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Fandom is beyond Meta
May. 16th, 2007 02:42 pmWhat's been going on over the Internet is important.
What I wrote about in "A Little Perspective" holds true.
There ARE more important things than a statue, or a TV show, or a comic book, or any piece of popular media.
But these issues within popular media ARE important because they are a mirror to the way people, women, are treated.
Ragnell the Foul (who is![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
morchades ) wrote a post about the huge response the Mary-Jane Comiquette received and I quote:
That is the point.
That is what is going on.
There have been statues and covers and books and many things before the Mary-Jane fiasco, but that pushed the button one too many times.
I think most female comic book fans realize that part of the genre is posing and the art, but there's a difference between posing and cheescake.
Really.
One can pose Catwoman running on the roof, jumping like the gymnast she is and landing on the roof opposite gracefully and beautifully. One doesn't need to focus on the her ass as she lands.
And Emma Frost can be the ice cold, blond seductress she is without her breasts falling out of her corset which aught to be holding her breasts up and not squishing them into the shape of melons.
Strong women with unbridled sexualities are the stuff that comic book heroines are made of, but not all of them are like that. Look at Big Barda, a happily marries woman who wears full body armour and huge mother of a helmet. Not to mention that she's the tallest heroine in the DCU, yes, taller than Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, the Big Three.
And yes there's a bust of her being a coat rack for Scott Free (her husband) and she's usually drawn as skinny and wiry as a ninja when she's supposed to a valkyre.
Just a couple of examples and the list goes on, and those are the milder cases, I really don't think I need to get into what they've done to Power Girl and Supergirl.
The way the industry depicts their women as opposed to the way they depict their men shows the industries general attitude towards women.
"Oh it's just a drawing" some say.
Well the old adage hold true - A picture is worth a thousand words.
It's simple.
And it's obvious.
And no it's not taking things too seriously, and I don't want to be told that if it's offensive don't buy it.
Offensive material is, as an example, explicit pornography. I don't like it and I avoid it.
Comic books are a story telling medium, there are many genres within the comic book industry and some I don't read, super hero comics are my fave along with mystery horror. Because they tell a story in which the art is used to convey the characters and the plot.
As Ragnell said, I can't help but feel pushed aside for wanting things in a fandom that I love, spend money on and write about, to be different. Not change completely, I wouldn't have picked up my first issue of Batman when I was fifteen if I hadn't thought this was cool the way it was.
But female characters and male characters are supposed to be equal, they're different because men and women are, but women, even in comic books, aren't there to adorn the pages while the men get to have the FX and beat the villain.
In conclusion, all the examples I give above are symbolic to real life, because women are still talked at instead of being spoken too.
I'm still in danger by walking with my bra sticking out my tank top because "I'm asking for it".
I'm considered "different" because the Default is male.
*sigh* It's just same old same old.
In addition, the genocide in Darfur must be stopped.
וכמו כן, צריך לעצור את רצח העם בדרפור.
What I wrote about in "A Little Perspective" holds true.
There ARE more important things than a statue, or a TV show, or a comic book, or any piece of popular media.
But these issues within popular media ARE important because they are a mirror to the way people, women, are treated.
Ragnell the Foul (who is
morchades ) wrote a post about the huge response the Mary-Jane Comiquette received and I quote:Being dismissed unites people in rage against the dismisser...
I think that's the driving force behind the recent surge in comic book feminist blogging. The companies are dismissing us. With every fetish statue, porn-inspired cover, male-focused marketing campaign, pink ghetto and closed fridge door they're dismissing women as superhero fans. Then when we stand up and say "We're here! We've been here! And it would be nice if you didn't actively try to run us out of here!" we're accused of asking for special treatment, and dismissed again."
That is the point.
That is what is going on.
There have been statues and covers and books and many things before the Mary-Jane fiasco, but that pushed the button one too many times.
I think most female comic book fans realize that part of the genre is posing and the art, but there's a difference between posing and cheescake.
Really.
One can pose Catwoman running on the roof, jumping like the gymnast she is and landing on the roof opposite gracefully and beautifully. One doesn't need to focus on the her ass as she lands.
And Emma Frost can be the ice cold, blond seductress she is without her breasts falling out of her corset which aught to be holding her breasts up and not squishing them into the shape of melons.
Strong women with unbridled sexualities are the stuff that comic book heroines are made of, but not all of them are like that. Look at Big Barda, a happily marries woman who wears full body armour and huge mother of a helmet. Not to mention that she's the tallest heroine in the DCU, yes, taller than Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, the Big Three.
And yes there's a bust of her being a coat rack for Scott Free (her husband) and she's usually drawn as skinny and wiry as a ninja when she's supposed to a valkyre.
Just a couple of examples and the list goes on, and those are the milder cases, I really don't think I need to get into what they've done to Power Girl and Supergirl.
The way the industry depicts their women as opposed to the way they depict their men shows the industries general attitude towards women.
"Oh it's just a drawing" some say.
Well the old adage hold true - A picture is worth a thousand words.
It's simple.
And it's obvious.
And no it's not taking things too seriously, and I don't want to be told that if it's offensive don't buy it.
Offensive material is, as an example, explicit pornography. I don't like it and I avoid it.
Comic books are a story telling medium, there are many genres within the comic book industry and some I don't read, super hero comics are my fave along with mystery horror. Because they tell a story in which the art is used to convey the characters and the plot.
As Ragnell said, I can't help but feel pushed aside for wanting things in a fandom that I love, spend money on and write about, to be different. Not change completely, I wouldn't have picked up my first issue of Batman when I was fifteen if I hadn't thought this was cool the way it was.
But female characters and male characters are supposed to be equal, they're different because men and women are, but women, even in comic books, aren't there to adorn the pages while the men get to have the FX and beat the villain.
In conclusion, all the examples I give above are symbolic to real life, because women are still talked at instead of being spoken too.
I'm still in danger by walking with my bra sticking out my tank top because "I'm asking for it".
I'm considered "different" because the Default is male.
*sigh* It's just same old same old.
In addition, the genocide in Darfur must be stopped.
וכמו כן, צריך לעצור את רצח העם בדרפור.
