Giant boobs. Sky-high stilettos. Skimpy outfits.
In this day and age, the aforementioned attributes could describe two things: a stripper or your friendly neighborhood superheroine.
The super powered female has been present in pop culture almost as long as the super powered man. Since the 1940s, readers have been able to enjoy a wide array of independent, kick-ass women featured in their weekly comic books. The earliest of the superheroines mimicked the feminist movements of the times. Wonder Woman came about during World War II to fight Nazis and embody the growing involvement of women in the war movement. Marvel Girl and Invisible Girl were founding members of their respective superhero teams and later became Ph.D.s. The first African-American leader of a superhero team was a woman. The first homosexual superhero to receive their own series was a lesbian. For years, female superheroes have broken barriers left and right.
Until recently.
DC Comics recently sent comic book enthusiasts everywhere into a frenzy when they re-launched their brand. Entitled ‘The New 52,’ the reboot will take established characters back to their roots. For the first time in decades, you’ll be able to walk into a comic store and pick up a Batman, Issue 1 and not have to dole out an outrageous amount for a vintage copy. However, that is not what’s receiving the most attention.
Since the issues are starting at the beginning, character introductions are necessary. And when a character is introduced, a picture of their face or their back story would be the logical thing, right? That’s the treatment DC gave to Superman, Batman and other super powered men. With the women, it’s a different story.
When we first meet Catwoman, we don’t exactly meet her. Instead, we meet a close up of her cleavage in a red lacy bra. In subsequent frames, we’re introduced to another view of her chest, a close-up of her backside and finally another view of her chest. In a similar manner, the first time readers are introduced to alien princess Starfire, she’s running around a beach, dripping wet in a string bikini pandering for sex. And you can’t help but notice that each of her barely concealed breasts is the size of her face.
So, what happened? Has it been 60 years of liberated superwomen and then in 2011 we decided to make them sex workers? Not exactly.
Super sexy superheroines have been a growing trend in comics for years now. Take a moment to think of any superheroine you know of. Are any of them what would be considered “plain Jane’s”? No, of course not. They’re toned, bodacious and remarkably intelligent. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. The problem is with how they’re presented.
For the most part, you can pit a male and female superbeing against each other and the odds would be pretty even. But what will be strikingly obvious is the differences in appearance. The guy would probably be relatively fit and wearing a protective, practical bodysuit. Cut to the female and you’ve got an entirely different story. She’d probably be wearing a revealing leotard accompanied by six-inch heels or thigh-high boots. In the offset chance she was wearing a bodysuit, you can be sure it’d still be extremely low-cut and hardly able to contain her breasts.
Look no further than Superman and Wonder Woman. One’s an alien, one’s a goddess. Both more than human. They share essentially the same powers, except for one key difference. While Superman is the Man of Steel, Wonder Woman is not. If you shot Superman, he’d be unharmed. But shoot Wonder Woman and you could do some damaged. However, Wonder Woman fights crime in a patriotic leotard that offers little protection while Superman is completely covered (sans his head) by his costume.
Similarly, women can never simply be intelligent. Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel was an esteemed psychiatrist and talented gymnast working at an institution for the criminally insanely. Until she decided to join forces with The Joker and become a scantly clad homicidal maniac known as Harley Quinn. Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley was a world renowned botanist and ecologist. Until she too became a scantly clad homicidal maniac known as Poison Ivy.
I doubt any of these women want to run around in dangerous scenarios dressed like Victoria’s Secret models. So why are they? The answer is the male readership.
I’m not against sexually empowered females. Women who are confident in themselves and have a “take no prisoners” attitude are inherently sexy. But what comics are doing is turning these empowered women into some guy’s weird sex fantasy. There’s a fine line between femme fatale and tacky tramp, and they’ve catapulted over it. They’re not being sexy to feel good about themselves; they’re being sexy for the readers.
So if modern day superfemales are pulling double duty as sex vixens, why can’t the supermen? Deviant Art artist Beonarri imagined what Green Lantern Hal Jordan would look like if he wore the female variation of his costume:
The bottom line is that comics are perpetuating the notion that women can be strong, independent and beautiful but only if they’re hardly wearing any clothing. Comic heroines used to be figures for young girls to look up to and emulate. Now, they’re barely more than hookers who can fly.
Evan Birsic can be reached at
What a well written, clear and concise article!