Likely the First and Last Time I Discuss Red Sonja

I came across a discussion about Red Sonja and her varying backstory in the comics somewhere over the weekend. There was some back-and-forth about how, during a stint where Gail Simone was writing the comic a few years back, she wrote Sonja as much more open to having sex, when she was interested and there was someone available. 

(In the particular comic in question it was some horned stag-god of a forest she rescued.)

Which would be fairly similar to Conan's approach, far as I can tell. If there's an attractive lady and she's interested, Conan's always up for a roll in the hay. Might as well, never know when some damn wizard is going to show up and dump Conan in the future, where he has to be in a team book with Venom.

There was some pushback that there was nothing wrong with having a character be uninterested in sex, which is definitely true. I think that came into question because of her rule about not having sex any guy that couldn't beat her in a fight, which developed out of her apparently having been raped when she was younger. It was debated whether that's really a better approach, is the Sonja in comics really anything like Robert E. Howard's version where there's any point in gesturing towards his work as the ur-text.

Which, I'm not sure I explicitly knew was part of her backstory? I wasn't surprised when I read that, which suggests I encountered it at some point. I can't recall any specific piece of fiction that laid it out for me. The lack of surprise may simply have been I've read a lot of comics. Writers seem to love giving female characters' traumatic, sexual assault history.

It would be fine to just have her be a character that isn't interested in sex. She likes adventures with friends, or killing, or gold, or getting drunk in random taverns and singing songs with whoever's there. She could still have the rule that there's no way it's happening consensually. Although that doesn't make the rape a necessary piece of history. It's possible for people to be uninterested in sex without past trauma.

But the writers - or maybe it's a certain subset of the fanbase - think that's boring, or unrealistic. I think it would only feel unrealistic if the story spent a lot of time treating it as such. If Sonja just goes about her business of kicking ass for money or fun, and the fact she's not sleeping with anyone goes unremarked upon, is anyone going to notice? Especially if the story and art are engaging on their own terms?

I don't know if the whole "guy has to beat me in a fight first" thing is a rule she keeps to herself, for herself, or if it's something she advertises, as a warning. Some idiot in a tavern is getting ideas, and has to stop and think whether he really thinks he can win a fight against this lady to have his way. She has to have a reputation. They don't call you "She-Devil with a Sword" for nothing. It'd be like seeing Wolverine in a bar and deciding you want to pick a fight with him. Pause, then reconsider your life decisions before you make your last one.

To the extent I thought about the character - which is to say, not much before all this - I interpreted her rule as being as matter of taste. Like some guys won't date women taller than them, or some people won't date guys with bad facial hair, or women who do yoga. Some people want partners who like pina coladas, and walks in the rain. For Sonja it was people who can kick ass. Like there was one of those signs at the roller coasters that say you have to be a certain height to ride? The sign is a picture of Sonja, pointing both thumbs at herself, and reads, "you must be this badass to spend an evening with me." Or, "you must be this badass to be ridden." I dunno, I'm not in advertising.