Comments on: The Objectification of Women in Graphic Novels

By: ed

ed — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 02:33:44 +0000

Is this really sexism? There is no implied male supriority here. It’s just a bunch of women getting jealous over sexy drawings of women. What’s your response ladies? I’m an idiot right? What gets me is, they won’t just admit it,they have to come up with all these rationalisations.

I would also like to say that teenage boys, especially virgins, are not reading comics to look at scantily clad drawings of women. They are probably more interested in the action, for example, whether the Hulk can beat Thor in a fight.

By: darchangeldavid

darchangeldavid — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:38:04 +0000

The one thing I always notice about arguments like this one is how one sided it always is. But then we do live in a world where double standards are accepted all over the place. In comics men and women are both objectified. They both dress and act in a way that is to attract the opposite sex. Or do they not see all the perfect muscles dressed in clothing so tight that they just might as well be nude since you see everything all the time. I think it is high time that people start to accept that both sexes are shown this way in just about everything. The same movie and comics and shows that have woman walking around topless have men walking around topless too.

By: Smite Me! » Blog Archive » links for 2009-11-17

Smite Me! » Blog Archive » links for 2009-11-17 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:02:02 +0000

[...] n Fantasy Magazine » The Objectification of Women in Graphic Novels [...]

By: Merlin22

Merlin22 — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:54:20 +0000

The acid keeps deteriotating the fabric. ,

By: Matt’s Bookosphere 8/26/08 « Enter the Octopus

Matt’s Bookosphere 8/26/08 « Enter the Octopus — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:19:35 +0000

[...] The objectification of women in graphic novels [...]

By: fickifickmaster

fickifickmaster — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:09:45 +0000

One other thing I forgot. I do feel there’s nothing wrong with sexuality in comics such as with characters like Vampirella. I don’t know if you respond to this thread still but comparing the humorous and sexy Vampirella of the Warren comic magazine from the 70s, one would see a sexy and sexual woman who is also intelligent and strong. Sure she wears a skimpy costume but the audience is intended to be more adult with accompanying adult humor. The tragedy, of course, is how Vampirella was “reinvented” in the late 80s Harris comic as a double D, blood-drenched, stripper type.

By: fickifickmaster

fickifickmaster — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:04:34 +0000

This is a damn fine article with many good points. I was looking for one like this on the internet because I was wondering if this was still discussed. I’m a collector of comics but go back more to the gold and silver age (well reprints anyway) and more independent comics rather than super hero fair. I recently started really becoming the fan I was when I was a little kid and want to get back into buying monthly titles.

The comic shop I usually go to is not as bad as described since it has a younger “hipper” staff, it’s becoming more modern and inclusive. Yet a lot of the comics remain the same. I saw a ridiculous Batman comic where some double D titted stripper looking character is actually pushing her breasts into Batman while kissing him. So apparently things haven’t changed much since I was a kid.

I’m glad this article was published. And seriously, it’s about time Emma Frost/ White Queen dropped the stripper garb and put on something more respectable.

Oh, on the Frank Miller tip, a lot of his misogynistic depictions of women are also influenced by classic Hollywood film noir so that’s another thing to maybe consider.

By: Kaos

Kaos — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:24:56 +0000

Hey,
i think your article and its comments on the ‘one-track’ view of women in comic books is superb

By: nightsavior

nightsavior — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:45:11 +0000

Y’know the problem with the internet is depending on where you go to find links you could argue any point with pictures or text to back you up. There are so many philosophies posted online any debater has a treasure trove to work with. Because of that pardon me if this is a link free opinion.

Being an erotic artist I’ve seen men characters bent over and done by women with strap ons at sites I post at. Is that main comic book continuity? Of course not but there are alot of images like that out there all the same.

I’ve also seen yaoi (guy on guy gay romance graphic novels from Japan) and so many bishonen pretty boys and well muscled athletic types that it’s hard now days to say men are not objectified just as hardcore as women are.(Afterall many geek girls giggle and confess loving Yaoi yet when we want to see lesbians go at it we get our hands slapped with a metal ruler. Why the double standards??)

I admit there are ugly male characters whereas ALL female characters tend to be beautiful HOWEVER ugly guys in the realms of fiction are still much rarer than the attractive epic posing wind-blown-hair types.

Honestly I think we all want to be seen as sex objects sometimes. It re-affirms we are desirable.
I’m not saying objectification is healthy in extremes but “physical attraction” is apart of the human animal be we man or woman.

Yes, I would like to see more types of women in graphic novels. I hate how none of my how to draw books have instructions on drawing bigger more voloptous girls. Then again they don’t instruct me how to draw non muscular or non-Bishonen looking guys either.

As for the power ratio of women versus men characters all I have to comment on is if you let me put Scarlet Witch, Mrs Marvel, She Hulk, Wonder Woman, Super Girl, Jean Grey as the dark pheonix, and Raven from Teen Titans against all the other male heavy hitters in both the DC and Marvel universes those girls would “pwn” the men teams many times over.

The truth is the media objectifies both sexes and the fantasies of both men and women are equally sexist from a broader point of view.

All we can hope to do is meet in the middle. We should all strive to be “equalists” instead of “chauvanists” and “feminists”. That and we should stop getting hung up about sexaul fetishes and seeing eroticism as worse than murder and genocide.

A nation of prudes is an unhappy nation! Last time “prudes ruled” it spawned wonderful individuals such as Jack the Ripper and Mrs. Elisabeth Berkeley the blood countess.

(Pardon a few typos. I’m a man, not a Dictionary.)

By: Bruce

Bruce — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:25:43 +0000

Comics portray women as sexual objects? No say it isn’t so! Next you will try to tell me that beer commercials, sports, and American Idol do the same. As a slightly intelligent adult I know that ALL media tends to objectify female beauty AND the male physique. The reason? Sex sells. The only thing wrong with that is that feeding that gluttonous desire by the “masses” creates even more of a market for the sexually oriented media. Yes comic books 60-70 years ago protrayed Louis Lane as a object to be rescued. Some of the mass media comics today would have her rescued dressed in a corsett and thong. Look at the body of the original Superman compared to the overly muscled heroes of today.
One VERY big part of that is the improvement of printing technology. More detail is available for the artists at a cheaper reproduction cost than in previous decades.
But hey I am ranting…