A Woman’s Mark is Everywhere
Some people are in the process of reshaping the world today, while others have already changed. Discussion on sexual equality continues to dominate most modern talks and cultures. However, there is an emerging diversity in promoting sexes equality. The past actions of demeaning women continue to be fought against by feminist movements. Although the world through the modernism era promoted equitable representation of women, stereotypical and exploitative objectives were visible in media and comic books that incorporated female characters, and some completely ignored them. The stereotypical objectives continued to dehumanize women placing them under more pressure to fit into the set of characters. Past events have denied women the opportunity to be themselves and exploit without being subjected to some form of social requirements. Comics are very important spaces for expressing the vulnerable voices of girls. Ideas, images, stereotypes, and beliefs that are oppressive to women should be denied any media appearance and should focus on the female experience and abilities.
Slam is a comic that has incorporated women’s diversity in its story. The interests of women are presented without consideration of typical appearances adopted by other media. One area in which I feel traditional comics have been oppressive of women is the representation of women. The beauty of women has been defined based on body shapes, thus disregarding those that do not meet the set targets. The feminism discussion I have adopted calls for adopting a non-oppressive representation of women. The thought is to adopt a modern feminism movement that focuses on abilities and unique experiences.
The presentation of maturity and success is a good choice of focus for any comic aimed at promoting feminism. In the slam, I was amused by the representation of girls ready to fight and succeed in the derby. The crowd also amuses me with cheers to the girls working towards building themselves. In that crazy moment, the girl does not have to subscribe to any expectations, and the crowd’s cheering is an indication of the support that has been covered for so long.
The images in the comic represent women who have covered much of their bodies which promotes diversity in culture. The women represented in slam have bodily strength and are doing all they can to take control of their life. The women are also not represented as weak and vulnerable in a poster about the “east side girls”; it is the “sore bruises” versus the “pushy riots.” The names are just, but a representation of stubborn and strong girls focused on abilities.
Feminism in itself is the movement that fights against oppressive actions against the female gender. Equal representation of women does not mean fighting for their rights by representing them as a weaker gender. Because of the assumption of the weaker gender, women may fail to take up control over their lives with the fear of what is expected of them by society. By representing women as a weaker gender, trends have continuously undermined them (Corley, 1982). Past representation of women without undermining them would focus on the events in which they were being exploited by the existing myths and stereotypes (Corley, 1982). The media in the past paid attention to showcasing a woman as one who would abandon the traditional tasks attached to them to live an independent life in which they would have to remain attractive. Later a seductive appearance was adopted, which changed the focus of feminism on appearance, with the focus being on the body shape. Despite it being important for women to keep fit, Slam completely ignores that and represents women as strong and able to fight their battles.
It is a trend of the media, popular culture, and the fashion industry to frequently undermine women by representing them in a manner that requires them to subscribe to certain social standards (Heroines of Comic Books and Literature, 2014). Such requirements hinder them from experiencing life as it should be and define their abilities as per the set standards. What you read in Slam is quite different; the passion for achieving more, the high level of support, and the representation of women’s relationships are clear. In Slam, the main character has no obligation to support men attain their goals but is working hard to perfect their sport. Slam does not seek to make women feel like a weaker gender as they are considered strong. A sense of encouragement arises with characters having the thought of making it. Although there is a mention of thighs and their consideration as a qualification, that is ignored.
The aspect of feminism chosen in this case relates to fighting against gender stereotypes and performative behaviors adopted by comic books against women. In this case, the women’s love life has been left out; although the women are compassionate to each other, there is no focus on relationships. Stereotypes have focused on showcasing women as romantic and delicate and focused on developing the life of men whom they support. Such stereotypes that weaken the female gender have played a key role in influencing their representations and continued movements to undermine women, and slam is the opposite.
The performative behavior expected from women is that they need to take up women’s roles and avoid jobs attached to the male gender. The slam book represents women taking up sporting a profession that most traditions and modern era theories believe should be attached to the male gender. Chu and Huff are out to prove the world wrong by succeeding in roller derby, a sport that they are so passionate about. The focus on abilities and experiences makes the reader view women as capable in whatever they are passionate about.
The slam book focuses on undermining stereotypes and claims on feminism that consider women a weaker gender. No drawing has represented women as pretty. The stereotype of comic books being connected to typical male fantasies has also been overshadowed in this case. Teamwork, girlhood, passion, abilities, and experiences are the focus point. The dominance in the representation of females without consideration of laid-down stereotypes is eminent in this case. The main aim of post-modern feminism is to focus on campaigning against any stereotypes and performative behaviors adopted to undermine females continuously. According to Danziger-Russell (2012), the emergence of sequential art and books that focus on the unique representation of women is a good sign for promoting post-modern social equality. Danziger-Russell argument on the adoption of comic books as a space for the representation of vulnerable voices gets clearer after reading the slam and understanding its implication in one’s life.
The role of female heroines in society has not been left out in the slam. Although Chu and Huff are the main characters in the comic and the best players, the support of other female partners has not been left out. The focus on female teamwork and support abilities are important in influencing modern-day America on the power of collaboration. The goal here is not to let any team player down but to ensure that they are supported to attain their abilities in the presence of relevant experiences. Such heroines later motivate other girls who get to view their abilities beyond the set of cultural boundaries.
The female body is a primary issue in feminism. There is so much pressure on women to maintain a certain body size than it is placed on men. For that reason, even female celebrities have to put so much effort into exercise and taking control of their bodies. The representation of the female body is so much evident in the slam. There is a wide range of cultures that are against body exposure. Women from such cultures find it hard to cope with the western culture, which they believe has played a significant role in promoting the covering of the lesser body (Avery-Natale, 2013). As a result, such women have failed to achieve equal representation in the media despite them being the most vulnerable.
Similarly, some religions are against the lesser covering mode of dressing. Women are also believed to have a place in the kitchen; it is also expected that at a certain age, they should be married, have children and after that take care of their husbands and support them to attain the specified goal. In the slam comic, one lady thinks of having missed out on some of the social roles, such as getting married, but that does not stop her.
Independence and the right to settle on choices is the real definition of post-modern feminism. The elimination of undermining factors and boundaries set up by stereotypes and performative behaviors should be the focus point. Comic publishers ought to borrow from independent publishers by focusing on telling stories based on individuality, as suggested by Mohanty and Swati. According to Mohanty and Swati (2017), developing a spirit of self-worth is the most important for all humanity. In a restaurant that the girls visit, known as K’S café, they are seen thanking the female attendant who serves them, which places a lot of joy in her, as depicted by the pictures. The feeling of self-worth is generated through unique experiences and the achievement of abilities as per the set goals. Feminism is key in analyzing women’s independence and identity, primarily influenced by culture. Adopting a media culture that aims to promote individuality and uniqueness would be key in promoting self-worth at any particular time, thus making slam an important book in promoting the self-worth of unique ladies.
In modern times, simple research will result in the findings that most of the art depicts male characters as superpowers and female characters as support systems. Rush (2016) provides that female superheroes have been lacking for a long time in the media coverage. The fear of most in the production business is that female-based arts fail in gaining publicities compared to art that depicts men as superheroes. Slam plays a vital role in showcasing the positions of power that women hold through the two heroines, a narration lacking in the media coverage. Therefore, the slam book is relevant in elevating the position of women in any culture as it narrates the achievement of female teams in a sport.
Reading this book helps promote postmodern feminism that requires ladies not to be subjected to any form of restrictions. Equal representation, full experiences, and unique abilities are what society should focus on while supporting women. In this comic, there is also an aspect of women offering each other immense support when faced with challenges. The role of comics in expressing girls’ voices is so powerful in slam. The elimination of oppressive behaviors, thoughts, and images aimed at undermining the power of women is so powerful in the comic. Focus on abilities, experiences, and determination is well represented, thus depicting the power of the female gender. All feminist movements must educate women on the importance of supporting their own. Through such support, women gain better experiences and the courage to move on and understand their abilities. The book focuses on sport as the main activity and is also interesting to anyone reading the book. Sporting has, for cultures, been considered an activity best suited for men. Even today, male teams have more followers and supporters than female-dominated games. The reader of the book will thus understand that women can do much better even in male-dominated professions, which will help clear myths and stereotypes about women.
Works Cited
Avery-Natale, Edward. “An Analysis of Embodiment among Six Superheroes in DC Comics.” Social Thought & Research, vol. 32, 2013, pp. 71–106, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24642398. Accessed 7 Apr. 2022.
Corley, Sarah V. “Women in the Comics.” Studies in Popular Culture, vol. 5, 1982, pp. 61–70, http://www.jstor.org/stable/45018092. Accessed 6 Apr. 2022
Danziger-Russell, Jacqueline. Girls and Their Comics: Finding a Female Voice in Comic Book Narrative, Scarecrow Press, 2012. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/csun/detail.action?docID=1076207.
Heroines of Comic Books and Literature: Portrayals in Popular Culture, edited by Maja Bajac-Carter, et al., Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/csun/detail.action?docID=1655587.
Mohanty, J. R., and Swati Samantaray. “Cyber Feminism: Unleashing Women Power through Technology.” Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, vol. 9, no. 2, 2017, https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v9n2.33.
Rush, Alice. “Flickering Myth.” Flickering Myth, 26 Feb. 2016, https://www.flickeringmyth.com/.
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