Since the beginning of the comic book era, the male superhero has been put on a pedestal for their huge muscles and chiseled face along with superpowers to save the world. On the other hand, the female superheroes are kept right below that pedestal, either acting as a damsel in distress or being eye candy. Overmore these female superheroes are hypersexualized with their spandex costume and glossy lips.
After any good superhero movie, only two issues are discussed- either what will happen next or how hot the female superhero looks. It seems like the creators prioritize their looks over their abilities and it is seen through Wonder Woman or Harly Quinn for that matter even Catwomen. This hypersexualization of female superheroes is not restricted to DC, even Marvel Cinematic Universe is prone to do so.
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Why Are The Female Superheroes Hyper-Sexualized?
One of the biggest offenders of female deception in comic books is Catwoman. She is known for having a large chest and hips while being very skinny. Her character has always been a tease and manipulates people using her body. Now in reality it reflects poorly on the women, as now they have been shown to use their physical attraction to gain power, instead of choosing personality or merit.
There has been a Catwoman in every movie, she has always worn tight clothing exposing parts of her body, but also being very skinny with big hips and chest. DC seems to follow a similar pattern with all its comic characters moving to the big screen.
Similarly, Harley Quinn is another character whose strengths are hidden behind objectification and a toxic relationship with Joker. In the film, she is shown as submissive and helpless because of Joker. He catcalls her as a sign that he owns Quinn. This problematic couple was loved by many. Female Superheroes are supposed to represent strong independent women, instead of merely abusing their powers and using them in a sexualized manner.
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Impact Of Hyper Sexualization On Female Superheroes
Sensuailzing and hypersexualizing them can severely damage the self-esteem of adolescent girls and women. Reports from the United Nations International Children’s Fund also state that the consequences of hypersexualization for girls and women include anxiety about appearance, feelings of shame, eating disorders, lower self-esteem, and depression. A woman with superhero abilities does not necessarily have to expose her skin with suffocatingly tight clothes.
Young girls and women need characters that portray women in heroic and strong roles without society’s unrealistic body expectations. There needs to be a positive representation of women on-screen to be identified as role models. And recently with the introduction of Captain Marvel in MCU portrays women in a strong and dominant position. She is not sexualized over her dress like Black Widow and Scarlet Witch.
Hopefully, there will be more such female superhero characters in the future who will make women feel more comfortable in their skin.
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