There’s a new cartoon on The Hub that seems to be getting a
lot of people upset. The show is called SheZow and it revolves around a young
boy who inherits the super hero powers and lair of his late Aunt Agnes who was
in reality the hero SheZow. In fact, when he puts on his Aunt’s ring he
actually becomes SheZow. Costume, gadgets, gender and all. This has many people
objecting because it is a boy becoming a female hero. And I have to wonder why?
There is a long history of women adopting the identities of
male heroes. The Question, Wildcat, Hawk & Dove, Speedy, Captain Marvel, Robin,
Crimson Avenger, Doctor Light, Hawkeye, Shining Knight, just to name a few. All
of those characters were heroes that were originally male and then had the
identity adopted by a female hero to carry on the legacy. As far as I know,
there was no uproar from fans or the public when these women adopted the roles
of male heroes. So why is it not okay to go the other way? Why can’t a man
adopt the super hero identity of a woman?
Honestly the true motivation behind changing the gender of a
character is usually to add a fresh take to a character that might have grown
stale over the years. I hate to belittle such storytelling techniques as just
cheap stunts, but in reality that’s what they are. Just as killing a character
can be considered a cheap stunt to drive up sales. That is sadly the business
of entertainment. But in no way does that make SheZow any more controversial.
If anything it sort of justifies the character, since the idea of a young boy
becoming a female super hero is certainly novel and unique.
The entire problem is the sensitivity people feel around
gender identities. The idea of girls acting like boys is already socially
acceptable. Everyone knew a tomboy when they were growing up and it was just
accepted as okay. But for a boy to show feminine traits is still frowned upon in
our society. So many generations growing up on gruff cowboy westerns and blood
splattered action films have conditioned male behavior to be a certain way. The male super hero is the perfect example of this ultra
masculine prototype that young boys are exposed to. Beyond believable
musculature. If they carry any sort of weapon it has to be supersized and
bulky. Most of their problems are solved by violence than by reasoning. This is
how a male superhero is supposed to be portrayed. Not wearing a pink costume
and high heels. So is the objection that Shezow a boy dressed like a woman or
just a boy not dressed as an ultra masculine hero?
Despite its long time appeal to adolescent boys, comic books
have featured any number of female heroes. This exposure to so many strong
feminine types has certainly done nothing to affect the minds of the multitudes
of young men reading them. So the idea of a cross-dressing hero should not
negatively scar impressionable young minds. What fascinates most youths about
super heroes are the powers and abilities possessed by the characters, not the
gender of the possessor. I’m sure if many young boys were given the opportunity
to gain super powers and the price were to dress as a girl, they would gladly
take it.
Gender identity is a touchy subject no matter what the
subject being examined is. Boys dressing as girls, girls dressing as boys, the
idea of assigned gender roles is one that has only recently begun to be
questioned by society at large. Certainly there is room in the world of super
heroes to examine this subject just as other issues have been examined in
comics.
I concur.
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