Part Two of "Autobiography of a Fangrrrl" by Lady J:
After
my sophomore year, my dad invited me to come and stay with him for a
month. My brother, Adicus, lived with him, so I was super excited to
raid his comic book/graphic novel shelves. I read everything that he
had – Preacher, Kingdom Come, Batman, Silver Surfer. At some
point, the universe had decided that not only would I like anime and
manga, but that I would revisit (and reconnect with) my love for
comics. Basically, the universe had decided that I would be a huge
nerd, and it was inescapable/undeniable.
After a while, though, I started to feel somewhat alienated. As a girl, it is often difficult to relate to comic books, anime, and even video games (essentially geek culture), because we’re so underrepresented. And if we (girls, grrrls, wimmin, wymyn, ladies, women) are represented, we’re overly-sexualized, or we’re catty villains with huge boobs that could put our eyes out, or we’re conniving. When I was 17, I started getting into feminism and women’s rights, and nerd culture was really starting to get to me. Where the hell was I? Where were the imperfect, awkward girls with black-framed glasses, and Chuck Taylors? I really didn’t know anyone involved in comic books that didn’t have a penis.
After school I would sometimes ride the public bus with my best friend, Andrea, to one of the local comic book stores here in Lexington, and I would pick up a few comics (if they were on sale). I would rent anime VHSes, there, too – for a dollar! I remember getting money after I graduated from high school, and I went and bought a pair of green Chuck Taylors at Paisley Peacock, and then stopped at Collectibles, Etc. and picked up a Ghost in the Shell poster featuring Major Motoko Kusanag, and an Alex Ross Black Canary. I loved those posters. Both cost a dollar (because it was a moving sale) and both featured strong women.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there are strong girls/women featured in comics (and sometimes hidden), but unless you know where to look, they’re often overlooked or considered secondary. Take the Oracle, for example. As Batgirl, she was shot by the Joker in The Killing Joke, and was confined to a wheelchair. She was often overlooked as a superhero because people/fans found her to be annoying and catty. She was, after all, created to be Robin’s love interest. Secondary. After she became a badass hacker, however, she started gaining some respect; and after she paired up with the Black Canary, she gained recognition as one of the strongest female comic book characters ever – and she’s got four-eyes and a wheelchair!
I guess what I’m saying is that, ladies, we are underrepresented, but that’s only because we’re often absent in the culture of comic books and geeks. If we are to gain a voice, we need to be present! We need to say: “Hey, I’m here. My waist is not the size of a mayonnaise jar. My boobs are not the size of cantaloupes. And I don’t need a skin-tight leather outfit to kick major ass.” We need more Wonder Women; we need more Buffys; we need more Supergirls; we need more Deaths; we need more Ravens. We need adequate and accurate representation. I’m tired of feeling alienated. I’m a geek, dammit, and I want to be surrounded by fellow geek grrrls!
After a while, though, I started to feel somewhat alienated. As a girl, it is often difficult to relate to comic books, anime, and even video games (essentially geek culture), because we’re so underrepresented. And if we (girls, grrrls, wimmin, wymyn, ladies, women) are represented, we’re overly-sexualized, or we’re catty villains with huge boobs that could put our eyes out, or we’re conniving. When I was 17, I started getting into feminism and women’s rights, and nerd culture was really starting to get to me. Where the hell was I? Where were the imperfect, awkward girls with black-framed glasses, and Chuck Taylors? I really didn’t know anyone involved in comic books that didn’t have a penis.
After school I would sometimes ride the public bus with my best friend, Andrea, to one of the local comic book stores here in Lexington, and I would pick up a few comics (if they were on sale). I would rent anime VHSes, there, too – for a dollar! I remember getting money after I graduated from high school, and I went and bought a pair of green Chuck Taylors at Paisley Peacock, and then stopped at Collectibles, Etc. and picked up a Ghost in the Shell poster featuring Major Motoko Kusanag, and an Alex Ross Black Canary. I loved those posters. Both cost a dollar (because it was a moving sale) and both featured strong women.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there are strong girls/women featured in comics (and sometimes hidden), but unless you know where to look, they’re often overlooked or considered secondary. Take the Oracle, for example. As Batgirl, she was shot by the Joker in The Killing Joke, and was confined to a wheelchair. She was often overlooked as a superhero because people/fans found her to be annoying and catty. She was, after all, created to be Robin’s love interest. Secondary. After she became a badass hacker, however, she started gaining some respect; and after she paired up with the Black Canary, she gained recognition as one of the strongest female comic book characters ever – and she’s got four-eyes and a wheelchair!
I guess what I’m saying is that, ladies, we are underrepresented, but that’s only because we’re often absent in the culture of comic books and geeks. If we are to gain a voice, we need to be present! We need to say: “Hey, I’m here. My waist is not the size of a mayonnaise jar. My boobs are not the size of cantaloupes. And I don’t need a skin-tight leather outfit to kick major ass.” We need more Wonder Women; we need more Buffys; we need more Supergirls; we need more Deaths; we need more Ravens. We need adequate and accurate representation. I’m tired of feeling alienated. I’m a geek, dammit, and I want to be surrounded by fellow geek grrrls!
Thank you to Lady J for the telling her truth.
Are you a geeky girl too? Tell us your story - CaptainSexKitten@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment