Chapman University Chapman University Digital Commons Honors Papers and Posters Honors Program 4-2017 Analysis of the Female Presence in the Male- Dominated Comic Book Industry Nicole Choy Chapman University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/honors_student_work Part of the Book and Paper Commons, Illustration Commons, Reading and Language Commons, Visual Studies Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Choy, Nicole, "Analysis of the Female Presence in the Male-Dominated Comic Book Industry" (2017). Honors Papers and Posters. 5. http://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/honors_student_work/5 This Poster is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors Program at Chapman University Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Papers and Posters by an authorized administrator of Chapman University Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Analysis of the Female Presence in the Male-Dominated Comic Book Industry Comments Presented at the Western Regional Honors Council conference in Ashland, OR, in April 2017. This poster is available at Chapman University Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/honors_student_work/5 Analysis of the Female Presence in the Male-Dominated Comic Book Industry Nicole Choy [email protected] Comic Book Industry and Consumer Demographics 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s - Present • Evolved from newspaper comic • Surge in popularity after WWII • Surveys revealed that men were the • Females remained an • Resurgence of female strips • Survey featured in Justice Society of America Toxic Masculinity and Destructive Stereotypes primary consumers of comic books. insignificant demographic to readers continues into • Widely read & consumed by (1944): 277 boys & 233 girls • Disparate representation of female to publishers 1990s adults & young children • Another 1944 study: primary consumers male characters, featuring stories • 1984 Marvel study: 94% of • Female consumers became more vocal about their role • Polls revealed more women read were children & adolescents • Popularity of action comics with boys enabled publishers to produce content to marketed for male audiences readers were male comics than men continue to pique their interest, highlighting violence, action, & displays of • 1989 Marvel study: distribution within comic book culture masculinity of boys & girls reading comics was approximately equal • Young boys can project themselves into the lives of overtly masculine characters, Visibility = Validation empowering them with a learned masculinity that can become toxic Women as Creators • Companies focused on most profitable demographic: adolescent boys • Fostered unwelcoming environment for women to The Adult Female Brat break into comic book culture • Characteristic to post-war America • Mainstream comic book culture remains unwelcoming for female creators • Represented women as spoiled, willful, & expecting to get what they • 2011: DC Comics debuted the New 52 (canonical reboot of existing titles) & the creative team went from 12% female creators to 1% wanted • Blogging & social • July 2016: 18.4% of DC comics’ & 15.7% of Marvel creators are female media increased • Gender disparities in publishing comics seems to be independent of accessibility for social movements & ideological shifts within society female creators & consumers Women in Refrigerator “The inclusion of females in stories is specifically discouraged. Women when Examples of Feminist Ideologies in Modern Comic Book Titles used in plot structure should be secondary in importance.” – DC Comics (1950s) Cultural Influence & Comics • Function as a medium of popular culture & are influenced by changing social & cultural trends, like other forms of art, literature, & media Representation of Women • Academics can study comic books for unique perspectives of history & culture The introduction of more female characters and feminist stories correlates to the second-wave of feminism and a shift in social emphasis on the importance of gender diversity and representation in all forms of media and popular culture. • Through the 1980s-90s, more female characters were • Like picture books, comics tell stories through image & text and are used in early introduced & existing ones earned solo titles, becoming childhood development to teach children about social norms household names • Studies reveal that children begin to define masculinity/femininity based on • These comics empower readers through diverse storylines featured in picture books representations & by featuring strong female characters & feminist themes • Representations of women in comics present readers with a template of gender roles for young girls in society References 1. 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