We Need More Female Super Heroes

Hey guys! Happy Monday!

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Photo from indigograce.wordpress.com

I recently read this article from xojane.com about how a fellow fan was so captivated and moved during a panel at this year’s SDCC. The panel featured actresses involved in Marvel movies and they spoke about something a little out of the ordinary to address at conventions: sexism. When the moderator asked, “what was the most egregious example of sexism you’ve seen on set?” EVERY actress had a story to tell.

And for this, I’m glad. Mind you the audience for this panel was 85% white males who obviously can’t identify with this kind of discrimination in the workplace. After reading this article, I felt so proud to be a woman and I felt so compelled to write this post.

If you’ve kept up with my blog thus far, then you know I’m a proud Geek Girl. If you don’t know what a Geek Girl is… well… let me fill you in. We’re the minority in this fandom. Why? Because this fandom is still being controlled by men who feel this is still a “Boys-Only-Club.” Now I’m not trying to say EVERY man is this way. I’m just stating that most are and it creates a schism in our community. A community that’s supposed to be welcoming and open to everyone, regardless of ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and age. But alas… here we are in the year 2013 and we still see this shit happening.

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Photo from videogamesblogger.com

I’m not trying to say that I hate all the females in comic books, I’m just merely saying we need more female LEADS. For instance, take Lara Croft here. She’s one of the few successful female leads in a video game series. I admire her, as I do with my other favorite female super hero, Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. We need more females characters like THIS! Strong, determined women who tenaciously achieve their goals. Now that’s a story worth writing.

And why do we need them as the LEAD versus just another supporting character? Because the whole series/video game surrounds the main character’s life! You get to understand the complexity of the character and see that character’s vulnerable points, which is what makes that character so human and relatable to others. You don’t get those kinds of connections with supporting characters. I mean, why do you think people love Captain America so much? Because he was that scrawny kid from Brooklyn that had a heart of gold and wanted to protect others. A lot of people can identify with that.

So my fellow readers… this argument I’m making ties in with the ever-going topic of “Fake Geek Girls.” That topic alone is for another time, but I’d just like to leave you with this – be open and welcoming to your fellow geeks. Don’t you fcking judge them if you don’t personally know them. Don’t we get that enough as fellow geeks? How many times do non-geeks look at you like you’re an alien when you start ranting about the latest video game releases or the latest comic books? And don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about! We need to stick together and support our love for the fandom.

So… don’t fck it up. Just be cool with everyone.

-Alice

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