Objectification of Women in Comics

[phredd]

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen, really? Weak. That's not even worthy of arguing against.

[boredoom]

But you just did!

[Tekatana]

If you can't stand the boobs get out of the comic book store...

fixed

[jzn]

It's disgusting. I hate that all my superheroines have massive implants. (Power Girls' are real tho)

[James]

Boredoom, I would say that my objection is aesthetic, moral, and pragmatic.

Aesthetic, because I think this kind of thing is generally kind of trashy and undignified. Also, because if you're going to draw big-breasted women in silly poses, you should learn some anatomy. This is a matter of taste, obviously.

Moral, because I do think that the sexual objectification of women (as opposed to gender roles, or objectification more generally) does have an impact on our culture. When almost every woman in a particular genre is portrayed primarily by her sexual appearance, I think that sends a harmful message. For whatever reason, comic books no longer portray every black character as a shiftless, lazy thug, or every Asian character as a devious, simpering, fanatical mastermind. So what's up with every woman getting pictured as a sex toy? To the extent that racist subtexts are wrong, why are sexist subtexts okay?

My objection is pragmatic too, because even as erotica it doesn't work (not that I've tried. and if someone has, I really don't want to hear about it). If one wants porno or T&A pictures of women in odd costumes, I'm sure that's available for less than $4 a month. The people who really want that stuff should go elsewhere for it and stop creeping me out.

[bar_sinister]

That is weak, boredoom.

I used to like comics. Sure, there was some sex fantasy in there, but reading them recently, every single female character is drawn to be as sexualized as possible in every single panel. It's degrading, tedious, and annoying as hell, and it makes me lose respect for the artists as well as everyone who can somehow bear to read them.

There, satisfied? That's definitely a moral judgement, and I stand by that.

[Shinhakkaider]

It's degrading, tedious, and annoying as hell, and it makes me lose respect for the artists as well as everyone who can somehow bear to read them.

So wait is this somehow implying that anyone who reads comics (I'm guessing specifically super-hero comics) is somehow some emotionally under developed pervert?

I've been reading comics since I was 6, mostly super-hero books. Do the women look like anything remotely resembling real? No. I'm guessing that's because

A) d00d's need to learn how to draw
B) the guys drawing these women ARE drawing a fantasy / ideal (to them at least).
C) They're fucking super beings. If you can somehow buy that there are d00d's flying around with the power to project rays of heat from their eyes I have no problem with a bunch of women with perfect / oversized racks running/leaping/flying around in that self same world.

I see real women everyday, so I think I'm smart enough to know that women don't really look like that. On top of that when I'm checking out some lady in street? I'm not looking at her personality. I'm looking at her physical attributes that I find appealing. If I'm objectifying her by doing that then I guess I'll just have to live with that. I'm also willing to bet that there's not a straight guy here who hasn't done that.

Also if you guys are going to go after comics this way then you also need to start talking about skin mags. Because those are REAL women, not drawn cartoon figures. Real women, some of whom are PHYSICALLY altering themselves to make money in that business. Now if you're putting comics on the same level as porn and skin mags then I don't think its the comic book fans that have the problem, seriously.

[jzn]

for more on the objectification of women in comics, you should read Fredric Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent.

[Shinhakkaider]

I'm looking at the last few books that I bought, oh maybe less than a week ago.


Captain America #35 - The Black Widow is in it crouched down in front of a laptop somewhere giving intel to Cap. She's drawn in shadow and crouched because she's in some confined space so you could loosely perceive this as her being sexualized, but you'd be fucking reaching. Also? her skin tight costume? the same one she's been wearing since the 70's.

Mighty Avengers #9 - This one I can possibly see where people would find this objectionable. But it mostly has to do with the costumes, Spider-Woman and Black Widow once again, same skin-tight costumes they've been wearing since the 70's. Everyone's in various poses as this issues mostly one big slugfest.

I'm looking at these two books and I'm thinking that someone looking at them would have to be REALLY reaching to say that this stuff offends thier senses. I won't begrudge them though, if you find something offensive about the women here then fine. I don't. If that makes me some kind of sexist monster then, GRRRRR.

[Shinhakkaider]

for more on the objectification of women in comics, you should read Fredric Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent.

D00d, your avatar...

*shivers*