1 IBH Language and Lit. Y1 Ms. Wiebusch April 16, 2013 Written Task 1: Rationale This written task relates to our study of Part 2: Language and Mass Communication. I decided to focus on comic books, in particular Wonder Woman so I can depict how the representation of women have changed in comic books by referring to Wonder Woman s transition from being a pure superhero in 1984 to being hyper sexualized and objectified in the 21 st century. I will be responding in a format of a blog post from the perspective of a writer of an online comic book blog website. This will allow me to demonstrate my knowledge yet challenge me to be creative and unique since there are numerous posts about the changes of Wonder Woman throughout the years. I will differentiate my blog post through the written content. My target audience will be comic book fanatics, more specifically women in order to show the representation of women in comics is turning negative. I will discuss the history of Wonder Woman and why she was originally created in order to portray how the sexualization and objectification of Wonder Woman takes away from the purpose of being a super heroin. Additionally, reflecting on the way in which society most often think of females as sexual objects. My blog post will contain background information of Wonder Woman so readers have knowledge of what Wonder Woman is about, and quotes in order to help support my claims. I will also make the format eye-catching with the use of different
2 colors, fonts and images. I do not want my blog post to be assertive so I plan on using softer language but still keeping a formal register. Words: 274
3 Wonder Woman: EXPOSED By: Kate Mulgrew April 7, 2013 @ 10:03 am Wonder Woman s body constitutes a historical site for the interplay of the culturally oppositional spheres of femininity vs. (masculine) nation, private sexuality vs. public politics/war, and relationships vs. action in battle. - Mitra Emad DC Comics has been known to be the ultimate comic book label for centuries. Producing material with the best action heroes known to mankind DC comics has made an immense impact in the comics industry. They have illustrated several shifts in characters changing them from their appearances to their characteristics. One of the biggest transitions I can pinpoint is the one and only, Wonder Woman. According to William Marston, creator of Wonder Woman, she reflects and embodies his feminist values. Her fight for justice, love, peace and sexual equality differentiated her from other super heroines. Mitra Emad s Reading Wonder Woman s Body states, Her first priority and role is diplomatic, changing society through utopian example. But nowadays, is it still safe to say that Wonder Woman fans are impressed by her superhuman abilities? Or is it just her sex appeal? The representation of Wonder Woman has drastically changed from the 1980 s to the 21 st century reflecting the change of representation of women in comic books. This October issue of Wonder Woman was released in 2002 displays two versions of Wonder Woman. The Wonder Woman on the right is the modern, updated version. The one on the left is the old, simplistic version of the superhero. Through looking at this Wonder Woman issue, it is most prevalent that the biggest change made to modify her is the sexualization of her appearance. Source: ComicVine.com
4 In 1984, Wonder Woman lived up to her status as the sacred icon of feminism. She was a huge hit because she was presented as an ambassador from a superior culture, according to George Perez. Also, the storyline concentrated on domestic virtues. Wonder Woman was meant to bring peace to the outside world. However by the 2000 s, a large amount of Wonder Woman images became hyper sexualized. Most don t even know what is special about her anymore as her appearance distracts us. I will be discussing the two main differences: overall appearance (costume, hair, body) and representation of America. 1. Overall appearance Costume Source: abcnews.go.com Let s start with the most obvious her clothing. As demonstrated in the images above, the 1984 costume was revealing, borderline risqué but still decent. Her costume was functional. It consisted of shorts, bustier top and long boots. The 21 st century Wonder Woman is barely wearing anything. She is wearing what is called a playsuit that exposes the majority of her body. Her costume is what most people wear to go swimming, am I right? Wonder Woman has been eroticized to attract more male readers by fulfilling male fantasies and desires. The 21 st century Wonder Woman looks more edited with the fancy metallic colors of her costume. In contrast to the old Wonder Woman who was simpler with the use of only basic, standard colors: blue, red, white and yellow.
5 Additionally, modern Wonder Woman s skin is radiating, giving her a glow that readers find appealing whereas the old Wonder Woman is one toned. The transition of Wonder Woman from being plain and simple to a sexualized superhero is a primary example of the change in representation of women in comic books. Body Wonder woman s body is both an icon of the traditionally masculine, public realm of nationhood as well as the traditionally feminine, private realm of female sexuality. - Mitra C. Emad Wonder Woman portrays a strong and capable female body. She is a symbol of power. The Wonder Woman from 1984 was muscular, almost manly but the modern Wonder Woman is lean and toned to illustrate strength. The Wonder Woman now has a tiny waist conforming to the stereotype that females are meant to be skinny. Her tiny waist suggests that she is fragile and breakable which juxtaposes the purpose of being a superhero. There is an increase of size in her breasts. The 21 st century Wonder Woman has larger breasts that are barely covered because sex sells everything especially the breasts, as, stated in Killing Us Softly. The new Wonder Woman s body obviously shows strength but it is softened by her mass of hair being blown by the wind. This is unpractical for a superhero that is meant to be on the go and ready for action at all times. This also contrasts the old Wonder Woman s hair, which was tied and pulled back by a headband. 2. Representation of America Wonder Woman was created to represent the American nation. She was the symbol of feminism in America during WWII. On the old Wonder Woman, we are able to easily identify the American eagle symbol on her top. The bald eagle has been the symbol of the United States since 1782. It signifies America s independence, long life, majestic beauty, great courage and unwavering strength. The combination of the color of her costume with the American bald eagle portrayed American pride. The modern Wonder Woman lacks representation of America. Her costume no longer has vivid American colors and the eagle blends in with her costume so it is hard to recognize. This may show that artists of modern Wonder Woman focused on attracting more readers. They forgot the importance of taking price in Wonder Woman s country. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It is no secret that the representation of women has significantly changed throughout the years. The objectification and hyper sexualization of Wonder Woman now could demonstrate society s views of women. It is becoming more prevalent that women are sexual objects and they are only appreciated once they have reached the ideal of what it means to be a female.
6 It has been stated that Wonder Woman was created as a role model for little girls but if that is the case, are we as society trying to say that it is right to expose practically your whole body? Is it okay to aim to be sexualized because that is what is expected and accepted? Mitra C. Emad wrote Both readership and authorship play significant roles in constructing Wonder Woman s superhero bodily identity for women readers. This suggests that the sexualization and objectification of Wonder Woman is due to the fact that artists are producing what readers desire to see. We as a society have a role in the changes of representation of women in comic books. It is important to remember that feminism is not about satisfying the opposite gender. Words: 996
7 Works Cited Brothers, David. ComicsAlliance. "Art and Superheroines: When Over-Sexualization Kills the Story [Sex] - ComicsAlliance Comic book culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews."comicsalliance Comics culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews. N.p., 16 Feb. 2012. Web. 31 Mar. 2013. Daskalakis, Alessandra. "Wonder Women Daily Bruin." Daily Bruin. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2013. <http://dailybruin.com/2012/11/27/wonder-women/>. EMAD, M. C. (2006), Reading Wonder Woman's Body: Mythologies of Gender and Nation. The Journal of Popular Culture, 39: 954 984. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-5931.2006.00329.x Thompson, Kelly. "She Has No Head! No, It s Not Equal Comics Should Be Good! @ Comic Book Resources." Comics Should Be Good! @ Comic Book Resources. N.p., 21 Feb. 2012. Web. 31 Mar. 2013. <http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2012/02/21/she-has-no-head-noits-not-equal/>. "A Look Back at the History and Outfits of Wonder Woman Photos - ABC News."ABCNews.com - Breaking News, Latest News & Top Video News - ABC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2013. <http://abcnews.go.com/wn/slideshow/outfit-woman-back-long-historywoman-11045912>. "Wonder Woman #184 - U-Boats and Dinosaurs (Issue)." Comic Vine - Comic reviews, videos, forums and wiki.. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2013. <http://www.comicvine.com/wonder-woman-184-u-boats-and-dinosaurs/4000-108981/>.
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