One article about heroism and power caught my eye and made me think "would we feel more self-confident if our society had more superheroines and stories about powerful women?" I think that author of this article may have a point, albeit them effect will be different per person. The author of the article said:
"In the end, that is the true drama of the superhero: the ordinary Joe who discovers that he has a marvelous gift, something that sets him apart from everyone else, simultaneously elevating and at least potentially isolating him, forcing a series of moral choices about the nature of might and goodness. It's a story writ large about coming to grips with power: accepting it, demanding it, wielding it wisely. Those themes are rarely explored in the fantasy culture of little girls, yet given how problematic power remains for adult women - in both fact and fiction - perhaps they should be."
Could this also relate to the social misconception of feminism that we talked about in class? Maybe there haven't been that many superheroines or notable women role models in television shows or movies because the producers in Hollywood think of feminism as "wearing boots and army jackets." And creating or promoting this idea of "feminism" will be hazardous to little girls.
Another social misconception that could be tied in from our class discussion is that feminism and lesbianism are linked with being strong women. The fear of turning girls into lesbians or more self-assertive women are therefore linked. That may be why the guys in comic books are overly masculine - to shun the idea of homosexuality.
The author of the article believes She-Ra is the ultimate superheroine, personifying all the good attributes that other comics have forgotten. Here's the link to the article:
I understand what you are saying about the link between feminism and homosexuality. I know we studied characters such as Batwoman, who were lesbians but many of the female superheroines are not. There is a link between feminism and lesbianism because many people believe strong female characters should not be wearing scandalous clothing but instead dress more like a typical male and people also believe that females who dress more like males are lesbians.
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