How the Comic Industry Has Failed Women
by Zoë Rabbani
Suicide Squad hit the UK over a week ago and, even though I’m not usually one to go watch films at the cinema, I tagged along to see it with some friends, knowing nothing of it beforehand besides the fact that the film had already earned some scathing reviews. Regardless of this, I enjoyed it, and enjoyed Margot Robbie’s performance as Harley Quinn above all else. Of course, with little expectations I was an easy pleaser, but certain things about the film and about the wider scale of the story didn’t bode well with me — including the presentation of the 4 female characters, and the romanticisation of Joker and Harley’s canonically abusive relationship (I may not know much about comics, but I’m no hermit). With 3 out of 4 of the female characters dressed up in little clothing, and one who barely speaks, the fact that the movie narrowly passed the Bechdel Test does only so much to sweeten the bitterness of the fact that, once again, the comic industry has failed women.
It’s no secret that the comic industry hasn’t exactly treated both real and fictional girls with the highest level of respect throughout its history of being a primarily male-dominated space. The exclusion of girls from this culture has been kept alive by the ‘Fake Geek Girl’ meme that’s poisoned many a forum and fandom page, and with the majority of female characters drawn by men for men as objects of desire with their provocative poses, it’s felt by many in the community that these characters are merely tools used to provide a bit of titillating T&A for any young male fan. But recent studies have shown that what was once apparently a Boys-Only Club is now made up of almost a 50/50 gender split. Girls by the thousands are attending more conventions, buying more comics and merch, and watching more adaptations. The truth of it is that girls are geeks. And have always been. It’s surprising how many people — and male comic book fans — forget who actually created the sci-fi genre: a young woman known as Mary Shelley, who wrote Frankenstein in 1818 and sparked a new wave of fantastical writing. If you need any more proof of how badass this woman and most-likely feminist was — her mother was Mary Wollstonecraft (oh, only the author of one of the most feminist books in history).
Judging by the female wardrobe department of Suicide Squad, and the wasted potential of some of the main characters (I mean, Amanda Waller, amirite?), there’s space for improvement. Although large steps have been taken in closing the gender divide both within the fandom and the creator-sphere, there still seems to be a general aura of male entitlement to comic characters. I still witness the misogyny spewed in feminist-hating fan forums, and comic books released with scantily clad, big-busted female characters drawn only to please the male gaze, rather than represent the growing numbers of female fans. It’s about time that people such as Tony Harris realise that girls are not simply hanging around Comic Con to impress fanboys, and that *gasp* girls actually enjoy the comics and the storylines and the universes, and want a very simple thing that boys have been getting for decades: realistic and in-depth representation. It’s time for the community to wake up and realise that the days of exclusive male-ownership are withering away, to make space for a new generation of fans — equal, diverse, and hopefully one day, equally represented.
