NOTE: This topic is pretty darn serious. Some of these images aren't suitable for kids, and some of them may offend you, but we're highlighting a very important issue today that I think you'd be better off knowing.
Good morning to you all,
Today, we're here to talk about cheesecake, and I'm not talking about the dessert. It's very delicious, enjoyable, and people who enjoy it have good taste, unlike the cheesecake we're talking about today.
Cheesecake is defined as a type of art in a comic that exploits women and young girls. And it looks like this:
Or this:
Now, as much as I have a problem with the first image, with its many conveiniant holes, (from Comic Book Resource. Check 'em out.) I have more of a problem with the second. For those not aware, Supergirl is Superman's Kryptonian cousin. She's also 16. Think about that. She's 16.
If this was an exception to the rule, not the norm, I'd be angry, but not furious. But, you should meet Mary Marvel, 16 as well.
I have even more of a problem with this image, as it's drawn by the otherwise excellent and awesome Alex Ross. He doesn't usually resort to this.
I don't need to tell you that this is gross, sick, and wrong. Seriously, if this was a real person's photo, you'd get arrested for it. The real question, though, is this: What drives an artist/writer/comics company to do this?
It's kind of sad, really. The truth is that this was probably editorially mandated, which means that Dan Didio, head honcho of DC Comics, told Alex Ross to draw the cover this way. You don't argue with your boss. And why did he do that? Sales. 95% of comic readers are middle-aged men. Like it or not, they want this stuff. It sells books.
That being said, I think the reason why there are not many women reading comics is that underage superheroines are dressed like this. It's disrespectful. And don't tell me girls don't like comics. The Dark Knight was the second-largest grossing movie of all time, and to acheive those kind of numbers, you've got to have cross-gender appeal. Same goes for Iron Man, a smash hit with both genders. Smallville, about a young Superman, is one of the most popular shows on the CW with female audiences. The problem is that this kind of art is acceptable in the eyes of the artists, writers, and editors of DC Comics.
This is how you draw a woman:
Cover to DC: The New Frontier Absolute Edition , written and drawn by Darwyn Cooke
Cover to DC: The New Frontier Volume 1, by Darwyn again.
Cover to New Frontier Volume TwoAnd this is how you draw a girl:
No cheesecake required.
The bottom line here is that comic book sales are dropping like a rock, and if comic companies want to stay in business, they need to bring in the female audience. And this
is not the way to do it.
Do you think this is acceptable? I don't.
If you agree with this statement, click the agree box. If you disagree, click disagree. You know the drill. Also, you can make your voice heard in the comments section.
(Thanks to Ocassional Superheroine for the images. Link in the sidebar.)
Thanks,
Tomato
Posts
Unfortunately, cheesecake sells- always has, always will. (Hey- look how long you even have to wait to dine at the Cheesecake Factory!)
ReplyDeleteBut that doesn't make it right!
Hello, masked anonymous stranger! Thanks for commenting! Do I know you?
ReplyDeleteYes, unfortunately, chesscake sells. So do endless gore-fests with a plot as thick as a metal shaving. If DC and Marvel, the Big Two comics companies, want to increase sales, though, they need to capture the younger demographic and the female demographic. And with comics so violent and comics that are a stone throw away from pornography, they're not going to do that. I love the industry (Just ask the copy of Batman: Black and White sitting on my desk!), but they need to make some serious changes to bring a broader audience in.
As I look at the comics I've reserved at the library, only one is from a year post-2003. From 05-09 is when the violence/cheescake boom started, although you could argue it started with TDKR amd Watchmen in '85. 04-09 is when it became common.
I wish I didn't have to wait in line at the Factory, though!
*is hungry for edib;e cheesecake*
Tomato
Hey there, J,
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't find any of the cartoons particularly appealing, nor would I choose to purchase them, I do respect the rights of their artists to draw them and the companies' rights to publish. Are they tasteful, respectful or reasonable portrayals of girls or women? Of course not. Neither, usually, are the cartoon images of the superhero men. But, should they get their creators arrested? Nope. Banned by law? Nope. In fact, if any of these images were photos, I don't think the photographers or publishers would be arrested, either. None contain anything, I believe, that the Supreme Court would deem obscene and therefore illegal or restrict-able.
But still, why would I, as both a feminist and someone in the charge of protecting children, not want such images banned?
Because of this:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Yep, the good old First Amendment. If we ban these images, then where do we stop? What if I were Muslim, and found the image of coiffure of a woman to be obscene, or, in fact, ANY image of a person to be an affront to my sensibilities? Should laws be created to ban the production of anything that some segment of the population finds offensive? 150 years ago the sight of a woman's ankle was deemed obscene. So who gets to decide what's acceptable?
The line is typically drawn at expression that does actual HARM. A threat, yelling "FIRE!" in a crowded theater, inciting violence, illicit photographic images of children--all are speech or expressions that can be restricted and punished because they cause actual harm.
Do cheesecake drawings, even of those of 16 year olds, cause harm? To whom? This is not a rhetorical question, actually. There are cases, right now, pending in courts regarding whether drawn images of those under 18 can be considered child pornography and thus prosecutable. However, I believe in those cases, the drawings were much, much more...well....obscene. (I heard about this story on NPR. I have not, fortunately, seen any such material.)
So, my verdict is: no, I don't care for the artwork, but I've never been a consumer of comics, so it doesn't impact me much. You, on the other hand, do consume such material, and have options to express your distaste. First and foremost--don't buy it. Second, write to the advertisers in those comics (if they sell advertising space, that is) and tell them that you will not purchase any products advertised in these comics, and tell them why. Finally, write the publishers of the comics and tell them that you won't be buying their products anymore, and let them know you've told their advertisers, too. Then, encourage others to do the same. In short, boycott.
It is a powerful way to express your own opinion without insisting that there be laws to uphold your distinct views, too. (I'm not saying that you're doing this, but many Americans do.) I boycott products advertised during Jerry Springer, because I find the show so appalling. I boycott WalMart, because I have issue with their labor, supply and management practices. Boycotts can be as small as mine, or a large as the ones that empowered the Civil Right's Movement in America. It's worth thinking about, and writing about. And if you choose to write about it, be very glad that no one can ban it.
Keep on thinking!
Mrs. Nelli
This is SilvaNoir from Toonzone
ReplyDeleteI mostly agree with you. I have nothing against the grown women SOMETIMES acting sexy... Catwoman and her catsuit are iconic... but they should cut back on or stay away entirely for such themes with teenage characters. They should give women more varied bodies/looks and personalities other than "sexy" as well. It looks like lazy artistry, at best when all the women have the same exact shape, height, "curves", and pouty lips. Sexist at worst. (I want to tell these artists to watch the Olympics and see how many different shapes and heights women athletes come in, and how few of them look like playboy models)
And honestly... if women were given a real choice about what kind of outfit they would fight in, most of them wouldn't chose what looks like bathingsuits and cheerleading outfits.
The supergirl image isn't so bad... some teenage girls like those belly shirts... her skirt could be longer, and her body looks too stretched out. But that Mary Marvel picture is disturbing considering her age (16). You can see up her skirt!