Manic Monday: I Want to see Gamora's Boob Window and Thor Shirtless. Who's with Me?

Over on Tor.com's blog, Alex Brown's post "Guardians of the Galaxy, We Need to Talk,"  pointed out various issues she had with the summer blockbuster film. I consider myself  a feminist and frequently agree with articles that point out the (still) rampant sexism of Hollywood movies (as well as T.V. shows, advertising, and pretty much anything spat out at us from the L.A. screen industry). But as I pondered her post (and the copious comments to it), I found myself disagreeing with much of what she said. My post will focus on just one of the issues raised and that is of the outfits superheroes wear.

This is what Alex Brown said:

"Listen up, superhero creators. There are 3 big no's in creating costumes for female characters: no boob plates, no high heels, and no boob or belly windows. There’s no reason for Gamora or Nebula to wear something as impractical as 3 inch wedge heels. And no, Drax and Star-Lord being shirtless doesn’t count as a male objectification. They’re propped up as an admirable, desireable male physique, whereas Nebula and Gamora’s skin-tight, revealing outfits sexualize them. If Star-Lord doesn’t need heels or a costume that defies gravity, then neither do Gamora or Nebula." (Alex Brown on Tor.com's blog, 8/13/14)

In case you have not seen Guardians and/or wish to see Zoe Saldana in a "boob window" outfit, here it is:

Alex's has some points. Breast plates and "boob windows" are ubiquitous in comics and movies featuring female superheros. I've seen numerous articles written by women bashing male movie makers for putting female superheros in high heels and skimpy outfits. Women argue that female heroes should wear cloths that are comfortable. Clothes that make sense for all the action and fighting that the character does in the movie.

A good point. But this point seems to assume that male superheroes are wearing outfits that are "comfortable" and sensible and that do not accentuate their sexuality. Let's review male superhero gear. Do they, in fact, wear sensible clothes appropriate for all their running, punching, jumping and superhero work? And do they wear clothes that "sexualize" them?

Let's start with Superman. Check out Christopher Reeves rocking' the 80's version of The Man of Steel.

Does this outfit say 'I'm ready for fist-fights and flying'? First of all, as we all know, the cape is impractical.

We all know how dangerous they can be. So why do flying super heroes wear them? Because they look friction' cool, that's why.

And then there are Superman's tight knickers and knee-length plastic bootie things. He doesn't exactly look like he's ready to thrown down with the bad guys. But the outfit does do one thing: Show off Reeve's junk (which I'm kind of thinking is the point).

And because the old Reeves costume wasn't testosterone pumped enough, they had to create an even more manly edition for the new millennium.

Does this outfit not accentuate his manly features just as much as Gamora's outfit highlights her womanly features? Not a lot left to the imagination here.

Okay, what about Iron Man? Surely a suit made to enable to man to fly, fire weapons and generally kick booty would be robust and machine-like, right? Something like this maybe:

Prototype Iron Man Suit Commissioned by U.S. Military

Granted, it's primitive but probably more in line with a realistic military iron man suit than this:

Even when forged in metal, male heroes are molded into the shape of an Adonis. Their chests are large, their abs smooth and taut, and their manly bits ... Well even Iron Man's junk is accentuated.

Last but certainly not least, let's take a look at Thor.

Okay, you can stop looking at him now.

How did Thor strutting with his shirt off, displaying his rock-hard abs and teasing us with his low-slung jeans revealing his muscular groin further the plot? Could it be that it was there just to give female movie-goers a bit of eye candy?

Yes, of course it was. And while I saw this movie in the theatre I was wishing for a remote control so I could rewind that bit and play it over and over. (Thanks to the above gif, now I can watch it over and over ;-)

Both Chris Hemsworth and Anthony Hopkins are clad in demigod worth costumes in Thor, The Dark World

Costume designers routinely "sexualize" the costumes for superheroes, both male and female. Why?

Because it's sexy. 

And we want our superheroes to be sexy, whether male or female. I want to see Zoe's beautiful body and Thor's manly one. That's part of the attraction. Their virility and sexiness separate them from us and we like it that way. I don't want to go to a movie and see some middle-aged, pear-shaped mom whose boobs need an anti-gravity booster to keep from sagging to her navel dressed in sensible shoes. If I want to see that I'll look in the mirror!

It'd be like going to see an super hero action flick and watching Amy Farrah Fowler trotting across the screen in her cardigan doing judo kicks.

Okay, it would be funny. But not exactly the image of a super hero.

What about Jim Parsons in skin tight spandex?

Give it up, Sheldon. It's clearly padding.

Or how about Jack Black flashing the eye candy for the ladies?

I didn't think so.

Super heroes are mythic. Someone larger than life. They are a reflection perhaps of how we'd like to look and be (i.e. hot and heroic) rather than a mirror of what we actually are (i.e. too-large around the middle and bold only in virtual realities).

If women told the truth, my guess is that most of them would prefer to look like Gamora, green skin and all, than like themselves. And if we had her body, many of us would dress like that too. But the truth is, over 90% of us don't have anywhere near the body that Zoe Saldana has and we don't rock Lycra (some of us would get banned from dropping our kids off at pre-school if we dared dress in Lycra from head-to-toe like some super heroes).

When I go to the movies, for a little while maybe I get to imagine myself as Gamora (or more likely I imagine myself as Rocket because he's a friggin' talking raccoon with cool weapons). And in my fantasy world, I prefer to look way hotter than I actually am because, you see, that's the fun of pretend time.

I'm guessing that men are much the same way. Yes, Gamora (and Pepper Potts and Black Widow, etc.) look hot to appeal to guys. But the guys look hot to appeal to guys too (and to appeal to women as well). Because my guess is that guys cast themselves in the role of Thor (or Superman or Iron Man, etc.) and why would they aspire to a dude that looks more like them than like a demigod?

I think the success of the Marvel Universe movies is the plain old fun they are. And part of that fun is escape from our everyday looking-more-like-Amy-than-Zoe life and married to a man that's more Jack Black than Chris Hemsworth.

I'll leave you to ponder these thoughts as Chris takes his shirt off again ... 

 And again.

Do you think I'm on to something? Or do you think these movies objectify women (and/or men)?

And if you were a character from the Marvel Universe, which would you be?

Manic Monday: What is Steampunk Anyway?

Welcome to Steampunk week on Natalie Wright's YA blog! This week is all about Victorian fashion, gears, rivets and steam powered machines. And in today's post I present a Steampunk primer for those of you reading this that don't know what the heck I'm talking about when I say steampunk.
Is steampunk a sub-genre of fiction? A fashion? A philosophy? Or a subculture?
The short answer: It's all of those things.

First and foremost, steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction and fantasy fiction. Steampunk fiction generally includes social, fashion and technology of the last 19th century (think Victorian era) but with some kind of rebellion against at least parts of it. Put these two ideas together and you get steampunk. But of course once we define the genre, you'll be able to find scads of books that defy the definition I've just given and still end up being steampunk. The genre grows and morphs and branches out in yet still more subgenres so we now have steampunk romance, steampunk erotica and steampunk young adult fiction. And steampunk can take place in the future or on other planets. So maybe the best way to define steampunk is to look at the visuals that go with it.

A Steampunk Wedding
Cake

Steampunk has bloomed into much more than just a sub-genre of fantasy fiction. Steampunk has emerged as a bonafide fashion culture as well. Steampunk is what happens when you take Victorian clothes and merge them with gears and gadgets and goggles - always the goggles. If you play World of Warcraft, the gnomes and their world are definitely steampunk! As a fashion, it's about modifying the clothes yourself to create something that may merge old and new. Oh, and corsets. I have to mention corsets. Take goggles, a corset and throw in a top hat and you're on your way to a steampunk look.

Steampunk isn't just for wearing though. People who like to tinker and build find creative outlet by taking new, modern objects and injecting an old-world feel through layering on steampunk materials - wood, brass and gears especially. The result are things like a steampunk mouse or keyboard or laptop. Check out this steampunk spider. How creepy and cool is this?

Like many great things that start out in fiction and make their way to the collective, steampunk has become synonymous with more than just fiction or fashion. Steampunk has become, for some, a way of life. It's not just about how they dress or fashion their modern tools. Steampunk has come to represent for some a way to re-think how we live in our modern age. It's like a forward thinking but backward looking philosophy.

Okay, for some it's just fashion, not philosophy.

Even if you have never heard the term steampunk before, you've probably seen it all around you. If you watch movies, you've seen steampunk fashion and vision. The Lilliputians in the movie Gulliver's Travels with Jack Black - they were steampunk. And recently I saw The Three Musketeers (an awful movie by the way), but it had a steam-powered flying ship. That was steampunk. Though I have not yet read it, the covers of Clockwork Prince certainly looks steampunk. If you've read it, leave me a comment and let me know if I'm right or wrong about that.

And in case you missed it, steampunk has been co-opted by the Mr. Hairdo himself, Justin Bieber, in his video for the song Santa Claus is Coming to Town. If you can't stand to listen, just turn down the sound but look at the fashion and props - it's steampunk.

If Bieber is going steampunk, does that mean it's no longer a sub-culture?

If you want to learn more, check out the site Steampunk.com. It's a well-done site with lots of great information.

And stay tuned here on Natalie Wright's YA for more of Steampunk Week. Wednesday, I'll interview author Jason G. Anderson and discuss his first steampunk novel, Gears of Wonderland. And Friday I'll review said book.

I love to hear from you so post a comment. Are you steampunk? If you have photos of steampunk fashion or gear you'd like to share, post it here or on my Facebook author page.