When we look at superheroes we see strong people
who rescue and protect innocent civilians from harm. We look up to them and admire them as they
inspire us to be better people throughout our lives. The superheroes we see are all shown as strong
and noble men, but what about the female superheroes shown on screen? The sad truth is that most of the females in
the genre are often sexualized and are never given the spotlight that they
deserve.
The last time a female superhero was the lead in
her own movie was in Electra (2005) which was a spinoff of the movie Daredevil
(2003). Her costume leaves little to the imagination and even during her fighting scenes her beauty and body are in focus. The reason for this is to attract a male audience who are eager to see the heroine in action.
The comics that inspire these superhero films
are pure fantasy, but they are nonetheless influenced by the writers and
creators who bring them to life on the big screen. The image they offer
onscreen seems to pander to the most traditional views of Americans and many
can’t even seem to realize it. All the
main characters in the most popular superhero movies like Captain America and
The Dark Knight all feature protagonists that are white, healthy, good looking
men. The
reason for this is that comic books are mainly written by white heterosexual
men and the heroes are also in large majority created by white heterosexual
men.
Movies like Halle Barry’s Catwoman (2004) and
Pamela Anderson’s Barb Wire (1996) are proof that there are absolutely no good
female hero films in our lifetime. The
two heroines are mostly used as sexual objects who constantly flaunt their
bodies throughout the films. There is a
huge lack of depth and emotion in the stories and characters in these
movies. Are little girls supposed to see
these women as their heroes? These
characters set a terrible example for little girls who dream of one day
becoming a superhero and a perfect example of the fact that men are the main target of these films.
There have been some strides lately with women
in comic book movies with the best example being Scarlett Johansson in Marvel’s
The Avengers (2012). The character was a
strong female and although not the main focus of the film, she was still one of
the five central team members of the film.
Her character was very gifted at fighting and winning her own battles. She was able to match wits with the other
members in the team and contribute significantly to their victory against their
enemies. She even manages to defeat
hawkeye, a special agent with arrow abilities, in a one on one fight. She is also a master of espionage and gathers
important information for the team. Her
role was reprised in this year’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier
(2014). Her character was given even more depth
throughout the film and was able to take on various enemies that were in the
way of her mission. She was also
depicted as computer savvy and was very likeable in the film, prompting fans to
ask for a movie that concentrated solely on her deep complex character.
However, there are some small flaws with her
character. She is still sexualized in
the two films as she wears her skin tight uniform, her body is idealized and at
times in both the Avengers and Captain America 2 there are up close shots of
her body parts.
The marketing of the movie was a perfect example
of how women are over sexualized in these kinds of movies. The studio released various character posters
of the characters of the films and the only poster that was sexualized was
Black Widow’s poster. She is clearly
photo-shopped and can it seems that she is missing some ribs. Her hips and legs have been slimmed down and her breasts have been augmented. The poster also focuses on the character’s
torso instead of her face like the rest of the character posters from the
movie. The focus is on her body parts and
disproportionate measurements that are physically impossible for women. The character is already strong and deep and
doesn’t need to be focused on sexually, but the marketing department thought
otherwise and made her out to be a sexual object when the character is so much
more than that.
They are male centered and with the popularity
of the films today, the writers and directors need to realize that women watch
these films too. If they show women in a
more humanistic light without being over sexualized they can boost the film
sales and fans of the characters. Gender
roles need to step aside and show more equality between the two sexes when it
comes to being heroes and action stars.
Having a positive role model for boys and girls as well can only help
our society grow and help endorse equality between the two sexes.
The sequel to the Man of Steel reboot will feature both batman and superman together on screen for the first time. The movie will also feature the first onscreen appearance of Wonder Woman. When the casting was revealed and fans discovered that the actress Gal Gadot was going to play Wonder Woman, there was much scrutiny about her body by comic book fans.
Now movie theaters in equality-minded Sweden are introducing a new rating to highlight gender bias, or rather the absence of it. To get an "A'' rating, a movie must pass the so-called Bechdel test, which means it must have at least two named female characters who talk to each other about something other than a man. Innovations like this help movies and stereotypes to disappear from our films.