Comics – Bitch Flicks

The Lois Lane ‘Batman v Superman’ Doesn’t Think You Can Handle

Lois Lane represents a more achievable kind of strength for us mere mortals. Tenacity, self-reliance, and quick wits – these are the weapons of choice for the archetypal career woman bent on “having it all.” … Any writer that reduces Lois Lane down to little more than human Kryptonite thoroughly misrepresents her rich 75-year history as an important pop cultural icon to women.

This guest post written by Hannah Collins originally appeared at Fanny Pack. It is cross-posted with permission.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice may have been a disappointment to many, but I think most comic book fans – and feminists – can agree that Gal Gadot’s strong performance as Wonder Woman was a much-needed bright spot. It’s a shame, then, that the film’s other significant female character – intrepid reporter Lois Lane (Amy Adams) – doesn’t get the same treatment. Though she plays a fairly significant part in advancing the story, and enjoys some (weird) bath-time fun with Clark Kent (Henry Cavill), that’s pretty much all she’s there for – little more than a plot device, a shoulder to cry on, and even worse, a constant distraction to Earth’s greatest hero.

This may seem like a trivial complaint but as someone who fell in love with comic books before feminism, Lois Lane – along with Wonder Woman, Catwoman and Storm – was instrumental in shaping my understanding of what it meant to be a woman in a man’s world. And in a world filled with Gods, magic, time-travel and President Luthor, you’ve got to be one heck of a dame.

Here’s why The Daily Planet’s ace reporter is far more than just Superman’s victimized girlfriend.

A Damsel Not in Distress

The ‘woman in peril’ theme is one that has unfortunately persisted throughout literature and pop culture, from ancient Greek maidens like Andromeda and her hero Perseus, right the way through to Princess Zelda and her hero Link in Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda. It’s no surprise then that the Superhero genre – the modern-day equivalent to Perseus – has also been oversaturated by the damsel/hero dynamic.

Superman is the world’s first Superhero and Lois Lane his eternal damsel in distress. No matter how many Pulitzers she wins or oranges she juices at her Daily Planet desk in her personal war on cigarettes, that core underpinning will never change. But throughout her 75-year history, her determination to fight this definition has never waned.

From her solo comic title, Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane (1954-1974) to her top billing in TV’s Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman’(1993-97), and recent YA novel series Fallout by Gwenda Bond, Lois has proven that she is not only a superior journalist to Clark Kent and Superman’s equal partner, but can carry a story on her own. More often than not, when Lois finds herself in need of rescue from the Big Man in Blue, it’s from a sticky situation of her own making. Rather than wait around to be scooped up by a dragon like a hapless medieval maiden, Lois seeks out trouble in the name of journalism.

Even better is when – thanks to a mix of her “military brat” upbringing and some Kryptonian martial arts – sometimes she gets to even save herself.

[youtube_sc url=”https://youtu.be/5Q8SkwskHPM”]

Because Women Are Strong as Hell

Ever since William Moulton Marston blessed us our first feminist superwoman, Wonder Woman, the Superhero genre has been filled with gutsy, gladiatorial women. But whilst these goddesses represent a masculinized ideal of brute force, Lois Lane represents a more achievable kind of strength for us mere mortals. Tenacity, self-reliance, and quick wits – these are the weapons of choice for the archetypal career woman bent on “having it all.”

But Lois Lane’s fierceness didn’t just grow from the necessity to reflect the changing role of women in society; creators Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel embedded it within her character from the very start. Her personality was borrowed from fast-talking fictional reporter (and owner of The Most 1930s Name Ever) ‘Torchy Blane’ who starred in a series of Warner Bros. films in the 1930s. Her tagline was ‘The Lady Bloodhound with a Nose For News!’ and she was one of the few positive examples of career-driven women on American cinema screens at the time that rivaled – or bested – her male equivalents.

Also woven into Lois’ DNA was real-life pioneering journalist and inventor Nellie Bly. Not only did Bly famously travel the world in a record-breaking 72 days, but also she feigned mental illness in order to write an exposé on life inside a mental institution – redefining investigative journalism and making the rest of us feel desperately lazy.

From Meg in Disney’s Hercules to Spider-Man’s Mary-Jane Watson, every “feisty” damsel worth her salt owes a debt of gratitude to Lois.

Lois Isn’t Holding Out for a Hero

Saying that Lois and Clark are one of your favorite couples in fiction is kind tantamount to saying the same about Romeo and Juliet. In other words, woefully mainstream. But as much as I really do believe they deserve a place amongst literature’s greatest love stories, Lois has proven many times that she can function perfectly well without her fated other half, as the panel above illustrates.

This was exemplified on-screen recently in the much-maligned Superman Returns (2006). Picking up after Superman II (1980), the film starts with Superman (Brandon Routh) returning to Earth after a 5-year absence to find that Lois (Kate Bosworth) has not only moved on to someone else, but also raised a son with him.

Inevitably as the story progresses, Lois finds that her feelings for the Man of Steel are not as buried as she’d thought, and I’m sure the abandoned sequel planned for 2009 would have seen my favorite reporting duo back together. Nonetheless, I was still impressed that rather than pull a ‘Bella Swan’ and throw herself off of a cliff in a fit of angsty despair, Lois Lane wipes away her tears, wins her damn Pulitzer, finds another great guy, raises a child, and foils Lex Luthor’s dastardly plans.

Because not even Earth’s strongest hero can break her that easily.

Keep Lois Out of the Refrigerator

Despite her development over the years into a competent and important player in the DC Universe’s canon of heroines, too many landmark stand-alone stories in Superman’s history hinge not on the strength of Lois Lane, but on her death. Kingdom Come, Superman: Kal, Flashpoint, and Injustice: Gods Among Us all sacrifice Lois (in some pretty fucked up ways) simply to motivate Superman to lose his shit. And judging from the teasers nestled in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, we may be in danger of seeing one of these stories on screen soon.

This is a variant of the ‘Damsel in Distress’ trope known as ‘Women in Refrigerators,’ coined by comics writer Gail Simone to “describe the trend of female comic book characters who are routinely brutalized or killed-off as a plot device designed to move the male character’s story arc forward.” (The term originates from Green Lantern #54, in which Green Lantern discovers his murdered girlfriend’s body in his fridge.)

Look, I get it. Superman only has two weaknesses: Kryptonite and Lois Lane. (Well, three weaknesses if you include his susceptibility to magic.) Same goes for practically every other superhero trying to balance saving the planet with getting laid. It’s a character-building shortcut that’s become inherent to the genre. But the problem with this is that while the male character (and they are nearly always male by default) benefits from this dynamic by having his big, brooding ego balanced with a touch of human emotion, the female character gains nothing other than bearing the weight of the inevitable choice he will have to make between her life and the lives of others. What does it tell you about the value of a female character if she adds more to the narrative in death than in life? Plus, this constant stream of stories that use violence against women as a plot device harmfully perpetuates the real-world stereotype of women as helpless victims and men as their patriarchal saviors.

Any writer that reduces Lois Lane down to little more than human Kryptonite thoroughly misrepresents her rich 75-year history as an important pop cultural icon to women. I can only wait and hope that Snyder’s future Justice League movies treat her a little better than just a sacrificial lamb with a reporter’s badge. In the immortal words of Kate Beaton (of Hark, a Vagrant fame): “If Lois isn’t super rad all the time, then I don’t even want to hear about it.”

Hannah Collins is a London-born writer and illustrator fascinated by the intersection between pop/visual culture and feminism. Her interest in the movement grew during her time studying Fine Art & Creative Writing at Lancaster University where she discovered writers and artists such as Laura Mulvey, Orlan, Marina Abramovic and Donna Haraway, who opened her eyes to the huge significance – often detrimentally – that the artifice of gender plays in our culture and society. In particular, Haraway’s Cyberfeminist Manifesto linking gender to science fiction had such an impact on her that she constructed the bulk of her dissertation around it. On the blogging scene, Hannah has attracted over 1 million readers to her blog on gender representation in pop culture. By day, she is currently a freelance illustrator for children’s books and comics, and by night (and any other available hour) she contributes to the Cosmic Anvil and Fanny Pack blogs, as well as her own.

Waiting in the Wings: Why Hollywood Should Make More Comic-Based Films

Geek culture is big business. The big summer Hollywood blockbusters this year are almost exclusively drawn from comics and other science fiction, or fantasy franchises. From ‘X-Men Days of Future Past’ to ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ what was once a small audience has become a massive source of revenue for Hollywood. It’s also big business for the comic’s industry. The release of ‘Guardians’ sparked one of the largest sales months for comics in recorded history. This is great news for the two big players in the world of comic publishing, as they attract new audiences and new readers to their franchises. DC and Marvel have television and film media planned well into the next decade.

This is a guest post by Lisa Pavia-Higel.

Geek culture is big business. The big summer Hollywood blockbusters this year are almost exclusively drawn from comics and other science fiction, or fantasy franchises. From X-Men Days of Future Past to Guardians of the Galaxy, what was once a small audience has become a massive source of revenue for Hollywood. It’s also big business for the comic’s industry. The release of Guardians sparked one of the largest sales months for comics in recorded history. This is great news for the two big players in the world of comic publishing, as they attract new audiences and new readers to their franchises. DC and Marvel have television and film media planned well into the next decade.

This is also very good news for those who care about how women are portrayed in modern media. That may seem counter-intuitive, given that comics have long been criticized for how they depict women, and how women are treated in the industry. However, an influx of new creative talent, an enthusiastic and ever more diverse fanbase, and a host of characters with long, and complex histories have made comics a wellspring of vast potential for new and better stories. The products created based on comic books can, when done right, be far better than the average action/adventure fare and has the potential to bring more and higher quality action-oriented female roles to the big and small screen.

It’s true that the comic genre has issues with women. There are problems within the industry in how female creators and critics are treated, issues with the art styles that often objectify women’s bodies, and serious issues when women venture into spaces where geek culture is present. In a Bitch Media article, Janelle Asselin published her research on sexual harassment in the comics industry. In her survey of more than 3,600 respondents, 59 percent felt that sexual harassment was a problem in the industry and 25 percent had experienced harassment themselves. In the world of convention goers, 13 percent reported comments of a sexual nature and 8 percent reported sexual assaults while attending cons. Asselin notes that with the growing number of women attending conventions and other fan-centered events, those percentages means that more than 10,000 women in attendance at San Diego Comic Con (one of the largest comic conventions of the year) would have experienced harassment of some kind. As a comic fan, writer, and critic, Asselin knows that the industry is hostile from first-hand knowledge. In May of 2014, she criticized a Teen Titans cover on Comic Book Resource (a comic industry website) and received not only hate mail, but also rape threats. It’s clear that there are systemic issues within both the industry and among the fans. So why is Hollywood’s embrace of comic culture a good thing?

First, because the established source material hosts a slew of strong female characters. Art aside, women were superheroes in comics long before they were fighting the good fight in films or on television. The first female superhero appeared in comics in the 1940s, long before Wonder Woman came along to break TV barriers. Mainstays of current hits like the Avengers can trace their hero backstories to the 1960s when Pepper Pots and Black Widow made their debuts. Catwoman, who most recently appeared in The Dark Knight Rises first appeared in comics in 1961. While their level of agency and influence has certainly changed over the years, characters who have been appearing in comics this long have a great deal from which to draw. And their art aside, women in comics are often far stronger and wield far more power than their counterparts in action television and film. Superhero women not only pass the Bechtel test time after time in the pages of comic books, unlike the run of the mill action heroines, they rarely are saved in their own stories.

Take, for example Black Widow and Maria Hill in the aforementioned Avengers. In the film, neither woman is saved by a male character, and both are strong members of their respective teams. Now this could be because the film’s director, Joss Whedon, has long time devotion to both strong female characters and the comic genre. He’s reported that the second Avengers film will host four female lead characters and will feature them as strong members of the team.

So from where do bad superheroine portrayals come? The problems often arise when these characters, who all have extensive and complex backstories, are translated by those who really don’t understand them. For example, in June David Goyer who will be bringing the new Justice League film to life, was asked what he would do with a long running character, She-Hulk, in a film. His answer was that this character was probably created so that geeky men could fantasize about her having sex with the Hulk, and that she was a “green pornstar.” The reaction among fans was immediate. Comic fans and producers responded to the quote calling out Goyer. Even Marvel magnate and geek guru Stan Lee responded to the controversy defending She-Hulk’s background and personal agency. Even though she bears a name derived from a male character, they laud her feminist values and strength as something they love about the series. She would make an excellent female lead, but this producer could not see beyond the way she was drawn. It’s clear that this producer didn’t take the time to really appreciate the legacy that comics offer for their strong female characters.

Moreover many studio producers just don’t think women can carry action films. This idea is being systematically disproven and it seems like even Hollywood producers are beginning to see the potential of tapping these franchises. According to an article in Time Magazine, Sony pictures will be expanding its Spider Man franchise to include a female super hero and Marvel studio president Kevin Feige said that a female-led Marvel film would happen “sooner rather than later.” This could be in response to new data that says in the last year, films with female leads made more money than those without a strong female presence.

There seems to be reason for optimism here. The new art for Wonder Woman’s role in the Batman vs. Superman film shows a short, but reasonably costumed with Gal Gadot’s stance powerful and strong in the middle of the frame. No butt shot, nor over the shoulder look. We can only hope her characterization will be as good as the image seems to indicate. Marvel also announced at San Diego Comic Con that Thor, a key role in the Avengers universe would be taken over by a women (not for the first time) and that the transformation would be a long, non-temporary story arc. While many critics were unhappy with the choice, wondering why they wouldn’t create a new female character, it presents even more interesting opportunities within the hero context.

While there is cause for excitement among female fans about seeing old favorites finally make it to big screen, many are more excited to see some of the work being produced by some of the newer talent in the industry. Beyond the world of the Avengers, Batman and Superman, there is an exciting cast of characters ripe for film or television adaptation. A new renaissance is happening within comics that is producing a greater variety of characters and characterizations. From Kelly Sue DeConnick and Dexter Soy’s Captain Marvel who has inspired an entire fandom called the Carol Corps, to Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ Saga series which was, until the release of Rocket Raccoon #1, the best-selling comic on the market, a greater diversity of writers and artists are making new characters that Hollywood could, and should draw from.

These titles are bringing new fans and a greater female audience, and they are active, excited, and involved in their media. The aforementioned Carol Corps that formed around the new Captain Marvel specializes in body positive, family friendly cosplay, and produces Carol wear for those fighting cancer. Another online campaign, I am Comics was created in response to Janelle A.’s experience over the Teen Titans debacle, and the ConSent campaign was created at the San Diego Comic Con to help those engaging in cosplay to feel safer in that context by raising awareness that cosplay (dressing up as a character) does not give anyone permission to engage in harassment.

The efforts to make comics a more welcoming place is also coming from the industry. In the aftermath of Asselin’s harassment, the hosting website, Comic Book Resource responded by resetting their forums and publishing a new policy on harassment and online conduct.

No genre is perfect, and comic books and graphic novels certainly have their problems. However, as art primarily created for the male gaze slowly changes, and as a greater diversity of writers and artists break into the world of comics, there is a great potential for dynamic and exciting storytelling that does what all art should: challenge, excite, and entertain us. The cast of film-worthy women continues to grow, and as they wait in the wings all we can do is continue to demand that their stories be told, and when they are, to vote with our dollars sending a message to Hollywood that their time has come.

Recommended Reading

If you are interested in trying out some comics with great female characters:

Fearless Defenders–A short-lived series about an all-female team.

Captain Marvel—In Pursuit of Flight: The first trade paperback in the series.

Lumberjanes–This series has been compared with Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Saga–the number one best-selling series which tells the story of an interspecies war and a child born of two sides. NSFW!

Recommended Viewing

The Talking Comics Vlog on the Geek and Sundry Channel features great titles to get you started.

Black Widow is More than Just a Pretty Face

The Avengers: Strong Female Characters Failing the Bechdel Test

Lisa Pavia-Higel is a community college educator living in St. Louis, Missouri. When she is not raising her 3-year-old geeklet she writes, performs with an all-female stage combat troupe, and is currently teaching herself to sew, badly. She has also mastered the art of playing video games while yelling at the screen about the stereotypes present within them, which gives her feminist husband and gaming partner no end of joy. Follow her on Twitter @lisamariepavia

Bitch Flicks’ Weekly Picks

Check out what we’ve been reading this week–and let us know what you’ve been reading/writing in the comments!

Take the Tarrant Test for 2014 Super Bowl Ads! at Ms. blog

Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth premieres nationally Friday, February 7 at 9 p.m. on PBS

Telling women’s stories will change the world, Sundance filmmakers say by Ellen Fagg Weist at The Salt Lake City Tribune

Watching Downton Abbey With an Historian: Birth Control by Mo Moulton at The Toast

Study: Female Movie Stars’ Paychecks Decrease Rapidly After Age 34 by Inkoo Kang at Women and Hollywood

Don’t Be a Dick: A Comic About the History of Lady-Centric Comics by Ladydrawers at Bitch Media

Harvey Weinstein: Quentin Tarantino producer vows to stop making excessively violet films by Tomas Jivanda at The Independent

Reel Girl’s List of Top 10 Movies Starring Heroic Girls to Show Your Kids at Reel Girl

Five Theories For What ‘American Horror Story: Coven’ Was Actually About by Alison Willmore at Indiewire

Watch This Anita Hill Documentary Trailer and Remain Calm, I Dare You by Hillary Crosley at Jezebel

7 Ways Stars Can Change Hollywood This Awards Season by Holly L. Derr at Role/Reboot

Shonda Rhimes on her DGA Diversity Award: ‘We’re a tiny bit p-ssed off that there has to be an award’ by Lindsey Bahr at Entertainment Weekly

4 Films about LGBT Muslims Everyone Needs to Watch at QWOC Media

Margaret Cho cast in Tina Fey-produced comedy by Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly

Sexed up Powerpuff Girls point to Cartoon Network’s girl problem at Reel Girl

What have you been reading/writing this week? Tell us in the comments!

Bitch Flicks’ Weekly Picks

I Hate Strong Female Characters by Sophia McDougall at New Statesman

‘Comics Undressed’ Will Address White Male-Dominated Comics/Film Industry by Tambay A. Obenson at Shadow and Act

Man Creates Very First Website for Women Ever by Amanda Hess at Slate

Film History Nerds Rejoice! Old Film Journals and Mags Now Searchable for Everyone by Bryce J. Renninger at Indiewire

Why “Solidarity” is Bullshit by Tina Vasquez at Bitch Media

WTF: Russell Simmons’ YouTube Network Releases ‘Harriet Tubman Sex Tape’ by Britni Danielle at Clutch

Six Facts About Harriet Tubman That Have Nothing to Do With Russell Simmons by Jamilah King at Colorlines

How To Spot Objectification In Five Easy Steps by Lexi Nisita at Refinery29

More Behind-the-Scenes Inequality in the Trek Series at Trekkie Feminist

New Film “Lovelace” Leaves a Lot to Be Desired by Monica Castillo at Bitch Media

Austenland movie review by Susan Wloszczyna at RogerEbert.com

The Ultimate Pop-Culture Feminist Syllabus: 50 Books, Movies, TV Shows, Artists, and Albums Everyone Should Know by Michelle Dean at Flavorwire

What have you been reading/writing this week? Tell us in the comments!

Bitch Flicks Weekly Picks

I Hate Strong Female Characters by Sophia McDougall at New Statesman

‘Comics Undressed’ Will Address White Male-Dominated Comics/Film Industry by Tambay A. Obenson at Shadow and Act

Man Creates Very First Website for Women Ever by Amanda Hess at Slate

Film History Nerds Rejoice! Old Film Journals and Mags Now Searchable for Everyone by Bryce J. Renninger at Indiewire

Why “Solidarity” is Bullshit by Tina Vasquez at Bitch Media

WTF: Russell Simmons’ YouTube Network Releases ‘Harriet Tubman Sex Tape’ by Britni Danielle at Clutch

Six Facts About Harriet Tubman That Have Nothing to Do With Russell Simmons by Jamilah King at Colorlines

How To Spot Objectification In Five Easy Steps by Lexi Nisita at Refinery29

More Behind-the-Scenes Inequality in the Trek Series at Trekkie Feminist

New Film “Lovelace” Leaves a Lot to Be Desired by Monica Castillo at Bitch Media

Austenland movie review by Susan Wloszczyna at RogerEbert.com

The Ultimate Pop-Culture Feminist Syllabus: 50 Books, Movies, TV Shows, Artists, and Albums Everyone Should Know by Michelle Dean at Flavorwire

What have you been reading/writing this week? Tell us in the comments!

Women in Politics Week: White Dudes Sayin’ Stuff: A Journey Through Conservative Political Cartoons

This post by Myrna Waldron originally appeared at Bitch Flicks on October 4, 2012.

Trigger Warning: Misogyny, rape, child abuse, domestic abuse

Dripping sarcasm ahead.

And now for something completely different.

In addition to my hobbies of watching films and cartoons, I like reading comics. Sometimes I read the highbrow stuff like Maus or Persepolis, and sometimes I read trash. Complete and utter bullshit. One of the longstanding traditions of the Something Awful Forums is its Political Cartoon Thread, which is an ongoing discussion of how the mainstream media interprets political debate through metaphor and imagery. And by that, I mean they find the worst cartoonists possible and make fun of them. Somehow all the really bad cartoonists are conservative! I couldn’t imagine why that could be, could you?

And if there’s one thing conservatives have made themselves known for lately, it’s just how well they understand the issues of women. It’s like there’s a War on Women or something. And if there’s one thing I’ve noticed, it’s that white dudes seem to have a particularly nuanced understanding of what it is to be a modern woman facing such issues as birth control, abortion, and sexual harassment. See how well the following white dudes represent their totally well thought out opinions:

“Arrested for choking Lindsay Lohan?” “For not finishing the job.”

That Lindsay Lohan. How dare she have a crippling drug addiction. It’s almost as if she’s been in the public eye all her life and completely abandoned by her irresponsible stage parents! But Sean Delonas knows how to deal with Lindsay Lohan. Oh yes. Let’s not let these slutty druggies get away with being sluts and drug addicts any more. Let’s kill them. It’s not like she doesn’t deserve it or something.


“Banned cooking fats… No smoking in bars… Laws against paddling my kids.. Now you’re going to make me give my daughters a shot that may prevent cervical cancer. Government involvement in my everyday life is really starting to worry me!”

Terry Wise understands science so well. And who are we to tell this guy how to raise his daughters? His daughters don’t have cervixes! What do you think he is, a pimp? The second you give his daughters a vaccination, they’ll get autism in their vaginas! If he wants his precious little angels to get cancer, that’s HIS RIGHT. GOD. BLESS. AMERICA.

Which is more important? Free birth control or FREEDOM?

Willful misunderstanding of Sandra Fluke’s speech is a time-honored tradition amongst white male conservatives. But Mike Ramirez, winner of TWO Pulitzers, doesn’t have time for research or fact checking. For you see, YOUR TAX DOLLARS ARE PAYING FOR US TO BE SLUTS! SLUTS, I TELL YOU! There is only one use for birth control pills, and that’s for sex. Only men are allowed to have sex! That’s why Viagra is covered by insurance and the Pill isn’t. After all, they wrote right in the constitution that “Freedom is only for the Penis.” They also wrote, “Catholics have more freedom than you do.” No tax for sluts!

I’m not going to bother transcribing this. Just imagine a ton of Men’s Rights bullshit.

I’ll forgive you if you can’t make heads-nor-tails of this. Chris Muir’s “Day By Day” is a webcomic about Zed (who looks suspiciously like Muir), his half-Irish half-Japanese wife Sam, her liberal sister…somebody, her centrist best friend…someone else, and the centrist’s black husband Black Mouthpiece. Fun fact: None of these people (except the self-insert) exist, but Muir likes using his fictional women and fictional black guy to espouse incomprehensible political opinions that stepped right out of the MRA subreddit. He also draws these women with enormous heaving breasts, pokey nipples and they’re constantly pregnant. It’s rather adorable how a middle-aged single conservative copes, isn’t it?

Democrats Try To Court Modern Women “Hey there groovy lady…I’m down with the cause…free love…”

Eric Allie sees right through those crafty Democrats. Modern Women won’t fall for their tricks, what with their equal pay laws and funding for domestic abuse shelters! Oh no, Women will rise up and stand up to those crazy Democrats, because Women HATE contraception, and they HATE it when an opposing political party points out that the Republicans seem to be disproportionately targeting Women’s Issues in their bills. What’s that? Obama has an 18 point lead over Romney amongst female voters? Pssh. Liberal media bias.

“Why are you so upside down on the FREE birth control issue?” “Keep your WOMB out of my WALLET!”

Sandra Fluke has sex. She has sex CONSTANTLY. And she wants YOU to pay for her! To have sex! SEEEEEEX! She even has sex upside down! She has sex with your taxes! SEEEEEEX! Men like A.F. Branco know better though. They use their own tax dollars to pay for their own sex. Prostitutes always give receipts.

“Stay out of my uterus, government!! …That is, right after paying for my free birth control.”

White dudes REALLY hate Sandra Fluke, including Gary McCoy. That Sandra Fluke, with her grotesquely ugly face and 500 pound frame and unshaven legs. She totally discussed an opinion on abortion too, because she wants to have lots of sex and then KILL ALL THE BABIES. She’s coming to your house and she’s going to KILL. YOUR. BABY. And then she’s going to prostitute herself in a bathroom because she’s a slut. Sluts never shave their legs, doncha know.

Young Woman’s Values Class – Plan A: Responsibility, Family Planning, Self Esteem, Keeping A Good Reputation. Plan B: The Chance To Act Like A Drunken Whore

Brian Farrington knows how to raise teenage girls. There’s nothing more important than a good reputation, and old ladies TOTALLY understand how family planning works, right? There are only two kinds of young women in the world. Good girls who keep their legs closed, and DRUNKEN WHORES! Don’t be a drunken whore, because Mr. Farrington is judging the shit out of you! Don’t let those “women’s libbers” tell you how to think, teenage girls. White Dudes know better than they do.

A 14-year-old girl is pregnant by her 21-year-old boyfriend. Shouldn’t someone have to pay for this? The fetus and the taxpayer, of course!

White Dudes get SO close to being compassionate and understanding of the problem, but then they remember that there are women to oppress. Chuck Asay knows that Planned Parenthood employees ALWAYS recommend abortion and ONLY abortion, and that their main concern is keeping the whole thing quiet rather than getting a statutory rapist prosecuted. For you see, ONLY the fetus shall pay for this crime (and, okay, the taxpayer, who is more important than anyone else in the cartoon), when it should totally be the 14-year-old child who was exploited by her adult boyfriend. It’s tough, but that’s what she deserves. Also, she’s black. Maybe you noticed that.

Paterno knew about a sexual predator and is a “Scumbag.” Clinton got a blowjob. That’s worse.

A consensual extramarital affair is completely comparable to a man who looked the other way while his colleague was repeatedly raping little boys. Bill Clinton got away with the worst crime in history! And after all, football is the most important thing in the universe! Won’t somebody think of the child molesters and their enablers? Glenn McCoy (brother of Fluke hater Gary McCoy) speaks for the oppressed pedophiles. Also, Monica Lewinsky is a fat ugly skank. (Here’s a bonus Glenn McCoy cartoon if you can bear looking at bloody fetuses.)

So you see, White Male Conservatives truly understand how the world works. We silly women just don’t get it. They have penises, they make the rules. They get to have all the sex, we are just allowed to lie there and put up with it. And we’d better have as many babies as humanly possible, or we’re SLUTS. And don’t forget it. Also, Sandra Fluke sucks. The White Dudes have spoken.

——

Myrna Waldron is a feminist writer/blogger with a particular emphasis on all things nerdy. She lives in Toronto and has studied English and Film at York University. Myrna has a particular interest in the animation medium, having written extensively on American, Canadian and Japanese animation. She also has a passion for Sci-Fi & Fantasy literature, pop culture literature such as cartoons/comics, and the gaming subculture. She maintains a personal collection of blog posts, rants, essays and musings at The Soapboxing Geek, and tweets with reckless pottymouthed abandon at @SoapboxingGeek.

White Dudes Sayin’ Stuff: A Journey Through Conservative Political Cartoons

Trigger Warning: Misogyny, rape, child abuse, domestic abuse

Dripping sarcasm ahead.

And now for something completely different.

“Arrested for choking Lindsay Lohan?” “For not finishing the job.”


“Banned cooking fats… No smoking in bars… Laws against paddling my kids.. Now you’re going to make me give my daughters a shot that may prevent cervical cancer. Government involvement in my everyday life is really starting to worry me!”

Which is more important? Free birth control or FREEDOM?

I’m not going to bother transcribing this. Just imagine a ton of Men’s Rights bullshit.

Democrats Try To Court Modern Women “Hey there groovy lady…I’m down with the cause…free love…”

“Why are you so upside down on the FREE birth control issue?” “Keep your WOMB out of my WALLET!”

“Stay out of my uterus, government!! …That is, right after paying for my free birth control.”

Young Woman’s Values Class – Plan A: Responsibility, Family Planning, Self Esteem, Keeping A Good Reputation. Plan B: The Chance To Act Like A Drunken Whore

A 14-year-old girl is pregnant by her 21-year-old boyfriend. Shouldn’t someone have to pay for this? The fetus and the taxpayer, of course!

Paterno knew about a sexual predator and is a “Scumbag.” Clinton got a blowjob. That’s worse.

Bitch Flicks’ Weekly Picks

Stephanie‘s Picks:

Important Nina Simone News by Melissa McEwan via Shakesville

On Marvel, Mandarin, and Marginalization by Marissa Lee via Racebending.com

The Littlest Feminists: How Do Some of TV’s Best Known Children’s Cartoon Characters Rank? by Samantha Wilson via ToughxCookies

Jennifer Aniston’s Adventures in Medialand by Hadley Freeman via The Guardian

We Never Said “We Wanted It All”: How the Media Distorts the Goals of Feminism by Ruth Rosen via AlterNet

Megan‘s Picks:

Dear Hollywood: Keep Your Hands Off Black Women’s Narratives Unless You Plan On Doing It Right by Britni Danielle via Clutch Magazine

Disney Heroines Take a More Pro-Active Role by LaGina Phillips via Hello Giggles

How Can Women Gain Influence in Hollywood? by Melissa Silverstein, Martha Coolidge, Martha Lauzen, Brenda Chapman, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Ted Hope, Cathy Schulman and Susan Cartsonis via The New York Times

How Helen Gurley Brown Became a “Militant Feminist” at 65 by Debbie Stoller via Bust Magazine Blog

Jodie Foster Blasts Kristen Stewart – Robert Pattinson Break-Up Spectacle by Jodie Foster via The Daily Beast

Sight and Sound Magazine Expands List of Top Films of All Time to 250 and Just Seven Women Directors Make It by Melissa Silverstein via Women and Hollywood

‘It Was Rape’: A Film We Need to Talk About by Intern Christina via Bust Magazine Blog

Pussy Riot Found Guilty and Sentenced to Two Years in Prison; Worldwide Protests Scheduled by Tracie Egan Morrissey via Jezebel

The Influence of ‘Parks and Recreation’ by Alyssa Rosenberg via Think Progress

What have you been reading this week? Tell us in the comments!

‘The Avengers,’ Strong Female Characters and Failing the Bechdel Test

Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) in The Avengers

Cross-posted at Fem2pt0.

Smashing box office records, audiences have been swept up in The Avengers hullabaloo. Interesting and compelling, the epic superhero film based on the Marvel comics unites Black Widow, Captain America, Iron Man, Hawkeye, the Hulk and Thor “to form a team that must stop Thor’s brother Loki from enslaving the human race.” It was good. Really good. It contained complex characters and funny, clever dialogue. In a genre that exhibits strong female characters yet often objectifies women’s bodies or reduces them to ancillary love interests…how was The Avengers’ portrayal of women?

With Joss Whedon, a proud feminist and Equality Now supporter, at the helm directing and screenwriting, I eagerly hoped for a feminist film. I absolutely adore Firefly, only watched a handful of Buffy episodes (I know, I know…I need to watch more), and I couldn’t stand Dollhouse (don’t even get me started on the predication of rape, objectification and misogyny…but I digress). Forever inspired by his radical feminist mother and his love for X-Men character Kitty Pryde, Whedon shows an adept talent for creating and writing strong female characters.

The lone female Avenger is Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), a “highly trained spy,” assassin and martial arts master. Haunted by a dark past, she’s a fearless warrior possessing a razor sharp mind and an impressive knack for interrogation. In one of the best scenes, she goes head to head with the film’s villainous nemesis Loki (and Thor’s brother) in a labyrinthine mind game. While I’m not thrilled that Black Widow uses “feminine wiles” as a method of manipulation, her opponents anticipate vulnerability in her because of her gender. Natasha deftly uses and exploits their stereotypical gender biases to her advantage.

Black Widow could have easily become a one dimensional character. Yet she embodies strength and depth. She’s decisive and forever in control of her emotions. Although I don’t like the implication that being emotional equates weakness. She’s not technically a superhero (nor is her partner archer Hawkeye) as she doesn’t have special powers. Yet she arguably had the best fighting sequences with her nimble and dexterous prowess. There’s one where she’s tied to a chair and kicks ass…it’s seriously amazing! Johansson talked about how she would be delighted to do a Black Widow film in the realm and style of The Bourne Series. That sounds freaking awesome.

Black Widow / Natasha Romanoff

In most films and TV series, the media objectifies and commodifies women’s bodies for the male gaze, reducing a woman to her sexuality. While she dons tight costumes, that doesn’t happen here. She’s not merely a sex object. Black Widow is an integral part of the team. She’s the one who thinks they should all work together when petty arguments and inflated egos threaten to divide them. SPOILER!!! -> Natasha ultimately ends the climactic epic battle as she’s the only one who realizes they need to close the portal in order to halt the influx of the alien army. <- END SPOILER Black Widow plays with gender stereotypes but doesn’t wield her sexuality as a weapon. She uses her ridiculously impressive martial arts ass-kicking skills for that.

Aside from Black Widow, The Avengers film depicts S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders, my favorite actor on HIMYM) and two brief scenes with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). Maria is one of S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson)’s Chief Lieutenants. She’s calm, collected and authoritative, even in dangerous situations. We see Maria run the deck of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. But she doesn’t approve of controlling people as we see when she criticizes Fury for manipulating The Avengers’ emotions to finagle a specific response. Pepper is the CEO of Stark Industries (Iron Man/Tony Stark’s company), as well as his girlfriend. She’s intelligent, precise, organized and charming.

When asked about Whedon’s strong female characters, Johansson called him “gender blind:”

“He wants his female characters to be dynamic and competitive and assured and confident. And it has nothing to do with anything but the fact that he just celebrates those kinds of strong female characters.”

S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders)

AlterNet’s Julianne Escobedo Shepherd thinks The Avengers possesses a “stark feminist perspective” as it differs from so many other superhero films. Even in movies with multiple female characters like X-Men, the women often orbit the male characters. Not so in The Avengers. Escobedo Shepherd goes further asserting Johansson portrays Black Widow’s “talent for manipulation as a boon for the art of spying, rather than any kind of femme fatale cliché.”

Despite three strong female characters and Black Widow’s awesomeness, I didn’t find the movie overtly feminist. I can’t help but wonder if people are looking to find feminism where not a whole lot actually exists because of Whedon’s reputation. The Avengers contains some gender problems.

Loki hurls a misogynistic insult at Black Widow, calling her a “mewling quim.” Translation, a “whining cunt.” Lovely. He reduces her to her vagina. Now, not everyone’s going to get the inference right away. I know I didn’t. Although something about the condescending tone made me suspect a gendered insult. Whedon says he often “abuses” language, depicting different vernaculars, including Shakespearan dialogue, to reveal character traits. It’s interesting that instead of writing an overt insult, Whedon subversively portrayed Loki’s sexism.

Some people apparently accused Whedon of “not being macho enough” to direct the superhero bonanza. So let me get this straight. If a guy is a proud feminist and writes strong female characters, that makes him unmanly to direct an action movie? And what does that say about women…that female directors possess too much estrogen to direct? Ugh.

Many critics and bloggers have focused on the Hulk, thanks in large part to Mark Ruffalo’s fantastic talent and the hilarious snarky dialogue, thanks to Robert Downey Jr.’s quick wit as Iron Man. Interestingly, of the 6 Avengers, Black Widow gets the 3^rd most screen time. Yet she still remains the only female Avenger in the film. And that’s a problem.

(L-R): Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chirs Evans), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) – The Avengers…and Black Widow as the one female

In the comics, The Avengers had a rotating line-up of superheroes. Couldn’t the movie portray an additional female Avenger, like Wasp or Scarlet Witch or She-Hulk? Maybe they didn’t want two green Hulks. Fair enough. Although She-Hulk, a brilliant attorney, is pretty badass. Whedon even said that when they weren’t sure if they could accommodate Scarlett Johansson’s tight schedule, an early script contained the female superhero (and founding Avenger) Wasp. He “fell in love with the character.”

So here’s my question: why did they have to scrap the role of Wasp the minute they secured Johansson’s Black Widow? Why not have 2 female superheroes in one film?? Sadly, the movie suffers from the Smurfette Principle.

Coined by feminist writer Katha Pollitt in looking at children’s entertainment, the Smurfette Principle is when a male ensemble features one female character. Think the Smurfs (before the introduction of Sassy), the Muppets and Voltron (I’m clearly showing I’m a child of the 80s here). Pollitt asserts that the problem with this trope is that “boys define the group, its story and its code of values. Girls exist only in relation to boys.” As the articulate Anita Sarkeesian at Feminist Frequency points out, it transcends children’s entertainment as we see in films like Star Wars, Star Trek, Watchmen and even Inception as well as TV shows like early seasons of Big Bang Theoryand It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Films and TV relegate women to “sidekicks or sexy decorations.” Luckily, Black Widow suffers neither of these fates. She holds her own as a fierce and capable character, neither shoved aside nor reduced to a dude’s love interest. But it’s still problematic that Black Widow is the only female team member. The male Avengers contain multiple male personalities: a sarcastic genius playboy, a lonely selfless soldier, a skilled sniper, and a tortured brilliant scientist. But as far as women’s representation, there’s just one female Avenger. Granted, she’s a badass. But it would have been nice to see more diverse personalities…which might have been rectified with another female superhero.

(L-R): Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson)

But my biggest problem? No women talked to each other. At all. What the hell is up with that??

Like Film School Rejects’ Gwenn Reyes, I too found the glaring lack of women talking to each other to be The Avengers “greatest flaw.” Maria talks to the other Avengers. As Nick Fury’s right-hand person, it makes sense she would interact with the Avengers. Plus Maria and Natasha have probably crossed paths before since Black Widow already worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. Couldn’t the two women have talked about the upcoming battle? Or strategized, commiserated…anything??

Just because the portrayals of the female characters were positive, doesn’t mean I think the movie smashed the Bechdel Test, a simple test that asks that two named female characters talk to each other about something other than men. With women comprising only 33% of speaking roles on-screen, The Avengers failing the Bechdel Test proves the cavernous gender gap in film and how far we still need to go.

Let me be clear. Most movies — superhero or otherwise — couldn’t care less about portraying complex, intelligent, strong, dimensional women or gender equitable roles. So The Avengersis a step in the right direction. But if you only depict your two female characters (no matter how empowered they are) talking to men, it subtly reinforces the notion that women’s lives revolve around men.

While it’s a really good action movie with strong female roles, I still expected more feminism from you, Joss Whedon.

Guest Writer Wednesday: Geek Girl Con: Feminism, Race, and Geek Culture

This cross-post from Jarrah Hodge previously appeared at Gender Focus.

This is the first in a series of posts about Geek Girl Con, which was held in Seattle October 8-9.

While some Canadians were celebrating Thanksgiving (or not out of protest or ambivalence), I was attending the inaugural Geek Girl Con in Seattle, Washington. The weekend was full of interesting panels and discussions and I took a bunch of pictures and notes, so will be writing a series of posts on the various issues that were covered.

The first full panel I attended was called “Feminism, Race, and Geek Culture”. It was moderated by Regina Buenaobra, community manager for ArenaNet for Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2. On the panel were Sociology student Michelle Hu, BreadPig employee and ROFLCon co-founder Christina Xu, and web developer Nina Reyes. Unfortunately the awesome Racialicious blogger Latoya Peterson wasn’t able to make it.

The panel talked about their own experiences with discrimination and stereotyping in geek communities.

Talking about organizing ROFLCon, Christina recalled that the first year they ended up with a huge majority of white male speakers because they were just going with who they’d seen before at other conventions. Talking more generally about conventions, Christina said she’d encountered a lot more awareness about lack of women’s representation than that of people of colour: “People bring up lack of women on stage very frequently but hardly anyone brings up lack of people of colour.”

But Nina Reyes noted the intersections between race and gender in geek culture are more complicated. As a coder, she said she felt a lot more singled out as a woman than as an Asian, since Asians were stereotyped as being good at coding and computer careers.

Another question that came up for the panel was on representations of women and people of colour in geeky fandoms.

“It’s important as a person of colour to see yourself well represented in these types of media,” Michelle Hu argued.

“If you are a white male reading comic books you have a choice of who you want to be. Me, I’m stuck with Jubilee all the time,” Christina added. They both noted that just casting some people of colour or making a token reference to other cultures isn’t enough, using the short-lived but much loved Joss Whedon show Firefly as an example. The show often featured characters speaking Mandarin poorly.

Xu pointed out this “race-bending” is insulting and causes anger because studio’s don’t seem to care enough to try and find someone to play a part who actually speaks the correct language or belongs to the race that will be portrayed. It’s similar to ending up with an all-white convention lineup because you’re just going with who you’ve heard of before.

A question from the audience that I was particularly interested in was about white people role playing characters of other races in RPGs. In response, Christina Xu referenced Lisa Nakamura’s article: “Race In/For Cyberspace: Identity Tourism and Racial Passing on the Internet” as a good resource for learning more about why this is problematic.

“As somebody who comes from a place of privilege you have the ability to …fulfill your identity as an exotic other,” Christina said, “But it leaves others less room to live their own identities and it perpetuates creepy stereotypes.” She said she wouldn’t say no one can role-play another race, but white people taking on other races need to realize it’s a weird exercise in privilege and need to try to prioritize character over racial stereotypes.

Finally, the panel addressed how geek communities, especially online, can exclude women and people of colour. The panelists said they felt like when they or others raised objections to sexist or racist language or behaviour guys would rally to defend the sexist and racist games, attempting to make the argument that somehow criticizing the language or behaviour was against their geek allegiance.

But the panelists had tips for audience members looking to deal with these types of situations effectively.

Christina recommended using your audience’s vernacular to raise the issue to show you’re part of their community. She also recommended making it clear it’s not a personal attack on a player: “Make it clear you are hating the game and not the player. And understand no one has read Judith Butler as nursery rhymes. There’s a learning process.”

On the other side, the panelists also had some advice for those getting critiques:

“The person on the other side, just f-ing listen,” said Michelle.

“We critique because we enjoy these things. The people who complain the hardest care the most,” said Regina, emphasizing that critiquing something doesn’t mean hating on it.

Jarrah Hodge is the founder of Gender Focus, a Canadian feminist blog. Jarrah also writes for Vancouver Observer and Huffington Post Canada and has been a guest blogger on “feminerd” culture for Bitch Magazine Blogs. Hailing from New Westminster, BC, she’s a fan of politics, crafts, boardgames, musical theatre, and brunch.