My love letter to women: giving women agency in comics

Abstract

Female characters in comic books are often designed to cater to male preferences and audiences (Burch & Widman, 2023). The hypersexualization of women in comics can directly influence cultural standards of women using dehumanization and objectification. This literature review examines the controversial discussion and seeks to answer this research question: "How has the lack of realistic presentation of female characters in comics influenced and shaped societal expectations of women?" Peer-reviewed, empirical articles were exclusively utilized by the researcher to explore this question. JSTOR, ProQuest, and Research Gate were the databases used for sourcing quality evidence that fit the following themes: female comic character stereotypes, humanization in comics, violence against women in comics, comic gender roles, and transmedia influence and comic culture. This collection of empirical data confirmed the presence of hypersexualized female characters. The data also resulted in interesting overlaps in how comics influence society's standards, and alternatively, how society influences comic design. This overall literature review implies that male audiences are the intended demographic for comic books, and consequently, women's sense of autonomy and self-esteem are affected by it. Future research is encouraged to explore this seldom-charted problem in order to establish stronger connections and further investigate the relationship between society and comic books. In order to solve this problem of practice as a designer and illustrator, I am implementing this research by creating a graphic novel of my own; one that emphasizes strong women with agency.