Tag: women in comics

Kelly Explores: Geek Girls – DON’T Tell Me I Don’t Belong [Censored]

Aug. 13 Comics, News no comments

Fair warning: I’m about to use a lot of swear words.

I’ve heard a rumor that women don’t belong in geek culture. It’s not a new rumor, by any means; it’s been hanging around for the past thirty years or so, but it’s come back into the spotlight recently. There have been some really awesome responses in the blogosphere to all of this, but I’d like to add my voice to the masses. So let me throw this down for all of you jerks out there (male AND female AND gender-neutral) who seem to think that women don’t belong in your happy little world of geekitude:

This content is censored.

This content is censored.

I don’t need to prove anything to you. I don’t need to have loved something from THE VERY BEGINNING BECAUSE OH MY GOD THAT’S ALL YOU CAN DO in order to be on your level. I don’t need to know every nook and cranny of Doctor Who in order to be a fan. Look, [Censored], I like the show. Matt Smith is my first Doctor. Get over it.

I don’t need to defend myself for claiming to be a geek. I’m getting a graduate degree in [Censored] literature with a focus on comic books and paranormal romance, you self-serving, misogynistic [Censored]. If anyone has the right to claim the geek crown, it’s me. I risk my academic career with every article I write because I think it’s important that geek culture be included in academia. I may not be involved with cosplay (yet, I might add) and I may not be able to name every single incarnation of Green Lantern. But you know what I can do? Research that [Censored] in less than 30 minutes and make you look exactly like the tool you are. So, [Censored] [Censored] and go back to the hole that you crawled out of in the first place.

If you think that it’s EVER okay to tell ANYONE that they don’t belong, you’re part of what’s wrong with the world. Why do you give a [Censored] if someone’s only seen one flipping episode of Star Trek? They like the same damned thing you do, but you don’t want to open up your myopic sphere of “appropriately geeky” in order to welcome them. Newcomers to fandoms have fantastic insight, always. They can look at things differently. They can make you see things from another point of view. If you have a problem with that, you obviously have a problem with expanding your mind and contemplating ideas without absolutely accepting them. What sort of [Censored] philistine do you think you are? Get over yourself.

Furthermore, if you want to claim that “booth babes” are only modeling for attention from men that they wouldn’t deign to be sexually involved with, I have news for you: the sexuality of “booth babes” isn’t any of your [Censored] business in the first place, and your inability to credit a woman who is attractive according to mainstream media with the mere idea that she might actually know what she’s talking about? It’s disgusting. You’re disgusting. Why are you disgusting? Because you seem to be under the impression that women display themselves solely for you. Get a life, [Censored]. And get a clue while you’re at it. If I decide to dress in next-to-nothing or if I decide to dress in a burqa, I’m not doing it for your [Censored] pleasure, I’m doing it because I [Censored] want to. I exist for a hell of a lot more than your spank bank, thanks very much, and my decision to dress a certain way or act a certain way or portray a certain character is done for me. Go worship yourself in the closest pond, Narcissus; we don’t want you here.

I wish I could say I’m surprised by the fact that any of this is still even an issue, but I’m not. Not even in the slightest. Why? Because patriarchy. Because no matter how hard a woman tries to just be herself and express herself, she’s always going to be judged for it. Because when men dress up as Spider-Man and Batman and Wolverine, it’s totally cool; but when a woman dresses up as Emma Frost or Red Sonja or Slave Leia, it’s because she’s a slut who wants attention. Because people still blame women for being sexually assaulted when they dress in a sexy outfit instead of blaming the [Censored] morons who assault them.

Geek culture is for EVERYONE, and it’s supposed to be one of the ultimate safe spaces. If you can’t accept that, maybe you should be the one getting all of the offensive questions.

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Saga and the Position of Women by Kelly Jackson

Jun. 20 Comics Comments Off on Saga and the Position of Women by Kelly Jackson

The cover of the first issue of Saga says everything you need to know about the position of women in the series. It features Alana standing beside Marko, with their daughter Hazel feeding from her breast. Marko’s arm is around Alana, Alana is staring directly at the reader, and both Marko and Alana have their free hands on weapons. Alana’s gaze out at the reader is a challenge, a direct statement that she is in control. Marko stares off in the distance, not making eye contact with the reader, but showing his support for Alana all the same by keeping an arm gently around her while she gives their child the nourishment she needs to survive.

Disclaimer: This article deals with sensitive adult issues presented in Saga

Saga

Saga

Then we have Vez, obviously a leader among Marko’s people, who hires a free-lancing mercenary to kill Alana and Marko, but deliver their daughter Hazel safely back to Vez’s location. She wants the infant “alive and unharmed,” though she doesn’t give an explicit reason besides the fact that Hazel is an innocent in the war that’s taking place. (I assume that Vez has serious ulterior motives in having Hazel delivered to her, but I guess we’ll find out more about that in later issues.)

After Vez, we see the planet of Sextillion. Keep an eye out for an article solely about that planet to follow this one.

Shortly before encountering the entirely sexualized, super rape-culture depiction of Sextillion, we meet The Will’s former partner and fellow mercenary, The Stalk. The Stalk is intelligent, ruthless, and very good at her job. After all, she’s known as one of the best freelancers in the galaxy. She’s made herself into a valuable asset to anyone who may need a freelancer, and a very dangerous enemy to anyone who winds up on her bad side.

I love a number of things about Saga, but so far, my favorite theme within it is the theme of strong women. Alana continues to survive, The Stalk is merciless, Vez leads her people. And these women aren’t seen as somehow extraordinary; it’s normal for Alana to be a soldier, for The Stalk to be a freelancer, for Vez to be a leader. There’s nothing at all remarkable about these things in this world, and I like that because it normalizes strength in women without fetishizing it.

Another things I was very happy to see in Saga is women experiencing pleasure without some form of shame attached to it. We see this twice: once when Alana is giving birth and once when Prince Robot IV is having sex with his wife (who remains mysteriously nameless other than IV referring to her as “Princess;” more on that later).

While Alana is giving birth, she mentions that it feels good and wonders if that’s normal. It turns out that orgasming while giving birth is a completely normal response of the female body; while it doesn’t happen to all women, it’s a natural occurrence. And considering the fact that Alana is able to experience pleasure while giving birth to a baby in a dirty machine shop with armies on the other side of the door, props to her. What’s even more refreshing is that Alana tells Marko that she’s feeling pleasure during the birthing experience; she’s not ashamed to admit it, and it’s obvious that Marko’s not going to judge her for saying it, either.

We then have the scene of Prince Robot IV having sex with his wife (I suppose it would save time to simply refer to her as “Princess” until I know her actual name). Princess vocalizes what she wants, shows no shame in doing so, and even suggests getting on top in order to make it easier on IV. Granted, she doesn’t realize he’s having a hard time because of what is very likely combat fatigue, but she’s willing to do what she has to in order to take her pleasure, and she’s not afraid or ashamed to say it out loud.

Being unashamed in regards to pleasure and strength are two suggestions I can definitely get behind. This also portends well for Hazel; with such strong women surrounding her, she’s not doomed to be any sort of wilting flower.

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