Female Superheroes not Common in Movies or Comic Books (Essay Sample)

Why are female superheroes not common in movies/comic books?
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Why are female superheroes not common in movies/comic books?
Female superheroes are not common in movies and comic books because of cultural reasons. It is certainly a gender issue and a reflection of how men and women are unequally treated by every society. In media, the presentation of characters particularly as superheroes has been geared toward the idea that men are physically stronger than women, therefore, the defenders of the weak (Cocca, 2016). This has been a controversial issue since women are usually portrayed in a superhero movie as the victims to be rescued by men.
Sociologically, children are brought up according to certain social expectations set by the groups or society at large. Indeed, in most societies, parents tend to mold their children on particular gender roles through various means of social control in order to adhere to the expectations of the group. One effective way of accomplishing such objective in modern set up is through the use of media such as movies or comic books. People in all walks of life and all age groups frequently watch movies or read comic books as a past time or a form of hobby. Among all the age groups, the young ones are identified as the most common viewers of superhero movies since watching superhero movies or reading comics help feed their wild imagination. Phillips and Strobl (2013) suggest that superhero movies and comic books also satisfy the youth’s noble aspiration in life such as fighting for the truth and justice or elevating oneself into a god-like figure.
This would inevitably lead to the formation of their gender orientation because movies or comic books are powerful instruments to attain such social goals. For that matter, any deviation from such cultural orientation would receive certain sanctions like humiliation, isolation, and other penalties issued by the society. Similarly, clothing is a tool that helps inculcate some masculine or feminine values unto the child. It is why there is a clear demarcation line between male and female in a superhero movie through their costumers such as bikini for female superhero while a muscled male superhero wears tight shirt and pants with a cape. Aside from the manner of dressing, children are also brought up to play particular kinds of toys in accordance with their biological origin. For example, toy guns for boys while dolls for girls (McConnell, 2008).
Superhero movies support such gender orientation for the children by means of role playing or through action toy figures that are heavily commercialized and readily available in the market. Superman, Batman, and other male superheroes are played by boys while Wonder Woman is supposed to be depicted by girls in their role playing activities. This form of socialization is powerful enough to inculcate in the minds of the children their gender orientation as prescribed by the culture. Their plays, activities, and superhero movies are usually conceptualized to prepare boys for dominance and their leadership roles in the future.
On the other hand, the toys for girls are imposed in order to deliberately shape their behavior for domestic purposes. Taking care of the child, household chores, and other roles for women are already being inculcated through games, plays and toys at an early age. The dolls such as Barbie dolls tend to teach the girls to be passive and to value superficiality. Girls would then gradually learn that their roles are geared toward doing household chores, pleasing their husbands and taking care of the babies.