missacedia:
Angelina gets it right…again.
I, luckily, have had favourable experiences in the comic book store I go to (run by men who treated me like the fellow superhero lover I am), but I’ve had to deal with some of these “dudebros” mentioned who think I either don’t belong in “their world” because I am a woman or think I need to conform to their standards of a “girl-geek.” I was actually sneered at once by one upstanding gentleman when I wore a Green Lantern t-shirt because I was “all prettied up” (I’m blond, had my hair curled, had some fantastic — if I may say so myself — makeup rocking and was wearing my usual array of jewellery). He said (in the most eloquent way possible, of course) “Uh…so you’re some tomboy who’s into superheros? But you’re some girly-girl? Fuck, would you just PICK A SIDE already?” Or I’ve had girls accuse me of only wearing my superhero shirts (there are many) and then do my hair/makeup because I’m looking for attention from guys. Or if I can’t name all Green Lanterns or recite the entire Flash storyline, I’m accused of only wearing their t-shirts because I’m jumping on the Big Bang Theory bandwagon (no, my Big Bang Theory appreciation t-shirt is my purple Bazinga one). It’s an ongoing circle of hate that I am frankly sick of and Angelina hits it right on the head and I have nothing further to add to her reply.
Reblagging for discussion purposes. Have any of you had experiences like this?
Hey Ang, can I get your opinion. I've always loved superheroes and comic book characters, but only recently started going to buy them. Well, I went in the other day and was getting the New 52 CATWOMAN and BATWOMAN when I was approached by a couple of guys. They seemed shock that a *female* happened to be looking and buying comics. They asked if it was for my dad or boyfriend and when I told them it was for me they laughed. Now, I am afraid to go back there and am a little upset. Help?
Well first of all, your feelings are incredibly valid! And unfortunately this is a story I know very well, as I’ve experienced it myself.
Being a woman in the world of comics and extending even into general “geekery” is almost impossible at times. It’s incredibly hard for us to fit in. If we celebrate our interests and wear them as a badge of pride, we’re given the cold shoulder of “she’s only doing it for male attention”. If we’re lax and casual about it, we are bombarded with criticism and not taken seriously in any genre (eg, “You don’t know the names of all the Green Lanterns?? HOW CAN YOU EVEN CONSIDER YOURSELF A COMIC BOOK FAN, YOU HAVE -78 NERD CRED NOW”). And many women perpetuate these stereotypes by making fun of “those” gamer girls as a way to set themselves apart as real nerds. “Those girls play Animal Crossing? Not me, I play Diablo III, I’m a REAL gamer girl!” The sad truth is that that behaviour brings us all down, and discourages many women and girls from even trying to get into comics, Role Playing Games, Tabletop and card games, cosplay, etc.
But, listen. You have a right to be in that store. You have a right to purchase those comics. You deserve to be there just as much as they do. Those dudebros can suck an egg, because while they’re chiming in on some misogynistic age-old rhetoric of boy’s club comic book industry, you’ll be reading some great fucking comics and dancing with your bad self.
this was on my desk this morning when I woke up…
Not being assaulted is not a privilege to be earned through the judicious application of personal safety strategies. A woman should be able to walk down the street at 4 in the morning in nothing but her socks, blind drunk, without being assaulted, and I, for one, am not going to do anything to imply that she is in any way responsible for her own assault if she fails to Adequately Protect Herself. Men aren’t helpless dick-driven maniacs who can’t help raping a vulnerable woman. It disrespects EVERYONE.
