Buffy the Vampire Slayer: feminist landmark or proto-woke?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: was the show a feminist pioneer or a product of its time?
Twenty-five years after its debut, 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' still divides opinion. The series, which cast a blonde teenager as the savior of the world, is seen by some as a feminist icon ahead of the 90s and by others as the empty archetype of the 'superwoman' that would later saturate pop culture.

The Whedon formula: an unbeatable heroine
Joss Whedon built a pattern he repeated ad nauseam: a young, powerful woman who crushes any threat. In Buffy, the heroine defeats vampires and demons, but also carries flaws in her personal life —failed relationships, impossible responsibilities—. That nuance, according to some analyses, set her apart from the 'perfect woman' cliché.

However, the same formula was repeated in 'Dollhouse' with Eliza Dushku, with far poorer results. Critics point out that Whedon failed to evolve: his idea of feminism was limited to a girl who kicks butt. The show also degenerated into absurd plots like 'the Slayer school' in its sixth season, which many saw as a sign that the concept had run dry.

Proto-proge before its time?
More skeptical voices place Buffy as a forerunner of today's 'proge'. The same structure of 'a woman who can do it all without male help' is repeated today in dozens of productions. 'Charmed' has been noted as trinc the same path. The debate is no small matter: was Buffy really breaking the mold, or was she creating the mold that would later become a slogan? The answer may matter less than the fact that, thirty years on, we still can't agree.