once again, the comics industry brings the clueless WTFkery...

[lagilman]

hey, comics-readers and comics-creators, can someone explain to me WTF?

"Who says you have to wait until Halloween to dress up as your favorite hero? The official Marvel Shop has numerous costumes (for kids and adults), and with San Diego Comic-Con right around the corner, there's no better time to pick up some fun attire."

So the guys get admittedly nerdy but still available costumes, and the women get.. lip gloss? Seriously. "For the young ladies out there, Marvel has partnered with Lotta Luv to create some awesome lip glosses and lip balms.... With a branded line of make-up from Marvel, girls will be able to feel as if they are going from ordinary to extraordinary just like the super hero characters in the stories, " [Douglas Miller, Licensing Coordinator for Lotta Luv] explained. "There is also such a nostalgic undertone that either young or older girls are drawn towards because of the long history and brand behind the name Marvel."


Okay, I don't read comics, so maybe I'm missing something. Are there no females at all in the superhero pantheon? (yeah, I know, I'm Making A Point, here). Or did someone at Marvel realize that most if not all of their female costumes could be considered borderline public nudity if a woman actually wore one in public? Or do they really honestly think so little of any life form sans penis?

Whatever the logic, color me (and my lips) so very fucking Not Impressed.

(thanks to marinarusalka for the link)

Comments

[roseaponi.livejournal.com]

well, at Marvel's online store they do have a "SpiderGirl Adult Sassy" costume... but that may prove your point even more. O.O

[jperceval.livejournal.com]

Apparently, ComicCon is Hook Up Central -- at least when Penthouse is writing about it (http://davidgallaher1.livejournal.com/458198.html).

As for the current article, they are making a point of saying "girls," so I hope that the gloss is for tweens and teens, and the female costumes are not something you'd want your 13-year-old daughter wearing (unless maybe a Powerpuff Girl? Are they still around?). Women at ComicCon have quite a different agenda (according to the Penthouse bit).

[havocthecat]

Powerpuff Girls are Cartoon Network, not Marvel Comics. And yes! You can get Powerpuff Girls costumes at costume shops at Halloween. If I had a little girl, I'd try to talk her into it.

[havocthecat]

I've filed that one under the seven or eight thousandth reason why I gave up on comic books and have no regrets. Ugh.

[mutantenemy.livejournal.com]

Sounds like an insipid idea from a bunch of 60 year old men in suits.

I am a 39 year old woman and I love my comics. Have for several years. Granted, I rarely dip into Marvel (though I do love The Avengers and The X-men) as I am an avid Wonder Woman fan. But even DC knows their audience is not solely of the male population.

[corrinalaw.livejournal.com]

I think Gail Simone's going to be at SDCC. You should look her up. :)

[dianora2.livejournal.com]

I don't think they're clueless, I think they just don't give a shit, if the reaction to that Mary Jane doing Spider-Man's laundry maquette was any indication.

That said, the lip gloss is kind of cute, and I would consider buying it if it weren't some insulting token thrown at the little wimmin folk.

[martianmooncrab.livejournal.com]

like when the evangelists put out a call for hairdressers to convert the Lesbians, since you know, all they really need is big hair to attract a real man of their own.

..just having a vision of a female protagonist etching her manifesto in lipstick on the side of one of those mirrored buildings...

[maryrobinette.livejournal.com]

Oh, for crying out loud...

[tehuti.livejournal.com]

As a said on another LJ just a few minutes ago, there are far more superhero-style costumes available for women than for men. Last Halloween, my partner and I went to a local party supply store (a big chain, not a mom-and-pop place) to get costumes for a party we were attending. There was an entire row in the store devoted to costumes for women, about fifty feet long. For men, there was one small display, about five feet long. She had her pick of costumes. I left empty handed.

Granted, many of the costumes (superhero or otherwise) for women were of the "sexy" variety, but that was only about a third of them. There were plenty of good alternative choices if that's what you wanted.

[infiniteviking]

I think it's the second reason. *grumble* Manga/anime has the same problem; the only costumes one can really wear in public are military uniforms and formal suits. All the same, that's a really lame marketing strategy.


..also, they can't come up with better materials and designs for the actual costumes!? That Ghost Rider mask is a joke.

[arouraleona.livejournal.com]

As a comic book fan... it's probably something of all three. Plus for non-Halloween time marketing, men probably spend more money on pre-made 'brand-name' costumes. At the risk of gender stereotyping against my own gender... all the girls I know make their own costumes for cons. Costs WAAAAAY less to do, usually holds up much better, and looks nicer.

[corrinalaw.livejournal.com]

There are females, some well-written, in the superhero universes, though not nearly as many as there should be.

It's the clueless people running Marvel & DC, not to mention those who think girls don't like comics who are UTTERLY CLUELESS.

I think the LA Times ran a Comic Con Guide where they talked about "for the girls, there's the hot guys." God forbid they should be interested in the movies, comics or the televisions shows for, you know, story.

Female geeks have it hard. Dell had to pull an add campaign in 24 hours because they advertised pink laptops (which would be nice) and said how women would be able to use them for dieting tips and such on the 'net.

Exactly what i use my computer for. All the time.

[(Anonymous)]

Well, without a penis those skin tight outfits are kind of lacking in the bulge department so to even out the playing field they cut up the women's outfits so people will stare at the bulges and the skin equally. But you got to wonder, what were those comic book makers of the 40's and 50's thinking catering to their predominantly male readership and making visually stimulating female characters. And why would marvel then be leery to change what has become iconic?

[lagilman]

wow. missing the point much?

[(Anonymous)]

I miss the point all the time, but still I don't really know what you guys, gals, expect. Lip gloss inherently sounds like it is pandering to tweens and girls who believe there is no other color than pink so I find it strange that grown women are up in arms over it. Every company does stuff like this and it is not marvel being pigheaded. In my opinion girl geeks try to act like the guys most of the time and thus respond to guyvertising more anyways. Or they wear cat ears and hiss at you in class, either way they are not the people the lip gloss is intended for. Lip gloss is intended to broaden brand recognition by putting their name on a product that will appeal to people who do not already buy their stuff. And I focussed on the nudity part because that is where the author started getting angry and judgemental over a tube glittery gel.

Suri's Law

[lagilman]

the first rule of this journal is that you identify yourself when you post. I gave you leeway once, but if you're going to come back and open a debate, then you need to have the courtesy to identify yourself, please. Otherwise Suri's Law comes into play.

[misofuhni.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on the WTF-ery department. Lip gloss? Balm? HUH???

I don't think it has anything to do with the costuming design being near pornographic (I think a good few hours with body paint would probably more realistic than any amount of spandex. Although, if they can put in air-pumps for the Incredible Hulk...), rather more of pandering to where they believe the market to be.

As if women don't have expendable cash, either.

[scott-lynch.livejournal.com]

The lipstick... just... bends my mind.

Because if I were a little girl who thought it was cool when Spider-Man, y'know, kicked a bad guy into a garbage dumpster, the first thing I'd associate that love with would be... glossy lip colors.

It's just goddamn nuts. The photos somehow manage make everything even worse. "Look at the girls, right where girls belong... off on the sidelines!"