Nostalgia Week: Betsy Braddock's Butt

This is not so much of a review as it is a look back at my introduction to the hyper-sexualization of women in comics. If talking about things such as gender politics, body image and exposure of sexualized content to children bores you, feel free to just look at the pictures of Psylocke's butt.

Before we get to looking at X-Men #31, I'd like to share one of my most vivid comic book memories.

Once, when I was ten years old, I was out with my mother and some other people. We stopped by a drug store and I requested that my mother buy me a comic book. I picked out a copy of Ultraverse Origins #1, which looked cool because the cover was packed with characters. And since it was only $0.99, my mother agreed.

Later, as my mother was busy running some other errand, I was sitting in the car reading the comic. I cannot remember much about it but one thing really stuck out and grabbed my attention. It was a panel of the character Mantra, nude in a mirror.

I was shocked and confused. I felt as if I had accidentally opened up pornography. In fact, I think I even called it that at the time. Looking back I realize that I was probably more afraid of the attraction I had to the image than the shame of having seen it. In any case, I wanted nothing to do with it.

I showed the panel to my mother and asked her to take me back to the drug store so that I could get her money back. I tried to explain to the people at the store that I was offended by the content but they would not give me a refund. It was against their policy to accept magazine returns. I can't imagine what they thought of this ten year old little boy showing them a drawing of a nude woman and demanding his $0.99 back. I remember being very firm with them too. I ended up tossing the comic into the trash on my way out of the store, making a big show of it. My mommy was very proud of me.

In the same year that I was scandalized by Mantra's boobs, X-Men #31 was published. I'm not sure which came first, but I probably was never as scandalized by the X-Men comic because the women in it are never technically nude (even though a change in coloring is all it would take). The story, written by the oft verbose Chris Claremont, involves Psylocke and her mind swap with Revanche. Needless to say I didn't understand a damn thing back then. In fact, I didn't remember anything about the plot as I sat down to re-read this issue. And having read it I still am not quite sure what was going on. Thank God for Wikipedia.

I've decided not to bother with rehashing all of the extremely convoluted plot of this issue. I didn't understand it when I was ten and I barely get it when I'm twenty-three. I'll just set up the context for one of the more memorable panels in the issue. The story begins with Ravanche standing over a sleeping Professor X, about to cut his head off. It seems that she is under the influence of Spiral, who is watching the whole scene through transmitters in Ravanche's eyes. Spiral loses the feed as Ravanche tears out her own eyes. Later, Professor X has woken up and has taken the sword and note that Ravanche left next to his bed to Psylocke to consult with her. It's a basic 'Thank you for being nice to me but I'm out of here" note, but since Claremont wrote it it is considerably longer. But did I understand all this when I was ten? Hell, no! I was too mesmerized by Psylocke's butt.

During the 1990's Psylocke was perhaps the most sexualized character in the X-Men comics. That is until Emma Frost joined and Psylocke found some pants. Psylocke's costume was basically nothing but a purple bathing suit and her back was constantly arched and her breasts constantly thrust forward. It just doesn't make sense for a ninja or any warrior for that matter. And look at what she is wearing during her late night meeting with Professor X. Back then it was very enticing, but now I'm just confused by it. Assuming she just woke up, how does she sleep with that atomic wedgie? Isn't it a little unprofessional/inappropriate for her to let Professor X, who is basically her boss, see her like that? Does she not even own a robe? Seriously, this woman is sexualized to the point of absurdity, especially at the hands of Andy Kubert.

Later on in the story we find Psylocke in the Danger Room, in the middle of a training exercise.

Considering the lethal setting of the Danger Room and Psylocke's attire, I have come to the conclusion that Betsy must be suicidal. That is the only reason why I could see someone who knows the first thing about combat would willingly subject themselves to lethal force while wearing nothing but a swimsuit and random, useless straps of cloth.

Or, which may make more sense, it is that comic book readers are trained to ignore the impracticality of female characters' costumes. Instead we are told to focus simply on the "hotness" of the characters, never once questioning the absurdity of it all. This begins at a very young age, especially for male readers, and I find my rejection of Mantra and acceptance of Psylocke to be perfect illustrations of this. In the same year I was shocked by the sight of a clearly nude character, but a character who is just as sexualized, if not more so, is acceptable as long as she has some manner of clothing, regardless of how impractical it is. This is how readers can easily ignore the absurdity of costumes worn by Supergirl, She-Hulk and Psylocke.

This is no novel insight on my part, but at least I'm able to trace back the roots of this problem. I may be more conscientious of the sexism in comics now thanks to an education in feminist theory, but I still find myself ignoring arched backs, clenched butts and boob windows as things that are "just there." And this is a problem, not so much because boys like me come to expect women to live up to these ideals (we really don't) but that our eyes are trained to be blind to overt sexism.

While I know that I turned out all right, I find myself concerned about other ten year olds being exposed to the same hyper-sexualization of women. I have no problem with comic books being populated with attractive women, after all, no artist is going to want to draw page after page of ugly people, but there needs to be a change in what is considered sexy and desirable in comics. Katchoo and Francine from Strangers in Paradise both have realistic body types and wear realistic clothing, yet both are portrayed as being very sexy in their own right. Oracle doesn't need to be twisting around in her wheelchair in tight leather pants to be hot. She's a hundred times hotter when she's fucking up some villain's plans with her wit and intelligence. We don't need to ban sexy from comics, just make it less damaging.

Up next on Nostalgia Week: The comic I chopped wood for.