Nancy Drew turned 90 this week and the comic that came out to celebrate her birth actually killed her off so the Hardy Boys could investigate her death.
And feminists are LOSING it, with one writer saying “it’s disappointing to see what appears to be another cherished character getting fridged in service of a man’s (or in this, case, two teen boys’) story, but here’s hoping Nancy has more control over her destiny that it appears at first blush.”
(Fridging referrs to “the practice of killing off or hurting a minor character in order to motivate or torture a main character.” There’s a WHOLE site devoted to female characters who have been killed off in an unhealthy manner. The creator of the site lists all the characters who have been “depowered, raped, or cut up and stuck in the refrigerator.”)
The outrage continued to twitter, where one user said, “This is absolutely horrid and has misogynistic undertones. I don’t know who thought this plot was a good idea, but I hope you never write anither book ever again.”
This is absolutely horrid and has misogynistic undertones. I don’t know who thought this plot was a good idea, but I hope you never write anither book ever again.
— Angry Latina (@VeryAngryLatina) January 24, 2020
“Fridging Nancy Drew and calling it a celebration. Ok.”, another wrote.
Fridging Nancy Drew and calling it a celebration. Ok.
— Abbie Karlish (@KabbieArlish) January 24, 2020
“You killed the girl on her anniversary so that boys could investigate? What in the entire fuck?”, said another outraged Twitter user.
You killed the girl on her anniversary so that boys could investigate? What in the entire fuck? 😭 https://t.co/N2ReqzI7F8
— LONG woman (@shOoObz) January 24, 2020
There’s been so much outrage, that Nancy Drew has been trending on the social media site all day.
I don't know how I am supposed to focus on taxes when two men have been assigned to create a Nancy Drew comic in which the Hardy Boys investigate her death. My concentration is out the window. Fuck the patriarchy.
— A. N. Devers (@andevers) January 24, 2020
Many don’t really think she’s dead, but still take issue with the way the story was handled.
I doubt Nancy Drew is really dead. HOWEVER, as the tweet comments mention, taking the lead female out of her anniversary story so boys can investigate her death is an odd & probably misogynistic way to celebrate a profoundly important female character in literature. https://t.co/okFEQPq850
— Teen Librarian Toolbox (@TLT16) January 24, 2020
Bold of men to think that Nancy Drew can be killed.
I’ve read enough Nancy Drew books to recognize that she’s more powerful than this mortal realm and everyone in it
— Katezuda Xiono-Palpatine (@bb_kate_art) January 24, 2020