Dear Marvel and DC Comics - More Super Heroine and Female Character Merchandise in Our Stores, Please!

Salve Omni!

I hope you had a most excellent weekend, Dear Reader!  Mine was a bit hectic, yet, in a sense, therapeutic.  I am referring to the sacred art of what we females call retail therapy...yes, I went clothes shopping...haven't done that in a while!  For my birthday this year, I received gift cards to some pretty awesome stores, from some very awesome people.  When I learned that some of the stores on my list were having a this-weekend-only sale, I just couldn't resist!

While walking around the local shopping mall on Saturday afternoon, I decided to keep my eye out for cute, geeky apparel that I could add to my wardrobe.  With geek culture alive and thriving more than ever in the modern world, it seems that many popular store chains such as Torrid, Hot Topic, Forever 21, and Target, offer a small to fairly-decent selection of geektastic merchandise (in other words, a plethora of T-shirts), mostly targeted at teenage girls and boys and very young adult men and, then, women.  This is great news for the modern person - I really wish I had more choices when it came to geek-inspired clothing back when I was a teenager; but alas, no!  I did have a few Dr. Seuss T-shirts (and Cat in the Hat slippers), Mickey Mouse tees, an Oscar the Grouch sleep shirt, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs pajamas, and...wait for it...a Pee-Wee's Playhouse sleep shirt (I am so not making this up).  Back in the day, I found that availability was sorely lacking in comic book-themed merchandise and apparel - well at least for girls and women.  I don't think that boys and men had that great of a selection either other than a few printed T-shirts, but for girls and women, it would be a very rare thing to find such a treasure!

Now, as confirmed by my recent shopping trip, you can find a decent selection of comic book-related clothing and accessories, just about everywhere you look.  That is great and all...but the choices are still greatly limited.  You mostly find Marvel Comics characters, and mostly, you see the same popular ones like Iron Man, The Avengers (Thor, Captain America, etc), Spider-Man, The Hulk, and The X-Men (mainly Wolverine), printed over-and-over again.  Then, there are the popular DC Comics characters, such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern.  See a pattern here?  If not, don't fret...all shall be revealed in the next paragraph!

Recently, I read an article announcing that the popular chain, Forever 21, was to debut a Marvel Comics-inspired clothing collection in their stores for back to school.  What joy!  I was ecstatic!  I knew that there would be a slim chance that my curvy, 31 year-old body would fit into most of this chain's cute clothing, but I felt at ease, knowing that there are now some cute geeky options just for young women out there.  No more having to scour the men's T-shirt sections for quirky, hard-to find shirts to wear to comic-cons and Science Fiction cons, etc.  So I grabbed my laptop and went directly to Forever 21's website to check it out.  Big disappointment!  I will say, there was a surprising assortment of leggings, sweatshirts, tank tops, crop tops, bodysuits, tees, and even a dress, available; with a vintage print of either Iron Man, Wolverine, Thor, Spider-Man, and The Hulk.  Or, an all-over comic book print that looks pretty cool.  So why am I disappointed?  Well it seems that the novelty here is to take a few well-loved Marvel characters (all male, may I add), and add them in vintage prints to women's clothing.  It's different, but not a very novel idea.  Hey Marvel...isn't X-Men a part of your franchise!!!???  And doesn't X-Men have some fabulously awesome female characters that you could promote?  Especially for a fashionable women's clothing line?

Who wouldn't want to wear a cute top or accessory with a print of Storm, Rogue, Jean Grey, or even Mystique on it?  I know girls and women like to give props to their superhero crushes (I know I love me some Iron Man and Batman), but what about some swag for girl power using the images of super heroines and female comic book characters?  Other than the occasional Wonder Woman pop-art tee, I've seen very little on that front.  I guess the fate of women's geek-themed clothing, especially when comic-book related, is subject to the predominately-male favorites.  With a steady increase in female attendance at comic-cons, perhaps the marketing department heads of these major comic book giants will look to encompass the new demographic majority; because women play a large role in geek culture, too!!!

 

Hey! These Vigilante Bikini Bottoms Are Really Giving Me A Wedgie!!!

Salve Omni!

The San Diego Comic Con has come yet again, and sadly, my husband and I were unable to go. Instead, I have been keeping informed of the con goings-on via the Internet. I especially like to see the photos of cosplayers in attendance - dressing the part is always cool! It is especially interesting and awesome to see the varying costumes worn by the female cosplayers, and I must say, it is very refreshing to see so many women attending this event. See fellas, women can geek out just as hard!

There is one thing I have noticed however, regarding the art of female cosplay...the choices tend to get shorter and skimpier! No, I am not referring to the choices available, but I am referring to the costumes worn. Yes, it is great to totally geek out while representing your favorites through cosplay, but Ladies...does everything have to be short, tight, skimpy and damn-near non-existent? Often, there is nothing left to the imagination! I get it, there's the famous gold bikini worn by Princess Leia, and many other iconic skimpy and sexy outfits worn by famous female Science Fiction and Fantasy characters, but it makes you wonder - is this all there is to our female super heroines, vigilantes, and video game and TV/movie characters? True, those who fight crime and evildoers for a living don't need to be hindered with layers and layers of clothing and loose-fitting garments that could be easily grabbed or get in the way of an awesome karate kick, but...really?

Not everything should leave little to the imagination. Just imagine...you're a vigilante or super heroine, fighting your nemesis in a battle to the death, wearing bikini bottoms (I don't mean the boy shorts) and a tight corset top. You go to deliver a life-saving death kick, and the next thing you know, your "panties" are riding up, or, worse, they are giving you quite the wedgie! Your mind is now focused on discomfort, which will make the remainder of your battle an interesting one. I don't think your opponent will want to stop and wait for you to shift things...he or she will be counting on any sort of distraction to throw you off your game. I am a woman, and I understand completely the desire for women to want to look and feel sexy and awesome as well as being badasses in battle, but, in my opinion, we can't be expected to dress this way at all times.

I am reminded of one of my favorite video games, Mortal Kombat, 2011 edition. Though I love playing this game with my husband, I always get to thinking about the female fighters. Most of them have Barbie doll-like proportions - huge boobs and tiny waist. Most also wear very little clothing. Even Sonya Blade, who is supposed to be part of the military, and who does wears pants, can barely keep her bosom from popping out as she fights in some sort of skimpy black vest with no bra. Now, if you're a woman, you know that unless you are wearing an extremely-restrictive bra, the moment you do so much as a cartwheel, the girls are coming out to say hello. Especially in a low-cut top. So when Ms. Sonya Blade does that famous upside-down leg grab kick move, well, I am amazed how well "the girls" defy gravity and stay in place! It's amazing, by the end of a bloody match, just about any of the lovely ladies of Mortal Kombat will barely have a strip of cloth left to cover their "girls" at all. Because women fight mostly from the chest...right? Eye candy? Yes! Practical? Not in any way, shape or form! If you don't believe me, play the game.

For female characters such as Mileena, Wonder Woman, Miss Marvel, Power Girl, and many, many others, I often wonder, where do they get all this time to "spruce up"? Ladies, you know that wearing a swimsuit alone requires a good deal of personal maintenance. It is just unrealistic and unbelievable to me to think that these women choose to wear this revealing crap all of the time. When do they schedule time for a bikini/underarm wax? When do they have time to shave their legs? And when it's "that time-of-the-month", well, I know I wouldn't be very comfortable fighting, flying (and doing super-high kicks) constantly in super high-cut bottoms with little coverage. And come on - have we forgotten about the bloating??? Spandex or no, who wants to wear such body-skimming garments during this "special time"? Suppose they eat and drink a bit too much at Thanksgiving dinner - well, I bet you it won't be as much fun trying to squeeze back into that costume! Midriff or stomach-baring garments - not unless they want the dreaded after-a-heavy-meal pudge to show!

I'm waiting for the adventures of the moderately-comfy badass! A more true to life woman, she'd still be sexy...hey, there's nothing wrong with bearing a little cleavage, but her outfit of choice would be form-fitting workout pants or leggings and tank top or fitted T-shirt when she's kicking butt. And on those "special days", sweatpants and a hoodie. And why not sport some wedge-heeled boots or sneakers rather than stilettos? Still awesome, and she won't be hobbling around in agony after a couple of hours of fighting on a rooftop or patrolling the "mean" streets. She'll be outfitted in comfort, which means she can spend more time out protecting the city, than in some salon, getting her bikini area waxed before making an appearance. Oh no!!! An evil villain is destroying the city, and she hasn't had time to shave her legs! Never fear - she'll simply throw on some cute pants and a T-shirt and she'll save the day anyway!

I like to get my geek on just as much as the next girl, but when it comes to cosplay, I think, sometimes, that more is more. No wonder men think that if a woman is blessed with super powers or roams around with superior fighting abilities, that her first outfit of choice must be body-hugging and suggestive, and that she has to have the perfect tiny body of a goddess. What about her skills? Well, I guess no one is looking at that! Just another observation further confirming my theory that we are way too focused on the visual. Sure Ladies, let's look good at what we do because we are good at what we do. But there is much more to the life of a super heroine, warrior and vigilante than running around wearing next to nothing!