PurpleJedi said:

almost everything that can be said about the sexist, degrading, insulting portrayal of women in comics (as characters and drawings) can also be said about the portrayal of men in comics.

I don't see anything disturbing

johnart said:

So how come the men aren't drawn like emaciated dolls then? After all, if it's fantasy shouldn't we be able to suspend our disbelief that a guy built like that could also throw down? Why isn't Superman a tinky lil thang?

johnart said:

Have you ever heard a pro wrestler of either gender form a coherent intelligent sentence about anything? I rest my case.

errant said:

You see a lot of male characters overtly portrayed as sex objects first, heroes second? You see a lot of gratuitous bulges and exposed flesh, do you? You see cute lil statuettes of ol' Spidey sticking his ass out as he does laundry for some guy?


DAMN, you gotta let me know what comics you're reading if you are, cuz it looks like I've missed those ones.

MarySharon said:

Who said anything about disturbing?

I said it was stupid and impractical. Nobody who's all tits and no muscle is going to stand a chance in a fight.

meow85 said:

WOOOW!!! Ever heard of Chris Jericho? Mick Foley? WOOOW!!! Well, of course not, son! Because you don't know the "INTRICACIES" of the biz. JEEZ!!! I'd expect that from someone else, man! Not you. You've got to be a little more observant. And Beth is another intelligent person in the biz. She's a hard-worker, too.

meow85 said:

the entire superhero genre is about good looking men with bulging muscles running around in tight underwear. or hadn't you noticed?

I don't know if I'd say that men are being degraded, though. I mean, this world is practically male-dominated; that's most likely including the audience and creators of most comic books. How exactly can the male gender be degraded, though. I don't know.

meow85 said:

what's having muscle anyway whithout suppleness, speed and some kung fu technique

errant said:

Yeah...tight underwear that apparently has nothing in it, given how flat those shorts are and how indirectly they're framed in a panel. And with few exceptions, it's very rare for a male superhero to be deliberately presented as a sex object. Some people do find superguys hot, but it's not because of any purposeful portrayals of them as such. It's just not comparable. When Batman and Wolverine start showing some junk in the front of their jockeys and panels close-up lovingly on their asses, that's when you'll have an argument.




And you're another person who's missed the point of the thread. Are there any male superheros drawn in such a way you'd doubt their ability to even girlyslap someone away? The sexist portrayals of women is related, but it's not the point of my thread.
[Edited 2/1/09 3:16am]

Mysterioso said:

I have indeed heard of those clowns. And I've heard them speak, too. There's a reason they're employed as actors at play-fighting, and not as chemists.

MarySharon said:

What's technique if our female heroes look too weak to flip their hair, let alone knock down a baddie?

meow85 said:

I have approximately 3000 comic books in my collection, and that's only what's left after having sold about half of them and having not bought any in almost 3 years.

I can tell you that the drawings of musclebound men in skin-tight outfits that revealed every muscle, including those in the ass and the crotch, are part of what appealed to me when I was 12 year old gay male when I first started buying them.





MY point is that comic books, in general, rely on portraying all people in stereotypical imagery and characterization. That's really kind of the point of them as morality tales.

meow85 said:

Whatever you say, bro. Whatever you say. You're adamant and as diligent as they come. There's no inclining you to believe otherwise.

errant said:

Believe me, I'm not arguing that. I'm one of those people that thinks certain superheroes are hot as shit. How cool would sex while flying be?

But these male superheroes are not deliberately being presented as sex objects the way female superheroes are. They're being perceived that way by certain readers alright, but I really doubt that's actually the intention. ESPECIALLY given how rare it is for those spandex tights to be showing off anything up front. Super-Dudes are usually hung like Ken dolls.


The point of morality tales is to pretend women who, in real life would be useless and helpless if attacked, can use a train as nun-chuks? At least give the ladies a little muscle -make that strength believable. It's insane to think Superman would be built like a brick shithouse and Supergirl, having the same powers, would look like she has trouble picking up a newborn kitten.
[Edited 2/1/09 3:55am]

Mysterioso said:

Bro?


looking down at my vag

That's news to me.

meow85 said:

I call everyone "bro" and "dude", pretty much. I'll just affectionately call you, "The Cat's Pajamas". Better?

meow85 said:

Vag

Honey, pick you battles. This one is not worth it.

Dayclear said:

So are chicks who dig comics just supposed to sit back and accept the blatant sexism and stupidity?

meow85 said:

meow85 said:

They're built unrealistically the other way for the most part.

And because they're drawn to fit many women's ideal of male hotness.
Women don't buy calendars with emaciated shirtless firemen on them, they buy calendars of overly-buffed "studs".

meow85 said:

LMAO!
Who's perpetuating stereotypes now?

So not only can a woman not throw down or balance herself if she's got big titties and a small waist.

She also cannot be intelligent.

You know we shall never agree on this one.
[Edited 2/1/09 7:18am]

You often can't sell fashion magazines with realistic women in them to WOMEN.

What makes anyone think that the concept would work in an industry aimed mostly at young males.
[Edited 2/1/09 8:13am]

Fuck me! Is there not a delete post button up in here???
I keep quoting myself when I want to just edit/add something.

Sorry folks...still getting used to the button layout on this site.
[Edited 2/1/09 7:18am]

errant said:

Um, no. Practically every male superhero is fully dressed.

Efan said:

i think the whole point of that character is to give artists an opportunity to do ridiculous things with a character's boobage.