Representations of Women in (Mostly Superhero) Comics

Yet another highly interesting article, this time, on aesthetics in comic books. 

Here's the argument that hits me in the gut most:

People Know That Comics Aren’t Real/Girls Don’t Look to Comics for Body Image Perspectives

No (and that’s a problem that the major comic companies are struggling with, isn’t it?), but boys do.  And boys grow up to be men (well, to be older boys, at least) who are then responsible for making decisions about comic books, television shows, movies.  They have daughters.  Their expectations about what is normal, what is acceptable, what is sexy, are absorbed into the aggregate collective of societal norms.  Women being insecure about their breasts is a product of men wanting women with big boobs, and men wanting big boobs is a product of…what, precisely? ...

I see this over and over, an idea that what boys read doesn't have to give realistic interpretations of female characters... and then people wonder why boys and men don't "get" women. This article is very helpful, in no small way because the arguments hold true for a lot of different media in addition to comics.