Gail Simone's Blog, page 372
November 9, 2014
gradientlair:
Women of Colour and Media: Stereotypes,...
Women of Colour and Media: Stereotypes, Controlling Images and Structural Violence
#HowMediaWritesWoC is a hashtag started by @chitaskforce, @SaveWiyabi, @knowyourIX, @ClaudiaStellar and @ChiefElk, and was used to discuss how the media reports and frames violence on women of colour. According to Topsy, over 13,000 tweets were sent on this hashtag in a matter of hours yesterday! Of course I wasn’t the only person to tweet on the tag; many women of colour did and brought in the experiences of several races, nationalities and cultures; see the hashtag on Twitter: #HowMediaWritesWoC. It was a really important discussion, especially following up on #BlackGirlGate, which was started by @Karnythia several weeks ago, and I tweeted on that as well. For my tweets on #HowMediaWritesWoC, I focused on how the stereotypes used in media against women of colour, whether in popular culture and/or feminist media (clearly these overlap) work to create and reify oppression, are exploitative, and set the stage for how the media reports violence on women of colour. Regular acts of dehumanization and exploitation frame the notion that women of colour are not worth respecting or protecting, should be devalued/deserve harm. (And, most of these stereotypes and exploitative actions rest on the notion that Whiteness [especially cishet, thin, able-bodied, middle class] frames what is “real” womanhood, where Blackness sits diametrically opposed to this as “not women/not human.”)
My tweets centered on: when women of colour face consistent stereotypes meant to reify both racism and sexism (as well as other oppressions); when colourism is deemed okay where the closer to “Black” a woman is, the less value assigned to her beauty/safety/life; when women of colour’s sexual politics are used as a way to minimize, control, police, shame and justify violence; when Black women are deemed so inherently “immoral” that we seem to be the only adults who need “role models" versus accurate/nuanced media representation and small pleasures from entertainment; when there is no woman of colour who would ever be defended the way Lena Dunham (not a fan, not a fan, not a fan, not a fan) has been, since “pathological” sexuality/behavior is already ascribed upon us for being alive, and especially so for Black women; when Black women’s sexuality is deemed pathological regardless of consent/agency while White women are appropriative of Black women and other women of colour and treat this exploitation as necessary for their “empowerment" and sexual freedom; when legitimate and nuanced critiques by women of colour are deemed "divisive" and "toxic,” as if defense of our own humanity is unreasonable; when the consistent exploitation of our ideas, thoughts, writing, epistemologies, emotions, bodies and cultures is necessary for academics/journalists, for White women’s empowerment, for White men’s pleasure (i.e. I mean…you did see comedian Artie Lange’s recent slavery rape fantasy about ESPN’s Cari Champion, or nah) and White-owned corporations/White artists’ profit.
All of these exploitative acts by the media on women of colour are meant to create and/or reify oppression. Thus, when gender violence (like DV, IPV, kidnapping, rape, murder) on women of colour is reported, it is framed by the same media that does all of the aforementioned, and more. We see how women of colour are blamed for the violence we experience; especially so for trans women of colour. Media is not random, arbitrary, neutral or apolitical. Consistent examination and deconstruction is needed. And whether or not we create our own alternative media sources, content and criticism (which is great; women of colour are doing the damn thing with social media, video content, web series, bringing nuance to some mainstream roles etc.), we still have to deconstruct and challenge what occurs in the mainstream because of its sheer power, reach and influence and because of the amount of power that images, characterizations and stories have.
officialcosplaynation:
Batgirl...
Batgirl by knightess-rouge (Facebook - Twitter - DeviantArt)
Photos by Purple Threaded
Cowl by ReevzFX
Photo 7 edit by Jason Preston
The most Batgirliest Batgirl who ever Batgirled.
I wanted to apologize, I in no way ment to be rude. My social skills aren't as good as I would like them to be and what seems like a polite explanation to me my come off as rude or passive aggressive. My apologies.
No harm done whatsoever and thank you for the note.
It’s the internet, it tricks us all. :)
November 8, 2014
Commissions to save Kae's House!
Lately I’ve been getting a lot of asks about my webcomic Benny and Fritz. As some of you know, and some you may not know- my best friend and the Co-author of Benny and Fritz is in a terrible situation. Her mother’s house- the house that her two younger siblings live in- is being…
Signal boosting for these two talented creators. It’s a story of friendship, how can anyone resist?
Please signal boost even if you can’t do a commission right now, okay?
Are you going to ECCC this year?
Not sure, I am doing fewer cons this year for a bunch of reasons. I hope to, it’s one of the few I can drive to and I am always swamped. Also, lots of friends there.
why didn't the editor want Babs to have costumed friends? trying to isolate the Bat-family from the rest of the DC Universe?
It was just the philosophy of the early New 52 books, they wanted everyone to struggle all the time and they felt, I think, that the support systems were too connected and too massive. It made it so heroes never faced anything alone, I gather.
I don’t really disagree with the idea of it, but I felt that if we were at Year One, that meant we could BUILD friendships and relationships. People LOVED having Barbara and Dinah be friends, it was very meaningful to a lot of people, I just felt it was short-sighted.
I feel like talking about this is ancient history, I think they are correcting some of this. But it was a frustration for sure. I didn’t mind Batgirl being dark, I just wanted it to have lighter moments, more of a balance.
theimancameron:
gailsimone:
Black Canary II (Dinah L. Lance)...
Black Canary II (Dinah L. Lance) and Oracle (Barbara Gordon)
Black Canary I (Dinah Drake-Lance) and Batgirl (Barbara Gordon)
Birds of Prey #99 / Batgirl #34
This was my favorite friendship in comics, so of course, it HAS TO GO.
;)
This bond means SO MUCH TO ME!!!!!!!!!!! If the Burnside team on Batgirl don’t fix this…much as it pains me to admit it…I’ll HAVE to drop the book… ;(
Oh, it was split up before the new Batgirl team, it’s not them at all. Editor didn’t want barbara to have any costumed friends.
Is Scandal in the new Secret Six? I miss her so much! <3
I can’t say yet, BUT the cast we see at first is not the entire group!
November 7, 2014
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