Top Row: Storm and Rogue
Middle Row: Psylocke* and Emma Frost
Bottom Row: Kitty Pryde and Dazzler (all L-R)
McMillan notes that "this particular image kind of flattens out the character of these characters." The women in X-Men were like no others in comic books; the women weren't dressed to allure (save Emma Frost and the other "evil" women), women were shown to be more powerful than men (Jean Grey), and compared to most comics, I believe that they were treated more like equals (which was especially well displayed through the X-Men's "teamwork" dynamic). But this one image totally contradicts all of these powerful depictions of the X-Women. As Graeme McMillan said, "Would it have been too much to have just had [them] looking kick-ass instead of looking bimbo-esque, really?" I'm asking myself the exact same question...
*Totally irrelevant note but Psylocke is a character that unexplainably acquires the telekinetic abilities of Jean Grey (just a little fun fact)
http://io9.com/5023599/now-x+women-can-be-bimbos-too
Excellent post. I agree with the author's division of which poses are out of character as well--and you have to admit, Emma Frost is wearing way more clothes than in DPS (it must be winter time for her). The pose that I find the most uncharacteristic is Storm's, who is generally a regal sort of woman, the sometimes leader of the X-Men, and more or less a goddess.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I just wanted to say that this is an exemplary post--exactly the kind I'm looking for on this blog.
It was quite upsetting to see the X-Women portrayed in this way, as I had always liked seeing how most of their costumes were full body suits. The poses were really shocking to me as well... as they are unnatural and so awkward. I found an article (http://www.uproxx.com/webculture/2011/08/whats-up-with-all-the-beautiful-celebrity-women-in-uncomfortable-poses/#page/1) that shows a slideshow of the strange poses that models these days portray as well. Most of them are in skimpy attire, with the weirdest props ever, and forced to look "sexy" in them. But what is so sexy about sitting in an awkward position that looks uncomfortable? You never see men in such weird poses... so why exactly are people so obsessed with women in these strange poses? What's so appealing about it?
ReplyDeleteIt's funny (and aggravating) to think that many of the "modernized" superheroines appear even more sexual than they did when they first debuted, despite the progress that has been made in terms of real world gender equality. With the possible exception of Dazzler, every single X-Woman is portrayed in a way that flaunts their chests and behinds. I completely agree with the author when he says that "this particular image kind of flattens out the character of these characters"--none of the X-Women seem to possess the strength and pride that they actually have as X-Men. Everything about this depiction goes along with the idea that "sex sells," sadly.
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