There are many people who have written about comic books as a phenomenon of popular culture. Scholars, feminists and fans of comic book art have written books, theses and endless blog pages about the way women are portrayed in popular comics. One one end of the spectrum of arguments is that comic books do not present enough images of strong female characters and the ones they do show are one-dimensional and uninteresting. At the other end are those who feel that the portrayal of women in comics is misogynistic (a hatred and distrust of women) which is implied in the fact that most comic book heroines are sexualized to the point of becoming mere objects for the men in the story to use for their own ends. Both these arguments, and all the ones in between, are too complex to discuss adequately here. There are, however, some points of these arguments that you should consider when formulating your own argument.
Historically it has been adolescent boys who have bought the lion's share of comic books. Some defenders of the status quo say that the skimpy outfits and unrealistic proportions of female characters do play to the fantasies of young men, but that is the target audience and these images are harmless fun. Reactions to this position say that portraying women as the objects of sexual fantasies promotes the idea in young reader's minds that women are of a secondary status. This attitude leads to the subjugation of women's rights, promotes the idea that a woman's value is in her ability to attract and please men, and in the worst case scenario can lead to an attitude where violence against women is acceptable.
Like I said there are many varying shades and degrees to these arguments that are not outlined here. Where do you fall in this discussion? As a woman are you offended by the way females are drawn, or do you see these women as strong fighters of evil who are just as absurdly portrayed as male superheroes whose tights barely contain their bulging muscles? As a man do you find these female characters believeable, realistic and desirable, or do you find it insulting that anyone would think you are shallow enough that comic books would have any influence on the way you think?
