When researching a film series such as Buffy, it is noticeable that the majority of symbolism is often overshadowed by a prominent distraction, such as a fight scene or an instance of romance. By analysing the formation of a society in a film series, we can gain a profound understanding of how power and status is constructed, as well as a decent idea of how characters are likely to respond to certain situations. Three distinct areas that influence the social formation of 'Buffy' include -
             Buffy presents its viewers with an unrealistic representation of the real world, where supernatural occurrences are the norm. It presents a world where women are a physical force to reckon with and where all men seem to turn ugly at night time. However, despite its differences with the 'real world', Buffy contains contemporary issues, which are evident in societies everywhere. Issues include relationships and love interests, conflict and violence, power structures and the occasional moral lesson thrown in here and there.
             Traditionally the TV warrior figure in modern society is one that can be stereotypically associated to characters such as Conan the Barbarian or Hercules, who against all odds manage to cream hoards of ugly evil beings without a hair going out of place. Buffy opposes this tradition, which sees the dominant force in maintaining good over evil as female.
             Unlike other TV series with dominant females (such as Xena the Warrior Princess), Buffy has an unmuscular physique. Buffy's appearance can be closely related to the cliched blonde bimbo who always gets captured at the start of a movie only to be united with her 'knight in shining armour' as they trot off into the sunset on horseback. It is this attribute that makes her so appealing to her viewers, as they see a character, who appears to be harmless, defend herself and restore normality. It is ironic to see that the heroine is independent and...