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Portrayal of Women in Comics

Needs:

-more citations to make up statements

-perhaps less original research/bias?

-More research

(I think Sabrina is posting the article? Working together on a google doc)

Critical analysis[edit | edit source]

Prior to the Silver age of comics, comic books of all genres were available, including romance, adventure, crime, science fiction and many others. This began to change in the late 1950s and continued into the 80s, and as the superhero genre grew, others shrunk.[29] This also began the marginalization of female voices in comics. Throughout much of its history, the creators of comic books have assumed their audiences to be mostly male, even though the percentage of female readers is almost 47%.[30][[[Wikipedia:No original research#Synthesis of published material|improper synthesis?]]] The portrayals of female characters and superheroes' were targeted towards a predominantly male demographic, rather than towards female readers.[17] After decades of self-perpetuating male domination within the mainstream comic industry, many male creators didn't focus on what women wanted to read about, and therefore didn't try very hard to include female stories.[31] Although many female superheroes were created and featured in comics, very few starred in their own series or achieved stand-alone success outside straightforward erotic works. It has been debated whether the perceived lack of female readership was due to male writers being uncomfortable with writing about or for women, or whether the comic book industry is male dominated due to actual lack of women's interest in comics.[17]

The Gender Police Attack Comics

There is, possibly, a historical context for the lack of female representation in comics. In 1954, the comics industry was attacked by concerned parents, psychologists, and politicians. These individuals were concerned that comic books were unfit for children. Superheroines, who had made their debut in 1941, were a major focus; "Foremost on the agendas of the anti-comics crusade were concerns that gender roles were bent in the stories, allowing characters like Wonder Woman to act out lesbian and sadomasochist fantasies."[[[Wikipedia:Citation needed|citation needed]]] Hollywood, which had undergone similar attacks in the past, had created a self-governed Production Code, which was then imitated by the comic book industry with the creation of the Comics Code Authority. "The code policed the visual, textual, and thematic content of all comic books published after 1954, and is still active—in diluted form—today. Because of this, superhero comics made after 1954 tended to appease conservative ideology, and gender roles appeared rooted in tradition."[32]

Feminism in Comics

The enforcement of gender roles within comics continued well past the 1950s; in the 1960s and 70s, when women were starting to take on professions that were traditionally male, the superheroine followed suit; "superheroines were a feminist fantasy. There was, undoubtedly, subversiveness in the superheroine, particularly in her relationship to women's rights."[[[Wikipedia:Citation needed|citation needed]]] Superheroines would follow the minute shifts in socio-political beliefs about women and the home as second-wave feminism and social rights came to the forefront of society. The 1970s were a time in comics (and other mainstream media) in which females and superheroines were “playing with the boys” and had a stronger prevalence in traditionally male-dominated roles. However, at the same time, they were still limited to maternal roles more familiar to a male-dominated comic book universe, centered around females as caregivers or love interests. [32]

Despite the industry's historically and culturally backed creation of a male-dominated market, there has been an increase in female readership as well as an influx in convention attendance deemed to be largely female.[31]

In addition to historical censorship, the male-domination of comic book culture has been self-perpetuating. The view that comic book reading was a hobby strictly for males created a hostile environment for the female comic book reader. Women that read comics were often viewed as "doing womanhood wrong" or as individuals that "read comics wrong." This led to a cyclical pattern of hostility towards females in the comic book audience. Author Douglas Wolk states "I remember seeing a Marvel sales plan, sometime in the early ‘90s-a huge document, several hundred pages long; near the back, a little section labeled "Female Readers" listed the two titles Marvel published for half of their potential audience: Barbie and Barbie Fashion."[31]

In the 1980s there was a shift in the way comics were written; instead of treating each issue of a comic as if it were the reader's first issue, or an "on ramp", as it had been done previously,[31] comics began to be written in a way that demanded continuous readership from the beginning of a series in order for the plot to be understood. It is possible that this may have led to a further decline in female readership, as the female readers that might have tried to start during this era would find themselves confused and lost.

Sexualized Superheroes

The style in which comics were drawn also changed dramatically in the 1980s. It was during the late 80s that the sex characteristics of characters in comics became grossly exaggerated. This change affected both male and female characters in many ways. Male characters were drawn with bulging muscles, and their heads were dwarfed by broad shoulders and chests. Female characters, on the other hand, developed enormous breasts and rears, impossibly thin waists, large lips, longer legs, and clothing that covered very little. The females, with their new, exaggerated physiques and minimal clothing, were then drawn in suggestive poses that further accentuated their breasts and rears. This trend, still occurring today, has become the target of satire by feminists, especially on websites like The Hawkeye Initiative. These hyper-sexualized female characters have possibly become a source of fantasy for young male readers, something that seems to be perpetuated by the male domination of the comic book industry. (citation Needed)

There is also the matter of how women in comics are treated when compared to their male counterparts. There is, for example, the contrast between Batman and Batgirl. Batman, despite the fact that he is just as mortal as his female counterpart, is able to withstand intense beatings and dangerous falls. Batgirl, on the other hand, was paralyzed after the Joker shot her in the spine. This difference is reflective of the obsession that society in the 1990s had with male strength.[34]

Superhero Pregnancy

The Invisible Girl, who later became the Invisible Woman, went through a myriad of changes throughout the history of The Fantastic Four series. In the late 1960s, she married Reed Richards and became pregnant. During her pregnancy, the issue of how to deal with a pregnant superhero became a huge ordeal in the comics. The Invisible Girl, also known as Sue Storm, was isolated within a Manhattan penthouse, "sheltered from the realities of the dangerous world outside lest it cause her undue stress (this still during a time when pregnancy was an ailment). She was delicate, a vulnerable treasure that needed protection (The Fantastic Four #75, 1968)." The genetic mutation that gave her superpowers also endangered the life of her unborn child, and it was her husband Reed that saved both Sue and the baby. Reed's involvement in "overcoming that obstacle formed the central plot of the issue in which the first superbaby is born. Pregnancy and childbirth (the female domain) took second stage to superheroic feats (still defined by masculinity) in these early days of parenthood." The balancing act that the character of Sue Storm took up throughout this era was a reflection of women at the time, when a balance between feminism and tradition was raging on; the Invisible Woman was able to balance a career and a family, was regarded as an equal to her male superhero counterparts, and was portrayed in a manner that was appealing to traditionalists and feminists alike.[32] Sue Storm's role in The Fantastic Four was incredibly different than the roles of her male counterparts, but she reflected a time in which gender equality was coming to the forefront. However, the continual involvement of Reed Richards and his domination of major events in her life (i.e., the birth of their son) arguably overshadowed Sue's feminine accomplishments, continuing to perpetuate a male-dominated culture within comics.

Independent Comics

In addition, many female readers sway towards independent works, where there is a lot more female representation. The independent comics industry, whose products are often referred to as indies, have become a huge source of authentically represented females in comics. More women than ever before are becoming comic book artists and writers, and many of them have flocked to the independent industry. This, combined with a large female readership, has resulted in greatly increased numbers of female-driven stories in this industry. Manga, another form of graphic novel, has also led to a rise in female readership of comics.[33] The trend towards hyper-sexualized female characters in mainstream comics is part of the reason that independent comics have become so popular among women; independent artists, regardless of gender, tend to draw both male and female characters in a similar style. When those characters do have noticeable sex characteristics, such as breasts or broader shoulders, they are not exaggerated to the point that they are in the mainstream comic book industry.[33]

LGBTQ Superheroes

Recently LGBTQ superheroes are becoming more prevalent and available. In 2011 Batwoman DC reinvented Batwoman from a casual sidekick in need of saving to an independent, lesbian superheroine. This version fights back against female stereotypes, and lacks the traditional female superhero physique. Her body sports more muscles and less chest and hip padding. She also lacks the traditional long flowing hair, instead sporting a short cut. She fights the more grotesque images of womanhood including the gorgons, her undead mother, and the ghost of her previous incarnation.

file:///C:/Users/Sabrina/Downloads/Treatment%20of%20Women%20in%20DC%20Comics.pdf

Moving Forward

The portrayal of women in comics is still highly contested. Despite the more realistic portrayal of women in independent comics, the mainstream comic book industry still sometimes struggles with portraying women realistically.[33] There continues to be a difference in the way female superheroes are treated (by both their on-page counterparts and their writers) when compared to male superheroes of the same caliber.[34] However, more recent steps have been made towards equality and de-sexualization with specific stories and comics.

There is a distinct effort being made by some to address these issues however; there is a Gender in Comics panel at San Diego Comic Con which, in 2014, "included noted comic book journalists, editors, writers and behind-the-scenes figures all currently working to further awareness of the gender issues within the comic book industry."[35] One of the panelists, Laura Hudson, said this in regards to gender roles in comics and the criticism that they are facing:

"The panel spoke about how engrained a lot of these false gender-based ideas have become thanks to decades of unchallenged existence. "A metaphor I use a lot is it's like working in a bell factory," explained Hudson. "If you work in the bell factory long enough you stop hearing the bells. I think super hero comics has stopped hearing the bells for a long time, but now you have other people coming in from the outside and [the gender issues in super hero comics are] very apparent. Having the Internet, having these other perspectives that are suddenly in front of us and are not subject to gatekeepers and are far more able to be heard exposes a lot of [these issues]."[35]