I have loved Marvel Comics since I was a young child. When I was five years old, I had

a Marvel-themed checker board and would always ask my dad to tell me about the characters. I read my first Spider-Man comic book when I was six, and I had a Spider-Man birthday party when I was eight. Nowadays, I love Marvel Comics for better reasons than just cool guys in suits who can blow stuff up. I love the way these characters are shown as people with problems that real people go through. For example, it was refreshing to be able to relate to Tony Stark when he began having panic attacks in Iron Man 3. However, as a teenage girl, I’ve been noticing a disturbing pattern in the portrayal of women in the comics. Almost all of the women in these comics are being objectified, and it needs to stop.

One study, conducted by Jessica H. Zellers, tried to examine the depiction of women

in graphic novels. What she found was that “of the suggestively clad, partially clad, or naked

individuals, about three times as many were women (296) than men (107). Additionally, of all males, 2% were naked, while of all females, 24% were naked. It is incredible that almost one out of every four females was, at some point, depicted in the nude” (Zellers, online)

The target audience for Marvel comics is generally directed towards men. I understand that there will always be that awkward pose that female superheroes make where they show off as much of their body as possible, even though most women would likely not stick their breasts in the air when they are about to be killed. I accept that men and women will always wear ridiculous outfits that do not make sense during a fight. I accept the fact that some people think that the only way to get teenage boys to read comics is to make women look sexy. This is not something I can realistically expect to change and I’m not trying to. Sometimes these things are even good. It’s nice to know that you can be strong and able to fight while still sexy. I would just like to see more women in comics that are not being objectified.

One argument that many comic book writers make is that men are being objectified as much as women are. However, the way women and men are being objectified are two different things. One article sums it up when it is stated that “Superhero men are idealized, yes, but they’re rarely sexualized. While women are presented as broken-backed boob hostesses whose every move is a bend-and-snap designed to flatter and entice the presumed-male, presumed-straight reader, the men are sexless paragons of strength, with propaganda poster good looks that serve as visual shorthand for their masculine, heroic bona fides…” (Wheeler, online) Women are shown as sex objects while men are drawn fully clothed and without focus on their private parts. The objectification is based on what men want to be and what they want to see.

Another thing I would like to bring attention to is Lady Sif from the Marvel Cinematic

Universe. Lady Sif is one of the only female warriors on Asgard and people respect her for her strength. She stands up for herself and is equal to any other of the male warriors. However, the thing I love most about the character of Lady Sif is her armor. Her entire body is completely covered, except for her arms (which is more for movement than for objectification.) She had no chest plates highlighting her breasts, and she still manages to be both attractive and empowered. Jaime Alexander sums up my feelings quite well when she says “Her costume is covered. She's not revealing anything, yet, she's feminine. But she's also tough, so you really see her personality before you see her physicality, and that's most important.”(Clark, Online). I feel that there should be more women like this in comic books.

I have always admired Marvel for making super heroes and into relatable people forced into extraordinary situations. Even so, It is hard for me to relate to most of the women in comics. It feels like the only way to be super-powerful is if you are super-attractive and fit into what the common man’s ideal of beauty is.

Sincerely,

______________________

Kaitlyn Stiles

Student of Richard Montgomery High School