Random Musings: Power Girl and Body Image
You know what’s funny? The majority of people that I’ve seen complaining about Power Girl’s admittedly gratuitous breast size tend to be male. I’m not saying that all women are Power Girl fans, but I’ve never actually seen a woman who dislikes the character bring up her…unlikely proportions as a reason why. (Her costume, yes, her breast size, no.)
I think that’s interesting, really. I won’t try to conjecture why this is. But I can talk about why *I* don’t mind Power Girl’s improbable bust size. And this is simply because I don’t find it terribly improbable.
There are many women out there with sizeable assets. And not all of them have had artificial enhancement to do it. A woman with Power Girl’s exact proportions would be…quite unlikely, but large chests happen. Frequently. I know. My mother is so gifted actually. (Which was irritating when I was growing up, as I am…well…not.)
The thing about Power Girl is that she feels natural, in a weird way. She is very well-endowed, yes, which isn’t a shock among comic women. But she seems to treat them with the same mild irritation as I’ve seen my mother treat hers.
When she jokes about how she doesn’t need a mask because no man looks at her head, I’m reminded of my mother’s ironic comment about how in high school none of the boys seemed to realize she even had a neck. Power Girl dresses to accentuate her chest, but honestly, I’ve seen my mother do that too. What *is* nice is that in every panel I’ve seen Power Girl in she seemed to be…supported.
There is nothing more irritating than seeing very well endowed women run around braless on television. I know it’s nice to look at, straight guys, but you have no idea what that feels like for even someone with modest proportions. A woman built like most of these actresses? Or Power Girl? That would start to get really uncomfortable, real fast. Whereas in Power Girl’s case, even the famous boob-window seems to be designed to provide some support.
And the really nice thing about Power Girl is that her chest really isn’t her defining aspect. I like her personality. I like her feminism. (And yes, it is possible to be both feminist and well endowed at the same time. It is even possible to be both feminist and proud/happy with your endowments at the same time). I like that she’ll call the guys on when their eyes spend too much time slanted downward. I like that sometimes she’s even a little over-defensive about it. I like that she doesn’t tend to take crap from anyone. I like that she hits things.
And I really like that she ended up surviving getting shot by the Crimson Avenger because her *chest* slowed the bullet(s) down.
Hey, can’t argue with functionality. Heh.
http://kalinara.blogspot.com/2006/04/random-musings-power-girl-and-body.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimson_Avenger
.
