Stereotypes

There is a lot of stereotyping in comic books, just as there are so many prejudices in life.  People stereotype with meaning it to be harmful or offensive, but that is from the perspective of the artist.  You cannot tell someone what people are allowed to be offended by and what people have to accept.  It is always about personal boundaries.  After reading Ben Katchor’s Jew in New York, I was very uncomfortable.  I am not Jewish, I was raised Catholic.  However, the stereotypes were so heavy in this comic, I was astounded.  It was the actions of the characters, the way they are illustrated, and the occupations they hold.  Although I am not directly affected by these stereotypes, I started wondering what stereotypes affected me.  And there is a very obvious answer: the stereotype of women, especially the physical types. 

Women are constantly being expected to act, look, speak, and think a certain way.  And in comics this is no exception.  Women are usually depicted with small waist, large breasts and almost always the main character is an object of desire.  Take the manga Sword Art Online for an example: Asuna, the main female character was there to benefit and be Kirito’s object.  She has a large chest and small waist.  Even at an approximately high school age, she has the body type of a Victoria’s Model and has to hold up to physical performance standards the other male characters expected her to be.  This comic is not an isolated incident.  I loved the comic and I hate that I loved it.