The Internet’s Best Response to Marvel’s Recent Spider-Woman Comic Book Cover

In a YouTube video titled, “Spider-Woman’s Ass is a Big Deal,” vlogger has taken on the naysayers in regards to Marvel’s recent cover reveal of an upcoming Spider-Woman comic. When this cover hit the web back in August, male and female fans alike collectively cringed. And then dominated social media criticizing the cover, Marvel for allowing such blatant sexual objectification, and the artist, Milo Manara, who is known for his erotic approach to comic book characters both male and female. All over a variant cover (in other words, it’s an alternate cover; it’s not even the normal cover.)

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I’m all for pointing out the ill-intent of hyper-sexualized characters/posters/whathaveyou because objectification of any kind is inherently damaging to the viewer; it creates a false sense of reality for both men and women. However, it’s hypocritical to criticize female objectification in comic books and NOT do the same for male comic book characters, who have been continually objectified on covers for decades with their form-fitting rubber suits that cling to every single muscle and tease the faint outline of the penis.

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Where are the “OBJECTIFICATION!” Police then?

If we’re truly setting out to educate people on female objectification — or objectification in general — and why it’s wrong, then we need to also react like this when a male character appears on a cover in the same type of compromising position. Otherwise we’re all just a bunch of hypocrites.

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Maddox’s video might be in-your-face, but he argues with sound logic and it’s hard to refute his points, especially when he’s calling out everybody who had something to say about Spider-Woman who clearly never cared when Spider-Man posed the exact same way.

If you’re going to cry, “UNFAIR,” then you need to at least know your history.

Check out the video here:

What do you think? Do you agree with Maddox? Do you think it’s wrong to objectify either sex, or is sexuality meant to be empowering? Sound off on the Spider-Woman cover below!

in Comics, MEDIA LITERACY, Pop Culture. Tags: double standards, female comic book characters, Female Empowerment, female objectification, Maddox, Male Objectification, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Marvel Universe, Nicki Minaj Anaconda, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman

9 thoughts on “The Internet’s Best Response to Marvel’s Recent Spider-Woman Comic Book Cover

  1. I completely agree with Maddox. I think some people get their panties in a twist way too easily over things. I’ve also noticed that the people who cry out over this issue are often the biggest pervs!

    Reply
    • Hahahaha! Media literacy is SUCH a powerful teaching tool, but only when ALL sides are examined. Too many people cry wolf without really grasping the larger picture.

      Reply
    • Exactly. And there is a difference between superhero sexuality and sexualizing young girls in order to sell jeans, like Abercrombie and Fitch or American Apparel do in their advertisements, or in TV shows like Toddlers and Tiaras. People need to realize that there is a difference between degrading and empowerment and also understand the inherent hypocrisy is NOT discussing how male superheroes have been sexualized the same exact way for far longer.

      Reply
  2. Pingback: A-Force: Marvel’s All-Female Avengers to Debut Summer 2015 Will Change the Superhero Game | HyperReality

  3. The way I see it is that it is fiction. People are all getting worked up on how a character is posed, man or women. To base your self-esteem on a comic book is pathetic. Let comic books be comic books and enjoy reading them. Do not try and change it, that is disrespectful to the creator.

    Reply

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