All You Need Is the Right Outfit

Carol Danvers as Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel
From left to right: incarnations from 1977 (cover by John Buscema), 2006 (cover by Frank Cho),
and 2012 (cover by Ed McGuinness, Dexter Vines, and Javier Rodriguez).

For the online class I'm taking on gender and comic books, this week's assigned reading was Captain Marvel #1-7 (2012-), Ms. Marvel #1 (vol. 1, 1977) and Ms. Marvel #1 (vol. 2, 2006).*

Gerry Conway wrote in the "Ms. Prints" introduction at the end of the first Ms. Marvel #1:

Like anyone who's been alive in the past decade or so, I'm aware of the tremendous changes occurring in society; and like anyone who's lived with those changes, I've changed myself. Only a fathead would call himself a reformed male chauvinist and expect people to take him seriously; that's not the sort of judgement a man can make about himself. One lacks perspective. Still of not totally liberated, I know enough to be aware that a problem exists, and to understand that we're all susceptible to chauvinism at times. Thus, approaching the character of Ms. Marvel, I bent over backward to put myself in her point of view, and because I'm a writer (and because injecting oneself into a character is the writer's craft), I believe I succeeded. Like I said, not so simple...

He goes on to state that there aren't any "thoroughly trained and qualified women writers working in the super-hero comics field" and acknowledges that he's "alienated half a dozen talented women" by saying that. "There should be, no denying it, but there aren't."

It's an interesting snapshot of the comic book industry in 1977. I give him tremendous props for saying what he did. So if he was so mindful of what he was doing with this character, why, then, the peekaboo costume? He was the writer, so I can't lay the blame at his feet for that... but he was also the editor, so doesn't that mean the stuff was run past him first? So if John Buscema designed that getup, it had to be approved by Conway, the editor, right?

All of those women on the covers above are Carol Danvers. All of them are super-powered. But the 1977 version has the belly-baring (also back-baring, but you can't see it in that illustration) costume -- why was that necessary?

The 2006 version is cut high on the hips, has a bright yellow lightning bolt across her boobs ("hey, look at these!") and thigh-high boots -- why? This costume incarnation would be as suitable to a dominatrix as a superheroine. I love the way Cho drew the musculature, she looks strong and tight, but why is it necessary to bare her upper arms and upper thighs (and frankly, a fair amount of gluteus maximus)? She's got curves to identify her sex, why is it necessary to expose skin like that? For that matter, why is it necessary to so clearly identify her sex at all? (I feel compelled to point out that most women with very little body fat, as the heroines usually have, don't typically have ample breasts -- which are fatty tissue. How many chesty gymnasts have you seen?)

Only is Captain Marvel, from 2012, sensibly clad. The outfit is much more military in its styling, which is appropriate, since she was in the military. Still, she has a sash around her hips -- why? Because boobs weren't enough to let us know she's a woman? Don't get me wrong, I love the art and costume redesign for Carol/Captain Marvel, but why did we need the sash?

I am finding it very interesting to take a hard critical look at gender portrayals in comics. Some of the things we're discussing are things I'm familiar with already, having been exposed to some of the ideas before, but it's nice to hear other people doing it, too. Having a dialogue, not just me, muttering to myself.


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* We were also assigned Daredevil #1 (vol. 3, 2011), but that book doesn't figure into this post.

Minimalist Cosplay

OK... "cosplay" is a bit of a stretch.

I recently started playing with hatmaking. My millinery skills are limited, but I have managed to create a creditable pillbox, and I can manage the little fascinator-style mini top hats. So I thought, Hey, Wonder Woman pillbox! A cinch, really: blue pillbox, with a metallic gold "tiara" appliquéd on with a red rhinestone star. Naturally, this led to Who else could be created as a hat? Lots of superheroines have iconic symbolism, but how can those symbols be interpreted as hats?

So far, I've sketched Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Phoenix, White Queen and She-Hulk.

Nerd couture. Geek chic. Madness.

I'll post pics as I make 'em up.



Helpful links for hatmaking:
Mini top hat tutorial and patterns (sewn or glued)
Mini top hat video tutorial (no-sew)
Pillbox photo tutorial (some sewing, some gluing)
Pillbox video tutorial (sewn; I didn't have a lot of luck with this, but it really is a nice-looking hat)

Also see:
Threads magazine issue #153 (March 2011 - I got my copy on ebay)
Hat making books at Amazon -- once you find one that sounds good, you can check your library if you don't want to commit.

Fashion Fail

If you read comics or play video games, and you're female, you have probably wondered why the female characters are so... briefly... clad. If the male characters were similarly dressed, what might that look like?

Some artists have imagined just that very thing, and some of their imaginative illustrations have been collected in this post over at Comic Book Resources. Here's a preview of some of the Fashion Fails in that post:

The artist for this one is Michael Magtanong. His illustration (used here with permission)
of Hal Jordan in Star Sapphire's getup was part of a challenge directed at artists.
You can find Mic?'s blog here: micquestion.blogspot.com (and here's his original post).
Honestly, the more I look at this, the more ridiculous it gets. Bravo, Mic?!

Wow. Serious fashion fail, there. And so is it when the ladies have to wear that crap too! When fighting crime, or monsters, or wreaking havoc, why do we have to do it half-naked or in skin-tight outfits?? And haven't these illustrators ever taken an anatomy for artists class? They do realize that women have spines, too, right? Do they not know what spandex does to flesh? (Here's a hint: it flattens.)

Tight costumes, such as the sort of things the women (and men!) are often seen wearing, would mash down soft tissue (AKA boobs). It would not look like the woman was naked with the costume painted on. I'm pretty sure those heroines and villainesses are not wearing painted-on liquid latex, so therefore boobs are gonna get smashed down in those costumes.

High heels? Really? Women who are accustomed to wearing them can run in them if they need to. But I can't imagine a woman who knows she's probably going to encounter a fight at some point in her evening, would choose to wear heels when there are far more practical options. Not to mention the risk of snapping the stiletto off somewhere...

Long hair is glamorous and sexy. I love having long hair, but I rarely wear it loose because it's hotter than hell, tangles, and gives an attacker another way to grab and control me. (I know this from personal experience, y'all: you do not want to give a mugger something to grab hold of and control any part of your body, especially your head.)

Look, I know that men and boys read comics, and are the majority demographic, but you do not have to have the costumes be so brief, that readers are holding their breath, wondering how many panels before the thing falls off. Sexy does not equal nearly-nekkid. No, really! And if that's all you're looking for in a comic, I think you should consider some of the adult titles. Those at least are up front with what they're doing. Emma Frost should not model for Frederick's of Hollywood, Catwoman should not be posing for Hustler. Or if they do it should be some weird plot point, not just they way they look all the time.

I like looking at attractive women. I like looking at attractive men. The human form can be very appealing, but I don't think that the sexed-up women in comics today are showcasing the best of what those artists can do, or how sexy and powerful and strong a woman can look, and still be fully dressed.

Clearly, I am not alone in how I view this. A lot of the other rants are also coming from women who are all like, WTF? Some men seem to agree with us. If you read any of these other articles, be sure to read the comments, too.

Fashion Rants, select links to other articles about the State of Dress in comics
She has no head! - No it's not equal by Kelly Thompson
The big sexy problem with superheroines and their 'liberated sexuality' by Laura Hudson
Art can make a difference: responding to the "just don't read it" defense by Kate Leth
Dear DC Comics [a writer's 7 year-old daughter responds to the new Starfire], by Michele Lee
DC Comics: bad at math, David Willis' Shortpacked! cartoon about the Starfire problem
No more mutants: 52 problems by Andrew Wheeler
A response from a female comic book fan by Ms Snarky
Ker-Pow! Women kick back against comic-book sexism by Ben Quinn
It's not the pants by DC Women Kicking Ass
The myth of sexy superman and the search for superhero beefcake by Andrew Wheeler

For more artistic Don'ts, check out Escher Girls!