Jezebel: catwoman

Dude Says "We Don't Need More Female Superheroes," I Say Bullshit

Dodai — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:30:00 EST

Following an awesome essay by Thera Pitts, some jackass named Josh Tyler says we don't need more female superheroes. "There’s a reason Wonder Woman is the only noteworthy solo female superhero anyone can name."

Tyler continues: "It’s because men like superheroes, men wish they could be superheroes, and it’s men who see superhero movies and read superhero comic books." Pissed off? Just wait! There's more!

Wonder Woman may be a girl, but her audience was never really comprised of women… Catching bad guys is not a common female fantasy. Ask most women which movies they’re most looking forward to in 2009 and odds are that it’ll be something starring Julia Roberts… There’s nothing wrong with that. Men and women simply have different interests. Men are interested in action movies with heroes blowing things up and saving the girl. Men are interested in imagining themselves as ass-kicking heroes. Women are interested in movies about relationships and romance and love. Women are interested in imagining themselves finding the right guy and dancing till dawn. Little boys play with guns, little girls play with dolls. Neither version of play is superior to the other, it’s just different. Nobody is out there trying to force men to get interested in movies about romantic weekends in Paris, so why are we so dead set on forcing women to get interested in movies about beating people up? There’s something unintentionally sexist about it, it’s as if we’re saying women’s interests are somehow inherently inferior, and to be validated they must instead find ways to be more like men.

Okay, okay. Now your head can explode. Shall we begin?

First: I'm a woman who hates Julia Roberts. I hated that hooker with the heart of gold movie, found it to be condescending and nauseating, and I am not looking forward to seeing anything she does in 2009. By the by: Selling yourself on a street corner while waiting for Prince Charming? Not cute.

Second: I loved Wonder Woman when I was a kid. I had Wonder Woman underoos! A Wonder Woman swimsuit, which I wore with roller skates! I wanted to spin around and have my outfit change, I wanted to chase bad guys and kick ass, and I still do. I love Coffy, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, The Fifth Element, Resident Evil, Underworld and all kinds of stories in which a female — possibly wearing tight leather pants — is powerful, gorgeous and super-human in her strength and ability to drop-kick a fool.

Third: There's nothing sexist about wanting a female superhero; there is something sexist in assuming that all women only want to see Sex And The City-type movies, that women are a monolithic block who all act the same way and want the same things. Women are multifaceted with varied interests. I never played with dolls as a child and I know I am not the only one. Why can't the next generation look up to Wonder Woman, Catwoman or She-Ra the way my sister and I did? Why is Carrie Bradshaw the only acceptable alternative? And since when is it a man's place to tell women what they do and do not need? Dude. Give me my goddamned Christopher Nolan-directed Catwoman and shut the fuck up. Is anyone with me?

We Don't Need More Female Superheroes [CinemaBlend]
Earlier: It's Time For A Female Superhero Flick

Bad Economy = Teen Emo; Blogger Bitches Out Know-It-All Reader

maria — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:30:00 EDT

• The recession is turning Juicy-wearing teens into emo kids! • An O.C. teen is in trouble over video of him tossing rabbits and a puppy into the air. • Speaking of pets, a new study reports that Americans' creature companions are full of dangerous chemicals. • Swedish scientists have found that people with good rhythm are the most intelligent. • Are eating disorders contagious? • A bill up for vote in South Carolina would require medical providers to ask pregnant women if they want to see want to view ultrasounds of their embryos before undergoing an abortion. • A blogger responds to nit-picky grammarians; bloggers everywhere rejoice.

Hello, Kitty

Dodai — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:20:00 EDT

On NPR's All Things Considered, Alison Keyes discusses Catwoman. Although the DC comics character has become, Keyes writes, "a symbol of feminine power," she started out as a villain, foil and whip-carrying burglar for Batman to battle in 1940. Later, in the campy '60s TV series Batman, Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt turned the Catwoman character into a fierce, gorgeous, smart woman who happens to be a bad girl. Catwoman has had her own comic for 15 years, and if you don't follow these things you may not know: She's changed from the saucy minx we once knew. Although she's still stacked as hell and not afraid to flaunt it, she no longer wears high heels. Plus! Selina Kyle (Catwoman's real name) has a backstory: She's an orphan, has a sister, and used to be a prostitute. This past was created for her in 1986. What happened between 1940 and 1986 that forty years later a woman needs to be a hooker in order to be a thief? [NPR]

Meow!

Slut Machine — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:45:00 EST

Check out Julie Newmar, the original Catwoman and "quintessential quality advocate," in this ad from the back of this week's AdWeek. She's letting everyone know that she's available to be a "corporate spokeswoman," and that she's "unretouched and unretired." If that's true, it's nuts. Girlfriend is 74! (Click image for full-size.) [Copyranter]