Superwomen: Gender, Power, and Representation

ISBN-13: 9781501316579 / Angielski / Miękka / 2016 / 288 str.

Carolyn Cocca

Opis

Over the last 75 years, superheroes have been portrayed most often as male, heterosexual, white, and able-bodied. Today, a time when many of these characters are billion-dollar global commodities, there are more female superheroes, more queer superheroes, more superheroes of color, and more disabled superheroes--but not many more. Superwomen investigates how and why female superhero characters have become more numerous but are still not-at-all close to parity with their male counterparts; how and why they have become a flashpoint for struggles over gender, sexuality, race, and disability; what has changed over time and why in terms of how these characters have been written, drawn, marketed, purchased, read, and reacted to; and how and why representations of superheroes matter, particularly to historically underrepresented and stereotyped groups. Specifically, the book explores the production, representations, and receptions of prominent transmedia female superheroes from their creation to the present: Wonder Woman; Batgirl and Oracle; Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel; Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Star Wars' Padme Amidala, Leia Organa, Jaina Solo, and Rey; and X-Men's Jean Grey, Storm, Kitty Pryde, Rogue, and Mystique. It analyzes their changing portrayals in comics, novels, television shows, and films, as well as how cultural narratives of gender have been negotiated through female superheroes by creators, consumers, and parent companies over the last several decades."

Recenzje

Superwomen is an accessible text that can be enjoyed by both lay and expert readers. It succinctly summarizes the history and issues surrounding some of the most well-known female superheroes while having a robust bibliography and enough theoretical depth to satisfy any popular culture scholar. ImageTexT

Spis treści

AcknowledgmentsList of IllustrationsIntroduction: Representation MattersChapter 1: "The Sexier the Outfit, the Fewer Questions Asked": Wonder WomanChapter 2: "When You Go Out At Night, You Won't Be Alone": Batgirl(s) and Birds of PreyChapter 3: "Somebody Has To Save Our Skins!" Padmé Amidala, Leia Organa, and Jaina Solo in Star WarsChapter 4: "No Such Things as Limits": The X-WomenChapter 5: "Slayers. Every One of Us": Buffy the Vampire SlayerChapter 6: "Part of Something Bigger": Ms. Marvel(s) and Captain Marvel(s)Conclusion: Superwomen, Diversity, and RepresentationBibliographyIndex

O autorze

Carolyn Cocca is Professor in the Department of Politics, Economics, and Law at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury, USA. She is the author of Jailbait: The Politics of Statutory Rape Laws in the United States and various articles and book chapters about gender and superheroes.Carolyn Cocca is Associate Professor of Politics and Director of the Women's Center at the State University of New York, Old Westbury. She is the author of Jailbait: The Politics of Statutory Rape Laws in the United States (2004) and numerous articles about adolescent sexuality and statutory rape laws.