Okay, sorry, but I couldn’t just let this slide, so I’m going to go through it and respond to each part…

bellaend:

not the normal, ok kind that just want equal rights as men and embrace their sexuality as women without needing a man to tell them what to do. i just consider that to be strong in my opinion.

That’s what feminism is, you know, wanting equality, it’s as simple as that. You might just consider that to be “strong” but that is actually feminism, you don’t get to redefine the term so that you can justify your hatred of “feminists.”

that’s fine

Thanks, I’m glad that feminists have your permission to want equality between men and women. I’m sure we all feel much better for that.

but the ones who go OMG WHY ARE WOMEN IN COMICS SO SKINNY AND SEXY IT’S JUST TO MAKE THE SEXUALLY OBSESSED MEN HAPPY

no

no it’s not

Yes, it actually is. The target demographic for comic books (as admitted by DC when they launched the New 52) is men aged between 18 and 34 years. So the reason why women are skinny and sexy in comics is because the comics are aimed at men. It’s really quite simple. There are, thankfully, readers who fall outside that demographic, but that’s who they’re aimed at. You saying, “No, it’s not” without providing any kind of evidence to back up that opinion doesn’t actually change the fact that, well, it is.

i am a girl, i have larger tits than the conventional, and while yes i do like to show them off and do what i want and wear what i want, i don’t do it because men tell me to. i find it actually helps in some situations, like trying to get a drink in a club quickly or getting a more helpful response from a man when i’m complaining about a product, though it also helps that i’m blonde and i pull the stupid card.

Firstly, all of this is completely irrelevant to your point. I don’t care what size your tits are, what does that have to do with anything? Secondly, you say you don’t show them off for the benefit of men, and yet you go on to say that you use them to get things out of men. That’s an interesting logical twist you’re going through there. You pretend to be stupid and use your breasts to get things out of men, I’m not going to judge you for that, you can do what you want with your own body, but don’t expect anyone to respect you for it. But I digress, none of this is in any way relevant to the representation of women in comics.

that’s not to say that i don’t use my brain. i’m clever, and always try to get the best possible result from using my smarts. i didn’t get into uni because of my boobs.

Indeed, I doubt many uni applications departments consider cup size. It would seem they also don’t consider one’s ability to use correct capitalisation either. But, again, what does this actually have to do with the issue at hand? Women aren’t sexualised in comics so that they’ll appeal to men because you’re smart and have big tits? I really don’t see what one has to do with the other.

i’m also an artist, and wish to draw comics one day, and when i do, i will draw them in the proportions that i deem to be suitable for the characters.

If you want to work in comics one day then you will draw them with the proportions that your editor, who signs your paychecks, deems appropriate, or else you won’t be getting another assignment.

so yes, i will draw females with big boobs and small waists if i deem it necessary. i will also draw females with smaller frames and smaller boobs - which DOES actually happen.

So, you’ll draw skinny women with big boobs AND skinny women with small boobs? Wow, that really is a diverse range of body shapes you’ll be using there.

the fact that the female population of tumblr is in such an uproar about the females in comics having outrageous proportions is irrelevant - they’re not gonna change it.

You’re actually right here, but not for the reasons you think you are. It’s irrelevant because, as I’ve said, the main comic companies are specifically targeting their books at men aged 18-34, so the opinions of any women anywhere, let alone on tumblr, and including you, are irrelevant to them. However, it shouldn’t be irrelevant, because the big publishers are missing out on a huge potential market here.

neither am i.

You’re not in a position to, though. So who cares?

and unless you’re going to do it yourself, then you might as well just quit whining about it.

Oh, excuse me, I just have to go turn off my bullshit alarm, it’s rather loud and annoying and it’s hard to type while it’s going off. There, that’s better. I see this time and again on tumblr, “Unless you’re going to do something about it yourself, then shut up.” Do you know how many women are actually in a position to do something about the representation of women in comics? Pretty much none. There are precious few female creators working for the big two publishers, and there are no women working in a high enough editorial position to actually enact change. It is incredibly hard for women to break into the industry, and if you’re hoping to some day, then that’s a fact that you’re likely to come up against at some point.

But hey, you know what? I actually AM in a position to do something about it. I run an indie publisher and I’m a group editor at another indie publisher, and I’m also a writer who’s written one graphic novel that satirises the portrayal of women in comics, and another which includes a female lead who is non-sexualised. So do I have your permission to “whine” about the portrayal of women in comics? Am I sufficiently qualified?

you don’t have to read it. you don’t have to cosplay as the characters. you don’t even have to acknowledge their presence if you feel that strongly about it.

No, nobody does have to read this stuff. But the problem is that there’s not really any alternative in the mainstream. Also, why the hell should anyone be excluded from reading mainstream comics, which should be appealing to a wide audience? Mainstream comics didn’t used to be like this. I’ve had enough of the “this is how women have always been portrayed in comics and they always will, so just accept it” nonsense. Go look through a ton of back issues from the eighties, from the days that comics had to sit on a newsstand rack, rather than in a specialist store mainly frequented by young men. You’ll see women portrayed in a VERY different way. There’s no reason why we can’t return to that.

just shut up whining.

Why? You don’t have to read the whining. You don’t have to follow anyone on tumblr you don’t have to. People have every right to voice their opinions, as do you. You just keep reading your comics.

this is my opinion. if you don’t like it, i don’t care. it will provide me with plenty of laughing material if you do want to voice your own opinions though. especially of me. i do love a good put-down session.

Ah, the classic, “This is my opinion and I shall ignore and laugh at anyone who disagrees with it” defence. Really, why post your opinions publicly if you have no willingness to enter into a reasoned and intelligent debate regarding them? Congratulations, you’ve just made yourself sound like an arsehole on the internet. And the sad part is that you’ll take that as a compliment.