When you look back at the role of women in comics up to the 1940s, it’s enough to make a modern-day feminist’s eye twitch. Generally, they were damsels in distress, sugar-sweet nurses, or simple love interests.
We’ve come a long way since then, with superwomen gracing our comics and screens everywhere we look. Whilst most superhero franchises on the big screen still have more men than women, there have been considerable improvements in the past few decades.
(In fact, you should go read this article about women in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Anna!)
In the 1940s, comic book audiences were on the decline. This forced many companies to branch out into different genres and audiences . . . and some geniuses realised that the young female market was untapped (if I had a TARDIS I would go back in time and hug them).
Enter characters like The Blonde Phantom…
Louise Grant was secretary to a private detective. In her spare time, she became a crime-fighting vigilante . . . wearing a red evening gown (and heels, of course). Still, it’s quite impressive considering that she has no superpowers other than being an inexplicable master at martial arts.
Louise eventually quits her jobs of administration and crime-fighting to marry her boss.
In a delightful twist, her character continues to appear in the She-Hulk series, offering advice and sometimes back up to Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk.
Around the same time, more superwomen came into existence. Like Fantomah (cited as the first superherione, who could turn into a blue-skulled monster to protect her jungle), Golden Girl, Venus, and many more.
By the time the 50s rolled around, the comic book business knew they were onto a good thing.
Fast forward to today, and super women are going stronger than ever!
Wonder Woman has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity after the recent record-breaking film (can we all just take a second to appreciate that Gal Gadot basically IS Wonder Woman?)
From Squirrel Girl to Gwenpool, young girls now have no shortage of boss-ass ladies to read about in comics. We’re also finally seeing an increase in representation of different ethnicities (like the recent Muslim-American adaptation of Ms. Marvel), and they’re not all the same *ahem* enhanced body types.
We also have a Captain Marvel movie to look forward to . . . And she’ll hopefully be accurately portrayed as one of the strongest characters in the Marvel Universe (aka one of the few people who have a chance of taking down Thanos).
I, for one, am ecstatic that I can now get a Wonder Woman or Supergirl shirt in just about any department store. It truly is the age of the geek girl.
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