as Woodbury residents may say) can change. Two, she came around and grew stronger. Three, she kicked so much butt in the finale with Glenn. She’s a tough cookie, but she’s still a cookie–that’s why she’s sweet, and that’s why people like her.

Michonne
Could the writing for Michonne have been stronger in earlier parts of this season of The Walking Dead? Probably, because it’s hard to relate to someone who’s just walking around scowling all the time. But let’s be real: Other than maybe the late Merle and the flawless Daryl Dixon, there is no bigger badass on this show, and making Michonne mysterious was the point. The group wasn’t sure if they could trust her, so it couldn’t be that obvious that she was a hero right away.

Are you a fan of The Walking Dead? Do you think The Walking Dead is sexist? Who’s your favorite character on The Walking Dead? Who do you want to see more of next season on The Walking Dead? Tell us in the comments!

The Walking Dead may not be sexist as a show, but this bikini calendar is!

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