The Representation Of Women In Comic Books

From the birth of Wonder Woman in 1941, to the introduction of Harley Quinn in 1992, women have appeared in many famous comics such as Marvel and D.C.. However, not all of these women are equal to the male characters. The portrayal of women in comic books is more derogatory than empowering, due to their costumes, position or powers, and absence of major movie roles.

Superheroines’ costumes are more derogatory than superheroes’ costumes. Many of these superheroines’ costumes evolved over time. As found in D.C. comics, the original Catwoman, a strong female character, wore a long cape and showed almost no skin. However, as she grew in popularity, and television exposed her to more male viewers, she was drawn in tighter and tighter catsuits,

Spiderman, Superman, Batman, Captain America, and Iron Man are never drawn in a revealing or sexual manner. In fact, it’s quite the opposite; they are drawn more muscular, but they are always wearing full outfits covering all of their skin. Some people argue that both men and women are drawn in a way that accentuates their characteristics. Men become more muscular, and women gain bigger breasts. A writer for The Los Angeles Times wrote, “In Red Hood and the Outlaws No. 1, extraterrestrial princess Starfire strikes a Playboy-like pose, bursting out of her purple bikini as she propositions Red Hood. And Voodoo, a shape-shifting half-alien hybrid, spends half of her first issue stripping. Comics blogs buzzed with debate, and critics cried sexism, pointing to the company’s predominantly male creative staff” [McDonald]. While superheroes are drawn in a way that makes them more powerful, superheroines are drawn to please the thousands of male viewers, by being abnormally tall with giant breasts, tiny hips, a large bottom, and little clothing. They are even made less intelligent. Marina DelVecchio, a feminist writer, says, “Because she is half a woman, the acceptable and sexy parts of

Even female characters who are not the heroes in these comic books are manipulated. They are also drawn in skimpier clothing, and made to appear unintelligent. By having only women being dressed inappropriately, or needing help, women are turned into nothing more than brainless, helpless objects.“‘Jean Kilbourne claims that by ‘turning a human being into a thing, an object, is almost always the first step toward justifying violence against that person.’ She contends that by using female sex to sell their products, advertising companies send the message that ‘all women, regardless of age, are really temptresses in disguise, nymphets, sexually unstable and seductive’” [DelVecchio]. By turning these comic book women in to sexual objects, comic book writers can