Comments on: Ooh, Drama! http://www.nataliekirk.com/2008/12/ooh-drama/ Mon, 07 Jun 2010 08:55:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Ivy http://www.nataliekirk.com/2008/12/ooh-drama/comment-page-1/#comment-18 Ivy Mon, 29 Dec 2008 06:17:03 +0000 http://blog.nataliekirk.com/?p=64#comment-18 I think it's kinda effed up that this guy tries to defend "traditional" superhero comics as if all you have to do is say it's a traditional art form and then you're off the hook. By that logic we oughta be able to have slaves and have women owned by men instead of just married to them because it sure as hell does have a long, time-honored tradition behind it. The problem you (and most of us) have with the presentation of the superhero women is that the whole focus of their bodies is to make them look sexy, look good while kicking ass. Now, I won't deny that there's a certain reasoning behind wanting their characters to be unrealistically attractive in certain ways (men and women alike), but that doesn't mean they also have to stand/sit/lie in practically pornographic positions in order to be fantastical. I hear this sort of whining all the time--about how "IT'S FANTASY SO IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE REALISTIC STOP TRYING TO MAKE EVERYTHING BE TRUE TO LIFE BEING FANTASTICAL IS THE WHOLE POINT," etc. Nobody said they had to be *realistic*. You don't see us saying "OH THAT'S SO WRONG THAT PERSON HAS BLUE HAIR NOBODY REALLY HAS BLUE HAIR THAT'S SO STUPID MAKE IT REAL!" Same with the magic powers or the unrealistically good athletic abilities. It's the fact that there's this pointlessly oversexed portrayal of the body (especially for the women) which does not have ANYTHING to do with necessity. Make them attractive? Fine, good. Make them all attractive in the same ridiculous way and then accentuate it by posing them like porn stars? Not so good. I'm not wonderful with drawing proportions (well, or drawing at all) but I like to think my characters in my webcomic have fairly normal bodies (where appropriate). . . . I think it’s kinda effed up that this guy tries to defend “traditional” superhero comics as if all you have to do is say it’s a traditional art form and then you’re off the hook. By that logic we oughta be able to have slaves and have women owned by men instead of just married to them because it sure as hell does have a long, time-honored tradition behind it.

The problem you (and most of us) have with the presentation of the superhero women is that the whole focus of their bodies is to make them look sexy, look good while kicking ass. Now, I won’t deny that there’s a certain reasoning behind wanting their characters to be unrealistically attractive in certain ways (men and women alike), but that doesn’t mean they also have to stand/sit/lie in practically pornographic positions in order to be fantastical. I hear this sort of whining all the time–about how “IT’S FANTASY SO IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE REALISTIC STOP TRYING TO MAKE EVERYTHING BE TRUE TO LIFE BEING FANTASTICAL IS THE WHOLE POINT,” etc. Nobody said they had to be *realistic*. You don’t see us saying “OH THAT’S SO WRONG THAT PERSON HAS BLUE HAIR NOBODY REALLY HAS BLUE HAIR THAT’S SO STUPID MAKE IT REAL!” Same with the magic powers or the unrealistically good athletic abilities. It’s the fact that there’s this pointlessly oversexed portrayal of the body (especially for the women) which does not have ANYTHING to do with necessity. Make them attractive? Fine, good. Make them all attractive in the same ridiculous way and then accentuate it by posing them like porn stars? Not so good.

I’m not wonderful with drawing proportions (well, or drawing at all) but I like to think my characters in my webcomic have fairly normal bodies (where appropriate). . . .

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