you keep your brain under your belt

[ivy_chan]

Had a disagreement with Sexist Friend about the body shapes of Marvel superheroes. He claims that they're the perfect human bodies for male and female, and I disagreed, saying that they're idealized male and female bodies from the male perspective, designed to cater to male interest: uber-testosterone, muscle-built men, women with giant breasts,

Comments

[oceansex]

the first thing I noted when I saw this was that Superman and Wonder Woman are from the DC universe, not Marvel. I'm a little afraid of what that says about me. /sigh

but! that aside, the fact is that most American comic books, and the characters therein, are indeed drawn to fit what the American male sees as 'perfect men and women'. it's no surprise that breasts are referred to as the 'most common super power' on tvtropes. your male friend sounds like a sexist idiot that fails rather hard at human physiology to me. :\ and I'm surprised by the amount of stories you've shared about hanging out with men who think like that. the guys I hang out with cleverly don't mention that they think in Alpha Male ways around girls (most of the time) if they do.

[robina1984]

"the first thing I noted when I saw this was that Superman and Wonder Woman are from the DC universe, not Marvel. I'm a little afraid of what that says about me."

I don't either, but the same thing can be said about me. Same reaction!

[ivy_chan]

*lol* Sorry, dudes. I should have clarified that the conversation started talking more generally about other comic book heroines later on. It started with the X-Men.

[ivy_chan]

Yeah, it started off with Marvel because of the X-Men movies, and ended up using DC comics because of Superman and Wonder Woman. Should've mentioned that. XD

And most of the guys I hang with don't, but there's this fuckhead who often does. The other guys occasionally state sexist things, like just tonight one of them was telling him to treat girls with more sensitivity because they're not like guys- well-intentioned, but insulting. Still, this guy blows them all out of the water.

[lvsinsanity]

"Him: Well, they've reached the point where I wouldn't call them female. Their testosterone levels are so high they haven't reached puberty."

That...is where I usually cut off all contact with said person...and of that I'm dead serious.

[ivy_chan]

Impossible. He's in my D&D group, and I rather love that game. Sadly, communication is a necessity. And I dread these conversations soooo much.

I think of it as a challenge.

[saralinda]

I know a lot of elite women athletes through my husband (who is/was an elite runner), including elite marathon/ultramarathon runners, elite Olympic-level rowers, and elite swimmers. They're sooooo not shaped like wonder woman.

[ivy_chan]

Hell, the person I know who can kick the most butt in karate is short, densely muscled, and has normal sized breasts. I think there's something to be said for that body shape.

[robina1984]

...where do you find these idiots? You don't stop being female because you work out. Gah.

[ivy_chan]

I really want to know which rock these people keep crawling out from. For some reason, I have a douche magnet. Idiot men seem to be attracted to me.

[samatethecookie]

Well, they've reached the point where I wouldn't call them female. Their testosterone levels are so high they haven't reached puberty.

... But that makes no sense whatsoever. Who thinks like that? D:

[ivy_chan]

I DON'T KNOW. Apparently you are not female if you don't...fit within his parameter of female behavior and appearance, I guess. All of his insults towards women involve refusing them the right to be called female: saying they don't have vaginas, for one.

[samatethecookie]

Oh, he sounds like a prize.

It's sad because it's thoughts like his that keep Marvel/DC from changing the typical norm when it comes to character designs. I'm an occasional reader of Marvel/DC and I would like to see realistic proportions brought into the designs, but whatever, girls don't read comic books so who cares, right? :|

[ivy_chan]

I think I'd be a much bigger fan of the comic book genre if there was a more evenhanded treatment of male and female characters. What's even worse is that the comic books are a woman's dream world compared to the movies they're throwing out: look at Emma Frost's treatment in the latest Wolverine movie, for example. I ranted way back when about some dick from Marvel basically telling girls to stop reading comic books if they didn't like the female characters being sexualized and marginalized. Right, it would be too much of a pain to acknowledge the female demographic, wouldn't it?

[caterfree10]

*HEADDESK* *HEADDESK* *HEADDESK*

I feel so sorry you have to put up with stupid people like this. I know if it were me, I'd have cut off his balls so he couldn't reproduce. But then I'd be the one in jail because mutilating people is a crime, but rampant stupidity like his isn't. *sigh*

[ivy_chan]

Yeah, I think that there should definitely be a law against being this completely ignorant in public. Some of the things he says...I mean, I can't even begin to express my rage and how utterly wrong they are. Saying that an athlete no longer counts as a woman because she has muscles? That's...well, dangerously misguided at best.

[caterfree10]

God, seriously. It'd cut back on the stupid in the gene pool. Unfortunately, with such laws, it's difficult to determine where the limit is for stupidity, what exceptions should be made for mental conditions/disorders, and so many more. It'd be nice, but reality puts a damper on laws like that. *sigh*