by
Kayla Greenwell
Happy women's history month, all! I knew when I sat down to
write this blog that I wanted to write something substantial about women, but I
was perplexed. I wanted to avoid being
political, but I also didn't just want to give a big history or literature lesson. I wanted to show how far women have come in a
way that people don't usually think about, and then suddenly it came to me: comics.
Comic books may seem like the last place to find diverse,
non-stigmatized writing about women, but when looked at closely, female super
heroes are some of the most diverse, well-written characters. Super Dames have been dominating popular
culture since the 60's, but there is a stigma that genre fiction and comics are
somehow less than their counterparts of "real" literary fiction—that
genre fiction is just a means of escape. Really though, genre isn't just escapism.
A lot of the time the worlds we read about in genre fiction are much worse than
our own, but it does give us something invaluable. These writings give us the
tools we need to escape similar situations in our real lives. They deal with real issues, even if those
issues are veiled through tropes and literary devices. This is true for women and gender as well.
Comics are a great record of women's rights and equality,
because unlike some of the greatest feminist novels (not to diminish their
importance)—most of these women are still being written. They change and become
more current. They evolve. You can track
the thought of popular culture through these women—see how public thought on
women involved into what it is today.
Women have come far, but there is still further to go and comic books,
when looked at closely, reflect that perfectly.
There are two
examples that I want to share with you:
first is a classic, Wonder Woman (DC), and the other is brand
spankin'-new, just announced this month--Ms. Marvel (Marvel). I'm sure most people know who Wonder Woman is—but,
just for good measure, I'm going to tell you anyway. Simply, she's an Amazonian princess who kicks butt and does not
take no for an answer. I think her
writing is fair in the portrayal of women not just because she is stoic, independent,
and powerful, but she is also compassionate, she gets confused, and she had a
tough time making certain decisions.
Over the past 50 years writers have done a great job portraying her in
different lights, and giving her more complicated emotions that many people
have to deal with in reality.
More recently Marvel announced a new Ms. Marvel, and it is
something that made headlines in papers internationally. The new Ms. Marvel is a 16-year-old Pakistani
girl Kamala Khan. I think her addition
to the long list of super heroes is so important, because it brings a sense of
globalism to equality and gender representation. The first comic came out on February 05, and
if you have the time and three dollars I would definitely suggest checking it
out. It's well written, even if it can
be a bit silly.
Or even if you're not interested in Ms. Marvel, pick up a
comic or graphic novel. See for yourself
how these writers have created a vast, diverse universe in which women
thrive. Women's history and the ideas of
society towards women can be documented throughout the thousands of issues
written over the past several decades, and now—they are looking towards the
future. It's a great feeling.
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