Nostalgia and Feminist Fan Reparation in Stranger Things

Tanya D. Zuk

Now and again, a show comes along that reminds you that strong female characters are
not a monolith. They don’t have to look like near-invincible superheroes kicking ass in tiny
outfits or cold, emotionless women sloughing off their femininity. Sometimes they wear
mom jeans and plaid shirts. Sometimes they have a fondness for Eggo waffles. Sometimes,
strength is stranger.
–Kia Groom

This fan discourse analysis of Netflix’s Stranger Things focuses on the feminist critique

and reparation of the text through fan artwork and fan criticism.1 Leveraging a variety of

feminist scholars including bell hooks, Ann Brooks, Dawn Heinecken and Yvonne Tasker, we

examine the feminist fan reactions to the characters of Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer), Joyce

Byers (Wynona Rider), Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), and Barb Holland (Shannon Purser).

Through feminist fan reparation we examine the ways, fandom response repairs the

perceived "anti-feminist" messaging through fan art, social media hashtag campaigns, and

fan criticism. Locating the text as not only a ‘80s nostalgic return, but as an object for fan

reparation of post-feminism as counter-memory.

Stranger Things is a Netflix original mini-series released in the summer of 2016 with

eight episodes. As a period piece and science-fiction thriller, Stranger Things begins on

November 6, 1983, in the suburb of Hawkins, Indiana; when a monster from the “Upside-

Down" kidnaps Will Byers (Noah Schnapp). Created by the Matt and Ross Duffer, Stranger

Things fits into a larger programming sense of nostalgia and binge programming being

leveraged by Netflix (Schwindt).2

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 It’s important to understand Netflix’s and Stranger Things’ nostalgia in two

fundamental aspects, the first is the program's relationship to previous media texts, and the

second is the audience’s relationship with nostalgia, particularly as experienced through

media content. First, “Nostalgia operates as a metageneric structure,” where there is often an

“over-reliance on winning formulas and past successes” (Holdsworth 112). In the case of

Stranger Things, the formula of nostalgic creation is not solely through the period dressing,

but through specific homages and intertextual references. "Intertextual knowledges pre-

orient the reader to exploit television's polysemy by activating the text in certain ways; that

is by making some meanings over others." (Fiske 108). The Duffer Brothers freely speak

about the many intertextual references in the series, with specific attributions to Steven

Spielberg, Steven King, and John Carpenter (Fienberg).3 These intertextual references,

tributes, and homages are designed to engender a particular audience response based on

previous experiences with much-beloved texts.

In many ways, Stranger Things is more a tribute to 1980s film then it is to any actual

experience of the decade. Daniel Marcus states that “Media representations can evoke

nostalgia for an era before one’s own life, a previous Golden Age available to those who have

come after through media consumption and stylistic revival” (94). 'Golden Age' nostalgia is

particularly relevant in regards to the show's creators, the Duffer Brothers, and the

generational divide of the audience. The Duffer Brothers are too young (at 32) to actually

remember the 1980s themselves, and so they are recreating a ‘Golden Age’ (albeit a

disturbing one) through the use of intertextuality and nostalgia in Stranger Things. The

audience itself is comprised of either those who lived through the ‘80s and can, therefore,

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experience the nostalgic intertextuality first-hand or those who are too young and are

experiencing the ‘golden age' nostalgia in a similar manner as those who created the series.

However, the ‘golden age’ of the 1980s created through nostalgia and intertextuality

in Stranger Things is problematic, as it recreated many of the social issues of the time in the

text, particularly issues around equality and gender. Equally praised and criticized for its

representations of women, Stranger Things, has become a focus of feminist and fandom

scrutiny. In her book, Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center, bell hooks defines feminism as

“a struggle to end sexist oppression. Therefore, it is necessarily a struggle to eradicate the

ideology of domination that permeates Western culture on various levels” including sex, race,

and class (26). Though this definition of feminism is uncommon and broad, it also addresses

intersectionality and provides a much needed cultural specificity. A standard definition of

feminism is the advocacy of women's equal rights to men: politically, economically, and

socially, and that is the definition that most fans and non-academic critics are leveraging in

their art and criticism. Despite this, hooks' understanding of feminism is essential to the

larger discourse that the following examples of fan reparations are contributing towards.

Henry Jenkins conceptualizes one of the uses of fan works by audiences is in

“’Repairing the damage’ caused by the program’s inconsistent and often demeaning

treatment of its female characters” or in other terms feminist reparation of the text (Jenkins

1994 457). Jenkins was initially looking at fan fiction as the literal rewriting of the original

text as a method of aligning the show to the social ideals of the audience. In the case of

Stranger Things’ feminist fan reparation, we will examine fan artwork alongside fan criticism

as fruitful avenues of feminist discourse, critique, and redress.

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 Fan criticism is an often-overlooked area of fan activity, ignored for more traditionally

creative areas of discourse like fiction, cosplay, and art. However, “I read fan complaints as

exemplary of a distinctive mode of interpretation and theoretical approach to texts as

authors” (Goodman 663). The position of fan criticism is an essential element of a healthy fan

community, as well as an integral component of any social reparation through fan works, as

one must first see a gap in the text in order to repair the fissure. In the following case study,

the focus is on four most often discussed female characters of Stranger Things: Nancy

Wheeler, Joyce Byers, Eleven, and Barb.

(Fig.1 Stranger Things alternative title.)

Looking through the feminist fan discourse around Stranger Things, I was surprised to

find that Nancy Wheeler was described as the least problematic representation by fans,

though not without concerns.4 Nancy who is visually coded as a “typical” teenage girl who is

obsessed with her crush, and resides in a pastel bedroom is overly defined as feminine, but is

also given a level of agency that is denied to most female characters in the show, and

certainly in the ‘80s programming that Stranger Things is evoking. Through a feminist lens,

“women seen as spectacle may be read as being in power as long as they place themselves as

author, in control of their own image,” (Heinecken 27). As such fan critics highlight that

“throughout the show, we see Nancy doing things because she wants to, amid a chorus of

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people telling her what she ought to do” (Krall). Nancy displays her agency by taking control

of all aspects of her life, including her education, sexuality, friendships, and even monster

hunting.

Nancy defies her archetype with an agency that feels both complex and
genuine. Her negotiation of her own sexuality is remarkably nuanced, she
strikes up a friendship with Jonathan Byers and stands by him even when her
own newly-minted popularity is at stake, and she kicks ass in a way that feels
believable rather than cheap… Oh, and she’s got better aim than the tortured
anti-hero. Hell yes. (Groom)

Examples of fan art for Nancy include her wielding a gun, a baseball bat, and her

trapper keeper. Showcasing Nancy's abilities in defending herself through skill, physical

strength, and intelligence.

(Fig. 2 by Lisa Sterle) (Fig. 3 by Archie Snow) (Fig. 4 by KevKo)

Notably in the image by Lisa Sterle, Nancy is wearing a non-diegetic “Girls will save the

world” t-shirt under her iconic jacket. Sterle’s inclusion of this shirt in her fan-art is a form of

feminist reparation or commentary on the character and her importance in the narrative of

Stranger Things and the importance of women in larger society.

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 The major criticism of Nancy’s story-arc is in regards to the love triangle between

herself, Jonathan and Steve. Nancy’s choice to remain with Steve at the end of season one is

also often commented on by fan critiques. “Nancy Wheeler is not a weak character… There's

no reason for who she does, or doesn't, end up with to be the defining feature of her

character” (Dickson). It’s important to note, that even this choice can be viewed as powerful,

as Nancy defies genre tropes, however, ultimately this decision was made to service the

continuation of Steve’s character not to further Nancy’s story (Berkshire). Despite this, fans

overwhelming view Nancy as a positive feminist representation in the show.

The character of Joyce Byers has been lauded and criticized as a feminist icon by

popular press and fan critiques. Notably, the characterization of Joyce as "hysterical" in

Stranger Things, often openly crying, shouting, and erratic; Joyce epitomizes the female

hysteria so often seen in horror. Yet, fans redeem this portrayal as "extreme, but perhaps

we're so used to seeing female emotion downplayed on screen that realistic grief seems

jarring, even camp" (Groom). In feminist criticism, “the deeply felt emotional bonds do not

undermine the heroine’s ability or independence… these relational connections indicate the

characters’ humanity rather than weakness” (Lotz 78). Historically televisual

representations idealize A mother's love and her devotion to her children, usually

epitomized in the stay-at-home mother of the 1950s.

However, Joyce is a far cry from this idealized version of motherhood. As a single

working mother, Joyce is rarely home with her children, relying on her older son for

childcare, and struggling to make ends meet. Embodying more than gender issues,

Joyce’s weary eyes and blunt language belong to a woman who has
experienced classist and sexist attitudes her whole life and is sick of humoring
them… She believes in her own intelligence and instincts — to the point of

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 stubbornness — in a way that is common for male characters but still
uncommon for female characters. (Quinan)

Joyce’s insistence on the truth and that her son is still alive is one of the driving forces of the

show. The fan art for Joyce dominantly highlights her most iconic scene in the series, when

she makes her home into a giant Ouija board with Christmas lights. The art often is animated

gifts utilizing the digital platform to create illumination, both representational and

metaphorical.

(Fig. 5 by Paul Tinker) (Fig. 6 by tomaytotomahto)

(Fig. 7 by CoffeeStained)

Additionally, fan artist emphasizes Joyce's agency as she is most often seen wielding an ax.

However, for Joyce, this weapon is used not for destruction, but for discovery. It is a symbol

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of her resolution and determination. As feminist fan reparation art, CoffeeStained’s remix of

The Shinning’s iconic ax scene entitled “The Stranging” replaces Jack Torrance with Joyce

Byers and provides a subtitle “I don’t care if anyone believes me.” Utilizing, a ‘80s text, remix,

and commentary CoffeeStained repairs Stranger Things with an odd nostalgic twist,

emphasizing the universal feminist failure in the show.

I would be remiss in discussing the feminist fan discourse and reparation of Joyce

Byers without bringing in E. J. Dickson’s harsh criticism.

Your lack of character development is somewhat problematic.

Do us a favor: Get a massage. Take a day off. Buy a Deepak Chopra
book, and maybe a vibrator while you're at it, and learn a little bit
more about who Joyce Byers really is. Because I don't think you know,
Joyce. I don't think you know. (Dickson)

Dickson’s use of ‘80s self-help, and self-satisfaction as sarcastic nostalgic meta-criticism

sparked a series of fan responses to her article. Criticism of Dickson’s analysis includes

Kristin Iversen at Radar entitling her piece “Stop Trying to Make Stranger Things About

Feminism” and adding a subtitle “Feminism is Embarrassing.” Iversen calls out Dickson’s

work as “negating the ongoing importance of feminism as a concept” and her disingenuous

reading of the text as faux-feminism, “and it is embarrassing” (Iversen). Fans continue to

argue over what qualifies as a feminist reading of a text, the purpose of such readings, and

the importance of reparation through critique.

Visually, the character of Eleven is explicitly coded as the heroine of Stranger Things.

She is central to the main plot, has special powers, and is both a little girl and an alien other.

Yvonne Tasker argues that the female action hero is showcased in stories that "seek to

explain her (and to explain her away)" and as such are coded as masculine, motherly or

otherly, and sometimes all three within different points of the story (69). Much of the fan

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criticism of Eleven is concerning the choice to dress her character up in a pink dress and wig

as a "disguise" by the boys. This scene, in particular, is an ‘80s homage that falls flat to a

feminist audience, “When you choose to make E.T. a little girl who saves the world, you’ve

accidentally made her a tool for mankind. That’s gross” (Landers). In fact, Eleven is

continuously used as a means to an end in Stranger Things, first as a government experiment,

then against school bullies, as a communication device for a grieving mother, and finally to

save everyone from the Upside-Down.

It is no surprise that Eleven is one of the most talked about characters in the show,

and is in need of the most reparation, whether this is through criticism or fan art.

Interestingly, it was difficult to locate fan art that depicted Eleven as powerful and agented or

providing an alternative reading. Most often Eleven is visually represented in her hospital

gown, bleeding, dirty, and with a pained expression, or as a silhouette empty for the other

characters.

(Fig. 8 by Miranda Meeks) (Fig. 9 by Niclas Mortensen) (Fig. 10 by Ryan Maniulit)

However, there are a few fan artworks that take on repairing Eleven's character and

story. Ryan Maniulit's untitled piece shows the evolution of Eleven's costuming, in a under-

9
stylized way, though he does play with lighting and shadowing in the progression. More

important than his even handling of Eleven, is that she has different facial expressions, and

he does not once use the hospital gown (though he does have the ‘signature' bloody nose in

the last iteration). Kia Groom associates Eleven’s unorthodox costuming as a positive aspect

of the character:

The fact that she continues to kick ass whether stripped of her femininity by a
government-enforced buzz cut or prancing about in a frilly frock is just another
example of Stranger Things refusing to reduce women and girls to a binary.
Strength, they seem to be saying, has nothing to do with costume (Groom).

Despite this accolade, there is something troubling about Eleven's femininity in the show,

particularly

WHY DOES THIS GIRL KNOW ALL ABOUT PRETTY BUT NOTHING ABOUT
RECLINERS?... I have to honestly believe this is a typical male
misunderstanding of what it means to feel female… I promise you, guys, we
don’t come out of the womb knowing what this concept means (Landers).

Eleven seems to know what it means to be "pretty" in the show, and worries about her

attractiveness, presumably to Mike, but there is never an explanation as to how she would

even have this concept to start with, considering her background. Roughly a third of the

articles reviewed addressed this issue somewhere in their criticism of the series.

(Fig. 11 by Erika Schellert )

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Yet, fan artist Erika Schellert remixes Eleven and Furiosa from Mad Max: Fury Road in her

short comic on the topic of pretty. This comic is meta-criticism at its finest, tackling standard

depictions of femininity, strength, and self-acceptance, and industrial backstory. Actress

Millie Bobby Brown was convinced by the show’s producer’s to buzz her hair for the role by

comparing her character Eleven to Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron (Berkshire).

Perhaps the most compelling fan art as reparation is the piece by Zhourules, where

Eleven is illustrated in true ‘80s fashion in her buzz cut and t-shirt being a regular kid:

reading a comic, eating Eggos and playing with the Millennium Falcon.

(Fig. 12 by Zhourules)

The fact that she is telekinetically juggling these items normalizes her abilities as an aspect of

self that is no longer exclusively tied to utility and desperation, as seen in the series. Here the

artist is repairing Eleven's fate. "Eleven died without ever experiencing the freedom of

knowing her true self. She could escape the government lab, but she couldn't escape being

used by males" [and mothers] (Flagg). In the extension of the world created by Zhourules,

Eleven not only survives but also has her version of normal childhood.

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 We didn’t forget Barb in this analysis, nor did the feminist audience, even if the show

frequently does. Barbara Holland is perhaps the shortest lived female character of Stranger

Things and is one of the most in need of reparation by the audience. In the case of Barb, "Fan

criticism, and in particular fan complaints, reveals that fans do much more than ignore the

author… The fannish tendency is not so much to ignore as it is to correct, to chastise. The

author is not only alive and well but a disappointment" (Goodman 669). Fans created several

online campaigns for Barb including #BeABarb, #WWBD? (What would Barb do?),

#WeAreAllBarb, and #JusticeForBarb, among others. Fan artwork incorporates the hashtag

campaigns and includes memorial tributes like digitally manipulated faux murals and RIP t-

shirts.

(Fig. 13 by Becky Barnicoat) (Fig. 14 by Anonymous) (Fig. 15 via Amazon)

However, not everyone is upset over Barb’s death. William Hicks wrote an entire

piece on why he’s glad Barb died. He states “I’m glad we didn’t have a spoilsport, naysayer

following Nancy around on her monster hunt… I think the culture critics admire Barb so

much because they like to ruin good things just like Barb tried to ruin Nancy’s social life with

her absolutely draining personality” (Hicks). Despite this backlash, hashtag posts and art are

12
still being created for the character. The Duffer Brothers are even incorporating the “Justice

for Barb” into season two discussions (Kelley).

Perhaps, the most direct indictment of Barb’s treatment is in the audience recognizing

a character meant to be invisible in the show, as we can see in the fan art created by Megan

Crow. Audiences noticed that everyone except Nancy had forgotten Barb, even Barb's own

mother. The focus of the show is Will Byers, despite the fact that he is not the only one

kidnapped and taken to the Upside-Down.

(Fig. 16 by Megan Crow) (Fig. 17 by S. Filmowani)

Further, the connection between Nancy’s life choices and Barb’s fate is remarked on

by feminist critics of the show “Nancy chooses alcohol and her boyfriend over Barb, and in an

uncomfortable montage that juxtaposes a teenage sex scene with Barb’s semi-violent

abduction, it’s implied that Barb being taken is a result of Nancy’s negligence” (Faraone). In

the image by S. Filmowani, we see a nostalgic book cover featuring Barb's pivotal moment

poolside. However, when we look closer we see even here, an image meant to focus on Barb,

Nancy's sexual choices are tied to Barb's demise, as Nancy is in silhouette in the window with

13
Steve. For many feminist fan critics Barb is read as gay and fell into well-established trope of

lesbian death (Flagg, Faraone, et. al.), or as an "everywoman" character that anyone can

identify with (Bradley). Barb and Nancy become flip sides of the same coin, each subverting

the “final girl” trope of horror in her own way.

Barb subverts the “final girl” trope, turning the sex=death/virginity=safety

dichotomy upside down. Critics have slammed Stranger Things for throwing
Barb under the bus; she is, after all, the more likable character. She’s smart,
down-to-earth, a great friend, and checks Nancy on her bullshit. But fridging
Barb does, regrettably, serve a purpose. If horror movies are morality tales,
then Barb’s death is a reminder that in the real world, it doesn’t matter how
“good” you are: bad things happen anyway (Groom).

While both Barb's death and Nancy's life subvert the "final girl" trope, neither can completely

disengage from the sexualized dichotomy of the horror genre and ‘80s nostalgia developed in

Stranger Things. Though fan reparation can explain the importance of subverting the “final

girl” trope to audiences, it cannot replace the dominant memory of the genre only provide an

alternative.

The power of Stranger Things feminist fan reparation is in its contribution towards

popular memory, not only of the 1980s that the show evokes but of the present that the

discourse resides. According to Lynn Spigel, "popular memory" is the history of the present

created by popular media and society's interpretation of the culture around them (363).

Programs like Stranger Things are central to the development of popular memory because,

“Television becomes the site of memory, [where] personal memory, public memory, and

media representations interweave” (Marcus 116). Thus the fan reparations of televisual texts

provide a "counter-memory" or interpretation of a media text that through discourse provide

alternatives to the “dominant memory” (Spigel 365).

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 In the case of Stranger Things, the nostalgic aesthetic would argue that the series itself

is a fan remediation of the ‘80s, repairing the dominant memory of the period. However, I

believe that the feminist fan critiques of the show would argue that they are in fact not

repairing the long past of early second wave feminism, but the present era of post-feminism.

A highly debated concept, academics themselves have a difficult time defining the term.

Dawn Heinecken conceptualizes it as the post-victimization of women, “believing that it is

the responsibility of the individual to empower herself and stop blaming cultural factors for

women’s oppression. [Post-feminism’s] call is thus for individual, not social, change” (153).

Whereas Ann Brooks has a softer position on the term, “Postfeminism expresses the

intersection of feminism with postmodernism, poststructuralism and post-colonialism, and

as such represents a dynamic movement capable of challenging modernist, patriarchal and

imperialist frameworks” (4). Both positions are embedded in the fan reparations and

critiques of Stranger Things, providing a feminist counter memory to accompany the series in

popular memory.

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End Notes

1. All content reviewed for this article is publicly accessible online. Fan Art has been
pulled from blog articles, Pinterest, Deviant Art, and Tumblr. Fan artist attribution is
included using legal names and screen names when at all possible. Fan criticism
comes from a variety of fan sites like the Mary Sue, Vulture, Fusion, XO Jane, Mic, Nylon,
One Critical Bitch, And the Pursuit of Feminism, Tom & Lorenz and popular press like
The New York Times, GMA News Online, Think Progress, Heat Street, The Atlantic, and
Paste Magazine.

2. Netflix ‘original’ nostalgic television programming includes: The Get Down (original),
One Day at a Time (remake), Stranger Things (original), Voltron: Legendary Defender
(revival), Green Eggs and Ham (original), Popples (remake), Gilmore Girls: A Year in the
Life (revival), and Fuller House (revival).

3. For a comprehensive side-by-side comparison of the intertextual references Ulysse

Thevenon, has edited an excellent compilation (https://vimeo.com/175929311).

4. Of the over 20 online articles from fan and popular presses reviewed for this analysis,
only one had a completely negative criticism of Nancy’s characterization in Stranger
Things. Alex Landers in her interview with Juliette Faraone equates Nancy as “just
another aspect of the show that pulls in the 80s social construct along with its
nostalgia factor. It’s boring, trite, and it’s been done a million times. And let’s be real –
Nancy is a stereotype that doesn’t exist. To bring her into this neo-Spielberg universe
and NOT change something about that stereotype is boring at best, anti-feminist at
worst” (Faraone).

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Brooks, Ann. Postfeminisms: Feminism, Cultural Theory and Cultural Forms. New York: R,

1997. Print.

Dickson, EJ. “5 reasons why Stranger Things isn't the feminist show of our dreams.” Mic. 5

August 2016. Web.

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Faraone, Juliette. “Othered Things: Fanboy Filmmaking and Their Strange Women.”

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Kral, Linni. “Stranger Things Fails the Bechdel Test, But Does it Fail Feminists?” XO Jane. 10

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18