I'm in yur comix, drawin yur d00dz

[anotheranon]

Fascinating comparison of male and female superheroes in comics, with men drawn in the distorted "sexy" poses usually assigned to women. Kinda depressing how it's so hard to imagine a female superhero that isn't stereotypically "hot".

Via Shakesville, whose comments revealed more of the same.

Comments

[jlsjlsjls.livejournal.com]

This is one o' the reasons I really miss D-at-work (damn him for moving halfway across the country!) ... we used to have fun sharing uncomplimentary comments on the distorted drawing of women (and men too ... some of those "heroic" poses could only result in serious groin injury in RL) is dominating superhero comics. Not to mention trading opinions on the physical pain many of the costumes would cause (each of us speaking for the wince factor of our respective genders). Ah ... good times ... :p

Makes me realize (well, I always did sorta know ... my fussiness about artwork dates back to childhood picturebooks) that many of my graphics tastes have been shaped as much by being turned off by most of the mainstream artwork ... the titles on the fringes also tend to have the better (i.e. knowing what real human bodies look and move like rather than using Barbie dolls and porn stills as models) artists ... as by story and telling.

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

Through that link I found further discussion about women in art and the "male gaze" here (http://makesmewannadie.livejournal.com/263175.html). I think I might look for that book "Ways of Seeing".