Originally posted by FoolishPleasure
I have found that the younger gals identify more with Teyla (though not all) and the more mature ladies (not necessarily "older", but maybe more intelligent 
) identify more with Weir.
Of course, they ALL want Sheppard.
) identify more with Weir. Of course, they ALL want Sheppard.
If that's true, maybe we become more fussy as we get older as to how female characters are portrayed and that effects how we 'ship'.
I know as a female viewer I judge female characters far more harshly than male ones. Partly that is purely hormonal and partly it is because the potential for identifying with them is stronger and therefore I am more selective. Most TV writers are still male and some are better than others at writing female characters but I still think even with the good ones that you are more likely to get stereotypical and 'mary sue ish' female characters than you are male ones.
Mely is right that how you choose a ship is partly dependent on your subjective opinion of the attractiveness of the characters involved. You pick the two who you think look good together and also whose personality you identify with. I am certain that has effected my ship preferences in the past. However it doesn't apply to SGA for me. To be brutally honest when I saw the promo pics before SGA aired the only one I thought was remotely attractive ( totally subjective opinion) was JF as Sheppard. Looks wise if you are talking about who looks good with Sheppard, Weir or Teyla, I don't have a preference.
Personality wise, in the beginning I found both Weir and Teyla bland and unengaging. I quickly became attached right from the start to Shep,McKay,Beckett and even Zelenka and Ford a little bit. I could happily watch episodes with them interacting for hours. This is know doubt due to what I said earlier about how differently I perceive male and female characters as a female viewer. Over time Weir's character has developed and has grown on me and although I still don't really identify with her, I do respect her and find her and her interaction with Sheppard interesting. This is why I ship ShWeir but it took a while. I still don't find Teyla emotionally engaging. Even though her character development in 'The Gift' was interesting and from a story perspective I enjoyed that element of the episode, I didn't care about her. That's the crucial difference between how I perceive the character of Teyla and pretty much every other character in the show. For example I cared about how Sheppard's insubordination would effect Weir's perception of her position as leader in 'Hot Zone' and I was totally emotionally engaged with Weir in 'Before I Sleep' and in 'Poisoning the Well' I really felt for what Beckett was going through and I know that in 'The Seige'
big spoiler so don't look...
Spoiler:
I feel more of an attachment to some of the bad guys, like Kolya and poor old long dead 'Steve' than I do Teyla. I even love being able to hate Kavanaugh more. I think 'The Gift' was too late on the season for them to suddenly find a purpose and some indication of personal development for Teyla, who is after all a main character, because most viewers have already formed reactions to the characters. They can build on it with her in season two and I hope they do but it is going to take a lot for her to catch up with how I view all the other characters.
The only attraction I can see for strongly liking the Sheyla 'ship' as opposed to any other including ShWeir is that because Teyla has been so undeveloped so far, she is kind of like a blank slate where a shipper, who is also a Shep thunker can 'mary sue' her by incorporating their own preferred characteristics ( and therefore in someways themselves) into how they perceive her character and therefore metaphorically speaking 'write' themselves into the story. This maybe more attractive to younger viewers. Teyla does have appealing characteristics, like she is a strong leader and a kick ass fighter and takes moral stands on certain issues but beyond that everything else is open to interpretation and personal choice.
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