![]() Another aspect of her character that they hoped would increase profits was her sexual appeal, which could be easily witnessed as she fought evildoers dressed in only a leotard and heeled-boots.Ī spandex suit, a cape, and burley mussels may be what comes to mind when thinking of a typical super hero however, the icons associated with Wonder Woman are none of these stereotypes. Afraid of low sales, creators would usually pair her up with a strong male characters such as Superman in hopes of boosting her sales. A woman super hero was a ground breaking change in these early times, and her writers were aware of this factor. The Ninetieth Amendment was only passed twenty-years prior, and a majority of women were still too busy serving as homemakers to even acknowledge the magnitude of the change that Wonder Woman was creating. If a woman was even aware of Wonder Woman’s existence, it was usually due to her son having a stack of her comic books cluttering his bedroom. While her character was popular enough to sustain such a long shelf life, women in the 1940s were not reading comic books. Along with Batman and Superman, Wonder Woman is one of few characters to have been continuously circulated by her publisher since her December 1941 introduction (Hendrix). However, the term “sexism” is also a rather modern term and was not in common use during Wonder Woman’s more formable years. ![]() She symbolized the empowerment of women, and labeled anything lesser as sexism. The values that Wonder Woman promoted to the comic book community were very similar to the values reflected onto America’s more modern society. Her strength without a man is a highly relatable topic as more women find themselves living their lives single, raising families without fathers, or taking executive jobs that years ago was only considered to be man’s work. Her character reflects an independent woman who does not need a male character to vow revenge for her sake, due to that fact that she can fight her own battles. Wonder Woman was a solution to such a trend that the modern woman found to be in poor taste. Gail Simone, the first female ongoing writer for Wonder Woman, has pointed out that many women were being brutally murdered "just as plot points for the male characters, who could then vow revenge against the killer” (Simone). Throughout the ages, women comic book characters have regularly been subject to horrific violence, a trend that many felt reflected negatively on America’s values. However, her symbolism has changed over the years as well as how her creators have handled her character, the values she promotes, and what it really means to be the most powerful woman alive. An interesting case study is Wonder Woman, and how the comic book industry has portrayed a woman who’s modust operardi is being a strong female character. The business realized it needed to grow-up and throughout the years has matured the ways it has treated its characters. Constantly scrutinized, comics have been accused of various atrocities ranging from sexism to the corruption of the innocent. ![]() Until fairly recently, the world of comic books have been a predominately male centric industry.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |