Over Sexualization Of Women In Comics?

Calling no homo for this whole thread.

When people complain about the over sexualization of women, it really doesn't make sense to me. Women get the same "fan service", if you want to call it that, that us men do. Have you ever really paid attention to a comic book? Typically these are men that look like they've been on 'roids for years, and are always flexing or showing off said muscles. As men, we typically just glance over these things because, well, for most of us it's not appealing in that way. But just as we have a perfect window into Powergirl's boobage, women readers have countless panels of Batman or Superman flexing the crap out of their muscles, which is no different than men's view into Powergirl's glorious bosum.

So, again, it goes both ways. I'm not saying anyone on this site has really overly complained about the matter, but I've seen others across the web that take issue with the "Over sexulization of women", when comics are basically a treasure trove of six pack abs for women.

Food for thought.

Oh dude, I totally agree and I've been saying this to people for a while. There are definitely times when they go to far with women, but in general it really isn't a big deal. So many people say that the figure of the women in comics puts a bad influence on actual women by making them feel less of themselves, but it's the same thing for guys. Every guy in comics is completely jacked and turned into a bad@ss We normal guys can't achieve that either, but we don't complain.

Blah blah, something about women and their suffrage and how they're not equal to men, blah blah. Lol!

But seriously, women still beat out men in the over-sexualization. When's the last time you saw a panel with a male hero taking a shower? Apparently women are just so much dirtier after crime-fighting. When's the last time you saw a panel that was just short of revealing a male character's private parts? Or have a male character take 10 panels to put on their damn costume? While I think a lot of feminist ideas are completely one-sided, comic fans don't really have a leg to stand on.

This thread is sooooooooo homo.

@the_stegman: Called no homo, it's all good.

ALL THE HOMO!!

@jaken7: A better question would be, when was the last time you've seen any of what you mentioned with women in comics?

@the_stegman: Not cool man, you've got to respect when someone calls no homo. How else would male doctors operate on other men???

Yeah, you're right...I'm being a bit intolerant. You got my respect dude...no homo.

Lol, again someone brings up the false equivalence.

Superhero comics are usually done by males for males. The male superheroes are a power fantasy while female superheroes are wank fantasy.

Here's an often posted strip about the subject:

BB

The second anybody calls "no homo" I ignore everything they have to say

No it wouldn't, it happens all the time.

Should I go on?

@billy_batson said:

Lol, again someone brings up the false equivalence.

Superhero comics are usually done by males for males. The male superheroes are a power fantasy while female superheroes are wank fantasy.

Here's an often posted strip about the subject:

BB

That's brilliant

Next Arc of Wonder Woman and JL crossover, Wonder Woman must fight to save Man´s world that men to be equals as women, if amazon princess can save the world with lot of clevage, so alien power up by the yellow sun, ninja dectetive dress up as bat, a speedester,magical king merman, guy using a powerful green ring and a cyborg.

@billy_batson: Regardless of intent, you're telling me a woman wouldn't enjoy seeing a shirtless Bruce Wayne just as men enjoy seeing a scantily clad Catwoman?

comics r more of a guy thing so i dont mind the way women are protrayed. i actually perfer wonder woman among others to look sexy

To solucionate this problem the industry needs more female artists. I mean you cant expect a male artist to think like a female.

@jaken7: How about I post all the times men have been shirtless flexing the crap out of their muscles like they're about to bust open? I don't think this page could hold them all. It goes both ways.

@jonny_anonymous: Ok? Nobody cares.

@billy_batson said:

Lol, again someone brings up the false equivalence.

Superhero comics are usually done by males for males. The male superheroes are a power fantasy while female superheroes are wank fantasy.

Here's an often posted strip about the subject:

BB

Eh, kinda disagree with that scan. That may be one woman's idea of what attracts women (if the artist is indeed a woman) but it does not speak for all. I mean, I don't meet too many girls who think, "Dayum, that guy has some sexy dexterity." or "Tim is soooo, hot, did you see the large eyes he had? omg!"

No it doesn't in this instance. Besides, all I did was prove you wrong when you said that everything I talked about never happened.

@jaken7: I didn't say it never happened. I said when was the last time it happened, and to my knowledge, all the scans you posted are years old.

They've made a small effort to chance this in the New-52. This is why I like Spider-Man, he looks like quite an athletic normal teenager.

@imthedamnbatman: you must do or you wound't of replied

@jonny_anonymous: Yes, I'm the only one who cares, but for all the wrong reasons.

@jaken7: Well, you've certainly shown more than needed, but it did its purpose.

The problem is that women don't like being sexualized while men don't seem to care that they are too. Those that don't like it should just not read it. Just like I refuse to read New 52 Catwoman because I find it disgusting but I'm okay with Wonder Woman running around in a one-piece.

@erik: This makes the most sense to me.

Here's a good article about the subject: http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2012/02/21/she-has-no-head-no-its-not-equal/

BB

Oh please. You need some new 52 examples?

Would you like more examples? I have them.

Yup, I've rarely met any women who found overtly feminine men attractive.

Well, at least no women past the age of 15 anyway.

I can see them not being interested in the muscles though tbh, most women I know seem to prefer medium build.

Sorry. But so did DC. Unfortunately he's still not getting it.

@jaken7: Catwoman is a known sexualized comic book. That's like pulling up a porn magazine for an example.

The others are just as prevalent as male's. Are you seriously going to tell me there aren't examples of overly muscled men in the New 52 flexing ridiculously? I can't post scans for you, but I could find just as many.

Yeah this is a thing. You'd have to be blind not to see this.

You're seriously going to look at a naked Starfire asking someone who isn't her partner if she wants to have sex and tell me there is a male equivalent? I have plenty more examples, but I think I'm wasting my time. I'll ask one more time though. When is the last time (or any time) a male hero was shown to be taking a shower or slowly putting on his uniform while showing skin?

I think his point is, males being all flexy and sexy DOES exist, but he's proving your earlier post wrong in saying that women aren't shown half naked and/or changing clothes in modern comics, cause, they are.

Also, I think that's exactly our point.

Hey, this guy gets it.

This link is massively better than the comic strip you posted.

The men flexing and being over-muscular are for the male readers mostly... they show a sense of manliness and idolship. Making Superman a skinny, somewhat-lean hero would make him seem weak and lame (in modern context). Making him so muscular his muscles are on his muscles like Jean Claude Van Damme makes him more appealing as a super-powerhouse.

The stereotype that girls don't read comics is why the male characters in the comics are muscualr and why women are always wearing skimpy "armor" that only protects 1/8th of their total body's surface area.

Same goes with a good example of mid-early Japanese anime: Dragonball Original-Z-GT. Do you think anyone except young males would watch that show? They get their shirts torn off in every fight, and that is because they want to make an idoliz-able character like Goku. Why else did Goku get more and more muscular everytime he used the levels of Kaio-ken? And there were so many perverted scenes in the original DB it's not even funny.

I'll name a whole ton of characters who get sexualized in Western comics: Catwoman, Supergirl, Powergirl, Wonder Woman, Poison Ivy, Black Widow, Harley Quinn, Batgirl (all of them), Batwoman, Hawkgirl (both versions of Pre52 and New 52), Stargirl, and Starfire are all from the top of my head.

@jaken7: Not often, because that would probably too feminine for most heroes to be shown doing.

Instead, you get examples of Superman bench pressing while shirtless and in short shorts, Batman laying on a table with nothing but a cloth on, and Speedy being JUST as premiscuous as Starfire.

But I get your point that it happens, just like it happens with men.

You can sit there with a straight face and tell me Arsenal is being JUST AS SEXUAL as Starfire in those scans?

@the_stegman: Yeah I got that now. I wasn't aware of some of them.

Can we get an actual females perspective?

@joygirl

@jaken7: Not by image, but by principle he is.

And are you just ignoring my other examples now?

Sexy women are the sauce. They need to be shown.

Thread Reminds me of this Avengers poster with the men drawn in female poses and female drawn in male poses, LOL