Pulp Magazines, Stereotypes, Gender Roles and our media.
How many times have you read a comic book or even a pulp magazine that has a strong male hero who saves a damsel in distress? This is not uncommon. These are some of the stereotypes we have been seeing in stories dating all the way back to the 1940s. Even today, the stories in films, books and almost all of our media, we see have a common trend with very few exceptions. Even when women are not shown as damsels in distress, they are always wearing really inappropriate clothing which is done purposely to attract a male audience and to objectify women.
One really good example of this would be the “Fantastic Adventures” pulp magazine about the “Slaves of the Fish Men.” Just by looking at the cover of the magazine, you can already get a good idea of what the story is about. Just by looking at the cover you can tell that there is a women that needs saving by a terrifying monster. This says a lot about our society as well. Most people do not see this as a problem but it is a major one. We need to change the way these stories are being written because these stories are the cause for false stereotypes and gender roles and this is bad because everyone wants to be treated equally, but it cannot happen when the media we watch and read teaches us about these false stereotypes.
One really good example of this would be the “Fantastic Adventures” pulp magazine about the “Slaves of the Fish Men.” Just by looking at the cover of the magazine, you can already get a good idea of what the story is about. Just by looking at the cover you can tell that there is a women that needs saving by a terrifying monster. This says a lot about our society as well. Most people do not see this as a problem but it is a major one. We need to change the way these stories are being written because these stories are the cause for false stereotypes and gender roles and this is bad because everyone wants to be treated equally, but it cannot happen when the media we watch and read teaches us about these false stereotypes.
A lot of this has to do with what happened during World War II. When the men were sent out to fight the war, women had to take over the roles of the men and work in factories. During this time, comics would make their women characters really strong. After the war when men came back, women became a lot weaker and men in comics became a whole lot stronger. On Forbes.com, Christina Blanch talks more about how women in comics were shown during the time period. She wrote a lot about the common super heroes that we know such as Superman.
Christina wrote, “Lois Lane, is a study in how Americans viewed women around World War II… Lois was depicted as independent, strong and respected in her profession. This view of Lois …women picked up the slack in factories …seemingly helpless against …villains bent on abducting her.”(Blanch) Christina was basically talking about how as time passed and men came back from the war, Lois Lane was not as respected and independent and was always being captured by the enemy. At this time comics completely changed and a new standard was set. This is really bad because now as more people read these comics, respect towards women slowly started to drop and people started to like the whole idea of men are strong and women are helpless.
Christina wrote, “Lois Lane, is a study in how Americans viewed women around World War II… Lois was depicted as independent, strong and respected in her profession. This view of Lois …women picked up the slack in factories …seemingly helpless against …villains bent on abducting her.”(Blanch) Christina was basically talking about how as time passed and men came back from the war, Lois Lane was not as respected and independent and was always being captured by the enemy. At this time comics completely changed and a new standard was set. This is really bad because now as more people read these comics, respect towards women slowly started to drop and people started to like the whole idea of men are strong and women are helpless.
On the other hand, there still are a few really good exceptions to the stereotype against women that are making a difference in the fight against these stereotypes for example “The Hunger Games.” In The Hunger Games, the main character is a girl and she is very strong, smart and influential in her society. These types of movies and books are the perfect examples of the very few exceptions to the stereotypes we see everyday. On Npr.org Linda Holmes, mentions how not only does the movie defy Gender stereotypes for females but also for males.
Holmes wrote, “But one of the most unusual things about Katniss isn't the way she defies typical gender roles for heroines, but the way Peeta, her arena partner and one of her two love interests, defies typical Hollywood versions of gender roles for boyfriends.”(Holmes) The only problem is, there is very few stories like The Hunger Games that become really popular. If we had more stories like The Hunger Games that gain popularity fast, then we can easily change the way society looks at women. The only problem is that we have so many other stories that do not make it easy.
Holmes wrote, “But one of the most unusual things about Katniss isn't the way she defies typical gender roles for heroines, but the way Peeta, her arena partner and one of her two love interests, defies typical Hollywood versions of gender roles for boyfriends.”(Holmes) The only problem is, there is very few stories like The Hunger Games that become really popular. If we had more stories like The Hunger Games that gain popularity fast, then we can easily change the way society looks at women. The only problem is that we have so many other stories that do not make it easy.
One good example of this would be “The Super Science Stories.” What I am talking about in specific would be the story “We Guard The Black Planet.” In this cover we see two women attacking a man. This is very different from what we usually see in these pulp magazines. In this image the women appear to be stronger than the man. Even though this is true when you take a good look at the cover you notice something very odd. They are in outer space and the women are dressed like they are angels. I do not know what exactly happens in the story, but I can easily tell you that, that is not what you should be wearing in outer space. The point I am trying to make is that even though these women are shown as strong, they are still objectified by men. This entire page cover could have easily been redone without the makeup on the woman's face or even the extremely blonde hair and the story would still make sense.
Another really good example of this would be The Avengers. Out of all the super heroes in The Avengers, only one of them is a girl. To make things even worse, even though she is shown to be really strong, “Black Widow,” is dressed in a very slim, all black outfit that is meant to show off her curves. On Griid.org Jeff Smith talks more about how women are portrayed in the movie. Jeff wrote, “Five men standing, preparing to protect the city of New York from being wiped off the map, and there is one woman with them. She is dressed in a suit that perfectly forms to her curves, as to appear appealing, and she armed with the smallest weapon. This is how women are portrayed in cinema.”
Jeff makes a really good point about how women are shown in films and how Scarlett Johansen is shown in this image. Not only is she the only woman in the picture but also she has the smallest weapon and is dressed and posed in a specific way. I mean, seriously, why is it that from the six people in the picture, Scarlett Johansen’s butt is the only one that shows? This just shows that the whole reason they included a woman in the story, is so they can attract more male audience members by sexualizing the woman and making men fantasize about her. This is the same reason they chose Scarlett Johansen to play the role of “Black Widow” because she has a lot of male fans that would go to watch the movie simply because she is in it.
Jeff makes a really good point about how women are shown in films and how Scarlett Johansen is shown in this image. Not only is she the only woman in the picture but also she has the smallest weapon and is dressed and posed in a specific way. I mean, seriously, why is it that from the six people in the picture, Scarlett Johansen’s butt is the only one that shows? This just shows that the whole reason they included a woman in the story, is so they can attract more male audience members by sexualizing the woman and making men fantasize about her. This is the same reason they chose Scarlett Johansen to play the role of “Black Widow” because she has a lot of male fans that would go to watch the movie simply because she is in it.
Another major stereotype that is seen over and over again is not only how women are weak but how men are always strong. The main character in most super hero movies and films is typically a white male. This has become one of the standards for super hero movies, books, and even pulp magazines. Just take another look at the “Slaves of the Fish Men” pulp magazine and you will notice how the man to the right is very muscular and is ready to save the woman from a terrifying monster. Another thing that is easy to notice is how the light comes in from behind the man. This in a way, is foreshadowing how the man is the good guy and he is there to save the girl. When you look even closer you will even notice that, just like Scarlett Johansen, her clothing does not quite make sense. Nevertheless the woman is once again objectified and sexualized.
In the end, Gender stereotypes are a big part of our society. Whether we look at them from the 1940’s or we look at current day stereotypes, they are all the same. What’s even more shocking about all of this is that we can easily say that gender roles all started because of World War II and the pulp magazines that followed. Sure besides the magazines, there are movies, comic books, and different forms of media but all of them changed right after the War.
What’s even crazier than that is that these magazines dated even further back then the war. This just goes to show that these stereotypes and gender roles have been around for a very long time and they are not easy to get rid of because society is already become used to it. Even though these stereotypes have been around even longer than the war, World War II is what really gave it a push forward and made our media what it is today. Whether its “Fantastic Adventures” or “Super Science Stories” we need to learn from them and try to make stories that aren’t so stereotypical so we can create a strong equality amongst the sexes.
What’s even crazier than that is that these magazines dated even further back then the war. This just goes to show that these stereotypes and gender roles have been around for a very long time and they are not easy to get rid of because society is already become used to it. Even though these stereotypes have been around even longer than the war, World War II is what really gave it a push forward and made our media what it is today. Whether its “Fantastic Adventures” or “Super Science Stories” we need to learn from them and try to make stories that aren’t so stereotypical so we can create a strong equality amongst the sexes.
Works Cited
Blanch, Christina. "What Do Comic Books Teach Us About Gender Attitudes?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 23 Jan. 2013. Web. 06 May 2014. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeswomanfiles/2013/01/23/what-do-comic-books-teach-us-about-gender-attitudes/>.
Holmes, Linda. "What Really Makes Katniss Stand Out? Peeta, Her Movie Girlfriend." NPR. NPR, 25 Nov. 2013. Web. 06 May 2014. <http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2013/11/25/247146164/what-really-makes-katniss-stand-out-peeta-her-movie-girlfriend>.
Smith, Jeff. "Normalizing Male Dominance: Gender Representation in 2012 Films." Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy. N.p., 12 Feb. 2013. Web. 06 May 2014. <http://griid.org/2013/02/12/normalizing-male-dominance-gender-representation-in-2012-films/>.
St. John, J. Allen. Cover: Fantastic Adventures, March 1941. 1941. Special Collections and Archives, Oviatt Library, California State University, Northridge. Milt Stevens Science Fiction Collection. Web. 5 May 2014.
Cover: Super Science Stories, November 1941. 1941. Special Collections and Archives, Oviatt Library, California State University, Northridge. Milt Stevens Science Fiction Collection. Web. 5 May 2014.
Blanch, Christina. "What Do Comic Books Teach Us About Gender Attitudes?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 23 Jan. 2013. Web. 06 May 2014. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeswomanfiles/2013/01/23/what-do-comic-books-teach-us-about-gender-attitudes/>.
Holmes, Linda. "What Really Makes Katniss Stand Out? Peeta, Her Movie Girlfriend." NPR. NPR, 25 Nov. 2013. Web. 06 May 2014. <http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2013/11/25/247146164/what-really-makes-katniss-stand-out-peeta-her-movie-girlfriend>.
Smith, Jeff. "Normalizing Male Dominance: Gender Representation in 2012 Films." Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy. N.p., 12 Feb. 2013. Web. 06 May 2014. <http://griid.org/2013/02/12/normalizing-male-dominance-gender-representation-in-2012-films/>.
St. John, J. Allen. Cover: Fantastic Adventures, March 1941. 1941. Special Collections and Archives, Oviatt Library, California State University, Northridge. Milt Stevens Science Fiction Collection. Web. 5 May 2014.
Cover: Super Science Stories, November 1941. 1941. Special Collections and Archives, Oviatt Library, California State University, Northridge. Milt Stevens Science Fiction Collection. Web. 5 May 2014.