“We’ve always been ready for female superheroes. Because women want to be them and men want to do them.”[1]
How are female characters represented in Heroes and how does this signal a break from superheroes of the past.
“Genres are flexible, subject to the constant process of change and adaptation”[2] hence the difficultly to define the superhero genre. Genres are “dynamic”[3] thus; they tend to reflect the zeitgeist, as they are changing over time and across cultures. As a result, the superhero genre should, in fact provide a modern representation of women, However, the hybrid nature of the genre, often a combination with fantasy, gangster and science fiction, a few examples to name a few, broadens the scope and flexibility in terms of representations and conventions. As a result, the various roles of women in society are reflected in heroes, suggesting a development in the superhero genre.
Originally, superheroes were represented as strong, powerful and gallant characters, and although is it problematic to define, and give fixed conventions to the superhero genre, Richard Reynolds[4] notes there is a list of key characteristics that most superheroes share. To name a few, the hero is marked out from society, he is devoted to justice, often overriding his devotion to the law, the superheroes extraordinary nature is contrasted to the ordinariness of the surroundings, the superhero shoes patriotism and moral loyalty, and lastly, the superhero often has a fatal weakness, which acts as a restraint to his powers. This idea of a fatal flaw is taken from the conventions of Shakespeare’s tragic play genre, where the lead character has an inner turmoil, leading to a destructive ending. Thus, the borrowed convention strengthens the argument that the superhero genre is fluid and often a hybrid. Superheroes also tend to hide their super powers, with the use of a costume, such as a cape and mask, which is commonly used. Both Superman: The Movie[5] and The New Adventures of Superman[6] T.V series employ these traits as Clark
Superheroes first originated from comic strips, they were first published within the newspapers. These comic strips began to develop and were published in their own comic books. DC comics created the Superman, in 1938, who soon became an American cultural icon. In 1963, Marvel Comics released the X-Men, a group of mutants, with superhuman abilities, similar to the Heroes. Missy Sullivan “defines [s] the golden age as 1938 to 1949 […] when you saw a lot of superheroes”[10] and companies released thousands of new superhero characters, due to the immense increase in popularity. The UK experiences the golden age just after American superheroes had become popular; however fundamental superheroes from the UK were “confined to anthology comics”[11], such as Warrior and Valiant. Superheroes became vastly popular during the Second World War, where superheroes symbolized “good versus evil.” This lead to the rise of patriotically themed superheroes, where “millions were happy to escape into a fantasy”[12] as they felt the need to be saved from the war. Additionally, all the soldiers fighting in the war were men, which were also reflected in the genre, as superheroes were represented as male heroes.
During this time, women also began working, and took on the roles of men, therefore obtaining more freedom, and equality between the two genders. This was reflected in the comics, as in 1941, Wonder Woman made her first appearance. It was clear there had been a change on society, as this soon became the second best selling comic in the DC line of superheroes. The Second World War instigated a “female warrior who could fight fascism while challenging the masculinist world of superhero adventures. But for most of her nearly 65 years, Wonder Woman has been thought of as merely a sexy bombshell in a star-spangled hot pants.”[13] This instantly suggests that the female role of superheroes had certainly emerged within the genre; however, they were still depicted in the same stereotypical representations of a sex object.
In the wake of the war, women experienced independence, and began working side by side with men, as a result, this encouraged women to fight for equality, leading to the Second Wave of Feminism in the 60’s throughout late 70’s. “The rebirth of feminism has obviously has something to do with the proliferation and redefinition of Wonder Woman”[14] as she has been “joined by other female superheroes”[15] such as Mary Marvel and Supergirl in the 40’s, to Invisible Women in the 70’s who starred in Fantastic Four, was later released as a film in 2005 and Xena, Warrior Princess in the 90’s.
Surely, the rise of feminism, and increasing number of women working post war should be reflected in the modern text Heroes, which was first broadcasted only 2 years ago, in 2006. However, Heroes does not fully reflect this, as women are still represented stereotypically. While the majority of male characters are represented as strong and macho, women are often presented as weak, emotional and passive. Therefore, suggesting that there seems to be a limit within the change of representation of women. Although some female characters such as Bionic Woman[16] and Cat Woman[17] had taken in similar roles to men, by having their own superpowers, and fighting, women were still expected to conform to the gender stereotype. The representations of women are distinct, as it is clear that the stereotypical view of women is still perceived by society.
One of the two female characters: Nikki Sanders “inhabits that traditional female role of mother,”[18] additionally who is a single parent. However, we soon discover that Nikki does not meet the expectation of being a “good mother”[19] and while having financial difficulties to support her son, she begins an “internet porn business”[20] in order to earn some money. This is immediately depicted when Nikki is first introduced in the first episode of Season one. The shot represents Nikki as a sex object, and is stereotyped as The Whore, while she strips in front of a web cam. The shot within shot allows the audience to see a close up of the web camera itself, while she undresses herself seductively. As Laura Mulvey pointed out, women are objectified in order to satisfy the “male gaze,”[21] this is furthermore emphasized in Heroes as the audiences “view the female voyeuristically.”
Yet, this representation of Nikki is immediately contradicted, as the audience instantly identifies her as extremely powerful and aggressive, as we see in one of the first scenes Nikki fighting against two other male characters. Nikki has an alter ego, allowing a hidden side of her persona hence enabling Nikki to be violent and feisty, indicate her “active” role.
The second female character, Claire, is also represented in a stereotypical manner as she reflects the typical American blonde cheerleader, wearing a short, school skirt. In converse to Nikki, Claire conforms to being The Madonna, as she is pure and innocent, however, “both are representations of women that emphasis their sexual attractiveness”[22] and ultimately their passive inferiority. Claire is still represented as weak, supported by the tagline “Save the cheerleader. Save the World” the word “save” connotes the idea that Claire is weak and vulnerable, and in the need of someone to protect her, which is done through all the other characters, such as her father, who constantly tries to protect her. As a result of the other characters constantly trying to protect Claire, it “legitimizes their inferior position”[23] as Claire is continually represented as subservient to men.
Nonetheless, there is a strong sense of Heroes reflecting the zeitgeist; therefore it challenges the traditional stereotypes of women. This is indicated in Heroes, as we see Claire is the main protagonist, who is central to the plot and all the other characters, which at once indicates that she is the focus of Heroes and initially taken the lead real, formerly expected to be lead by a male character. She is shown as a strong character, which is proven as Sylar, the “villain” wants to kill her, for the power she possess, further demonstrating the fact that she is vital for the whole program. As well as having superhuman powers, Claire fights against these “villains,” and saves a man from a burning fire. She is one of the only characters to have a “masculine” role as she partakes in physical strength. The first episode in Season one shows Claire running courageously into the burning house, and carrying the man out, an inter-textual reference to Superman, and the scene of him pushing an airplane, reinforcing the immense strength needed. The use of close up shots, dramatic “ethereal music and low key tones”[24] identifies Claire as a strong and powerful character. Although her appearance conforms to the stereotypical view of women, Claire’s role of being a savior and a hero subverts this stereotype.
Moreover, the fact that there is a “shocking lack of women”[25] indicates the fact that women are still being under represented in the media, as men seem to take the dominating roles. Claire and Nikki seem to be the only two leading female characters in the whole of the season, emphasizing their inferiority as they are over powered by the male dominated cast. This supports Gunters research, who found that “there were more women in leading roles, but still there were twice as many men on screen.”[26] Over all, this may imply that the superhero genre has remained the same in terms of gender representation, as the female character is yet again weak and passive; where as the male character is represented as heroic and superior.
Conversely, more female characters have begun to take more dominating roles in films and television programs. For example, the increased amount of female super heroines, who have similar superpowers to the previous male characters, depicts them taking the role of a man. The fact that women are taking on the role of men, could suggest a decline in the “masculinity” of men, where the “changing gender roles had thrown men into crisis.”[27]. This has resulted from the decline in manual jobs, which are male dominated, and the increasing number of women going out to work, taking on the expected “gender role” of men. The rise of female characters was shown in Thelma and Louise, this is significant as the film features two female lead characters “in a road movie, a genre previously identified as the preserve of men”[28] implying that women are able to replace the original character roles of men.
In order to enhance the idea of rejecting the “male gaze,” there is a “feminization of the camera in Heroes.”[29] The camera seems to linger “dreamily on the male characters”[30] such as Mohinder, Peter Nathan and Isaac. This supports Laura Mulvey’s developed theory, as she claims there can also be a “female gaze”[31] which accepts that women can also gain voyeuristic pleasure, and positioning the female audience to do so.
Yet, it is still vital to consider what allowed women to be accepted into such a male dominated genre. It can also be seen that the success of female characters has been due to their “refusal of femininity”[32] and adopting a masculine role, in order to be a man. Both characters Claire and Nikki are extremely powerful, and despite having the typical curvaceous body, and appeasing a male audience, they are both aggressive and vicious characters. For example, Nikki fights one of the most powerful men in Heroes (according to social hierarchy, and wealth) Linderman, placing herself in an action scene, typical being a male role. This does convey her as active, challenging the stereotype of women; however is this simple due to the fact that she has lost her femininity, and is trying to be a man. Nikki’s character is “reconstituted as masculine”[33] suggesting that her success and acceptance in the genre is only determined by the fact that she is trying to be a man. Thus establishing the representation of the female characters is difficult.
Due to the reformation of the female characters first of all entering the superhero genre, but also gaining their power, it lead to a break from the previous superheroes of the past. The emergence of female characters has allowed Heroes to become “feminised,” therefore; the male characters have also challenged the stereotypes of not only what is expected of a superhero, but also of a man. Hiro, challenges the common appearances of a superhero, as in the past, he would be represented as “lame,” similar to former superhero characters such as “Brother power of the geek”[34] who was weak and small. Hiro “is the geeky, modest hero”[35] who is “heroic in his attempts to do his best” yet, he is still a dominant character indicating the change of what is expected of a superhero and the importance of morals within the superheroes.
This is also shown through the character of Peter Petrelli, potentially one of the most powerful characters of Heroes; however he is a nurse, taking the role of a woman by caring and nurturing for other people. This decline in the macho masculine representation led to the “new man.”[36] Whom still took on all the roles of a man, but “with a more sensitive, thoughtful or caring side”[37] as Jeffords points out. This alternative representation was accepted as it reflected the changing gender roles within society.
The increase of female characters, also reflected in the past such as Cat Woman, and characters in Fantastic 4; Storm, has lead to a large female target audience. Heroes employ soap opera elements to appeal to women, developing a “hybrid” of the superhero and soap opera genres. The use of “several narrative strands”[38] ensures that audiences can find something will can relate to and enjoy. In a typical soap opera, the setting acts as a link for all the narratives, where as in Heroes, it is their “special abilities.”[39] Soap operas also integrate narratives about relationships within families in individuals. Heroes employs this trait as it allows the superheroes to be “humanised” and deal with “mortal” issues, such as Claire finding her biological mother, the love triangle between Isaac, Simone and Peter and Parkman’s marriage crisis. The large appeal to a wider audience thus explains the impressive ratings as it “beat BBC1 in the 9pm slot, on its first showing on BBC2, in July 2007”[40] indicating the sheer popularity of the show, as Heroes produced a higher viewer ship during prime time hours. The increased globalization also allows Heroes to be shown around the world, and not just the
As a further development, superheroes of the past created a form of “escapism” during the hardships such as Second World War. However, in Heroes, there is a sense of confronting the issues in society, which is employed through a modern representation of women. This is moreover shown as Heroes “taps in to the zeitgeist and unlocks the thoughts, fears and anxieties of our modern (Western) world.”[41] In the first episode of Heroes, we see Peter Petrelli who is “considering jumping off a building” as he stands at the edge of a sky scraper in
In conclusion, one can clearly see that the representation of women is complex. On the one hand, the emergence of female characters altogether in the superhero genre correlates a strong view of women having an equal representation in the media. As well as this, characters such as Claire in Heroes portrays the dominating role, further indicating the active position of women within the narrative, which is a development from the previous the stereotypical image of woman constantly being in the background. However, Claire herself contradicts the power of female characters, as she is weak and vulnerable, (regardless to the fact that she can regenerate, and will never die) and is always protected by a male figure. This is ironic and paradoxical that she is indestructible yet vulnerable – proving that representation of women is complex. The entrance of female characters, however allowed the superhero genre to change; as it is not necessary to conform to the macho masculine image of a superhero. It was such representations, which allows the superhero genre to break from the past, signifying the change of genre, as the audience is unsure whether Heroes is a “comic strip fantasy, a Hyper – realism or space opera.”[43] Heroes allows a form of fantasy through the hybridity of the show, however, it also confronts the issues and dilemmas we face within the society.
Bibliography
Books
Creed, Barbara. (1993) The Monstrous- Feminine: Film, Feminism, Psychoanalysis, Routledge
Gauntlett David (2002) Media, Gender and Identity: An Introduction. Routledge
Humm Maggie (1997) Feminism and Film,
Lacey Nick (1998) Image and Representation: Key Concepts in Media Studies, Macmillan.
Maltby Richard (1995) Hollywood Cinema, Blackwell Publishing,
Mulvey Laura (1975) Visual pleasure and narrative cinema.
Neale Steve (1980) Genre, British Film Institution.
Ramanathan Geetha (2006) Feminist Auteurs: Reading Women’s Films, Wall Flower Press,
Reynolds Richard (1994) Super Heroes: a Modern Mythology, University Press of
Robinson Lillian. (2004) Wonder Woman: Feminisms and Superheroes, Routledge
Simpson Paul (2004) The Rough Guide to Superheroes, Rough Guides Ltd.
Articles
Media Magazine (2007) Oridinary people, extraordinary powers.
Internet Websites
- http://www.popcultureaddict.com/comicbooks/lamestsuperheroes.htm
Unsuccessful superheroes of the past.
- http://www.mediaedu.co.uk/page116/page525/analysingheroeslacey.php?
Key concept analysis of Heroes.
· http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroes_%28TV_series%29
Information and data on Heroes.
- http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/f/famke_janssen.html
General quote on female superheroes.
- http://www.imdb.com/
General information on different films
- http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2004/04/04/wonder_working_power/
The rise of female superheroes such as Wonder Woman.
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superhero#cite_note-3
History of superheroes.
- http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=665854
A forum on the lack on women in Heroes.
Other Texts
Bionic Woman (2007) T.V series. David Eick, NBC
Cat Woman (2004) Pitof, Warner Brothers
Heroes (2006) Tim Kring, NBC
The New Adventures of Superman (1993) Deborah Joy Levine, ABC
Thelma and Louise, 1991, Ridley Scott.
Superman: The movie (1978) Richard Donner, Warner Bros
[1] http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/f/famke_janssen.html
[2] Maltby Richard (1995) pg 24
[3] Ibid
[4] Reynolds Richard (1994)
[5] Superman: The movie (1978)
[6] The New Adventures of Superman (1993)
[7] Simpson Paul (2004) Pg 141
[8] Neale Steve (1980) pg 48/50
[9] http://www.mediaedu.co.uk/page116/page525/analysingheroeslacey.php?
[10] Ibid
[11] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superhero#cite_note-3
[12]Simpson Paul (2004) Pg 4
[13] http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2004/04/04/wonder_working_power/
[14] Robinson Lillian. (2004) pg 3
[15] Ibid pg 2
[16] Bionic Woman (2007) David Eick
[17] Cat Woman (2004) Pitof, Warner Brothers
[18] http://www.mediaedu.co.uk/page116/page525/analysingheroeslacey.php?
[19] Humm Maggie (1997) Pg 3
[20] http://www.mediaedu.co.uk/page116/page525/analysingheroeslacey.php?
[21] Mulvey Laura (1975) Visual pleasure and narrative cinema.
[22] http://www.mediaedu.co.uk/page116/page525/analysingheroeslacey.php?
[23] Lacey Nick, (1998) pg 139
[24] Media Magazine (2007) Oridinary people, extraordinary powers.
[25] http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=665854
[26] Gauntlett David (2002) Media, Gender and Identity: An Introduction. Routledge pg 43
[27] Ibid pg 251
[28] Tasker Yvonnes (1993) Spectacular Books: Gender, Genre and the Action Cinema, Routledge.
[29] Media Magazine (2007) Oridinary people, extraordinary powers.
[30] Ibid
[31] Mulvey Laura (1975) Visual pleasure and narrative cinema.
[32] Ramanathan Geetha (2006) pg 43
[33] Creed Barbara (1994) pg 155
[34] http://www.popcultureaddict.com/comicbooks/lamestsuperheroes.htm
[35] Media Magazine (2007) Ordinary people, extraordinary powers.
[36]
[37] Gauntlett David (2002) pg 66
[38] http://www.mediaedu.co.uk/page116/page525/analysingheroeslacey.php?
[39] Heroes (2006)
[40] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroes_%28TV_series%29
[41] Media Magazine (2007) Ordinary people, extraordinary powers.
[42] Ibid
[43] Media Magazine (2007) Ordinary people, extraordinary powers.
