The next page cuts to a dramatic full-page spread of Starfire floating aloft in a pile of rubble. “38 of them,” Arsenal replies, and then Red Hood thinks, “Who do we know who carries a pair of 38s?” “I hope you have at least one good backup,” Red Hood says. While the boy’s actions do have plot consequences (the boy uploads the video of Starfire to his Facebook analog and it alerts people to her existence on earth), the impression I get is that all men, even small children, want to objectify Starfire, who seems unaware that her contorted T&A poses are being witnessed by every random guy within a mile radius.Īnd another problem in Red Hood #1 is the way Starfire is introduced in the comic - her first physical appearance is heralded by a bro-joke between the two main male characters, Red Hood and Arsenal. Even a small child can see that Starfire is a sex object, the comic tells us - hella creepy. He whispers “There is a god” to himself as she arches her back orgasmically and splashes around on the beach in her purple finger sandwich bikini. The problem here is something that Lee’s daughter was definitely sensing, judging from her responses - that DC’s Starfire is essentially an object rather than a character.Īnd the comic does very little to hide the fact that Starfire is little more than a sex object - the issue goes as far as to write in a nameless young boy voyeur (who looks barely ten years old) who watches Starfire and records a video of her. Very little characterization of and plot development for Starfire in the first issue. The premise for DC’s new Starfire is immediately noticed by a 7-year-old: Boobs. I mean, grown ups can wear what they want, but … she’s not doing anything but wearing a tiny bikini to get attention.” Lee: “Is this new Starfire someone you’d want to be when you grow up?”ĭaughter: *she gets uncomfortable again*”Not really. She tells people they can be good friends and super powerful and fight for good.” Lee: “Do you think the Starfire from the Teen Titans cartoon is a good role model?”ĭaughter: *immediately* “Oh yes. Lee: “Do you think this Starfire is a good hero?” She’s just posing a lot.” *my daughter appears uncomfortable* Lee: “What about this Starfire? What do you think about her?” ĭaughter: “I can see almost all of her boobs … But, she’s not relaxing or swimming. Michelle Lee wrote an article for io9.com where she interviewed her Teen-Titans-loving, 7-year-old daughter about the new Starfire, which drew out some revealing responses: Worst of all, kids who used to watch Teen Titans in their preteen and early high school years (such as myself) have to see the continuation of a beloved character appearing as a silicone-breasted sex doll, and little girls everywhere are facepalming and sadly moaning at this new incarnation of a strong, familiar character. It’s scary because this is a demographic that’s least likely to know about the reality of relationships and women and most likely to believe that women can look and act like blow-up dolls. What’s uncomfortable is that this completely unnatural contortion of women’s bodies is being used frequently and unironically in DC Comics’s new reboot that’s aimed primarily at teenage boys (given the teen rating on the comic, the boobs flying out of bikinis made out of fabric the size of tea sandwiches and the way Starfire absently propositions every guy she meets for sex - but I’ll get to that in a bit). You’ve got to wonder here: Who is she standing like that for? Not for herself, obviously (as you would probably not contort yourself T&A style unless you were following the instructions in an Autostraddle article) - but instead for the invisible gaze of the male reader as it hovers ubiquitously over the comic book pages. And it so happens that Starfire poses in a T&A shot in just about every panel in which she appears in Red Hood #1, from swimming at the beach to casually standing next to a male main character.Īfter trying out the T&A pose, you’ll probably agree that the stance is completely unnatural (and something I’ve never seen occur in the real world). Go out and try this stance if you want (guys too) - go up to a full-length mirror and see if you can contort your torso so that your butt and your upper chest are both visible. The T&A shot: an image where both a woman’s tits and ass are visible at the same time, in the same panel, from the same angle (see Kate Beaton’s “Hark a Vagrant” for her brilliant “Strong Female Characters” parody). The Autostraddle Encyclopedia of Lesbian Cinema.The 50 Best Lesbian, Bisexual & Queer Movies Of All Time.LGBTQ Television Guide: What To Watch Now.
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