So I have a confession to make – I used to have a doll. I don't mean action figure ( – even though I did have tons of those: Darth Vader, Superman , Spider-Man – you name it.)No I mean I had an actual 12 “ tall long haired, clothes changing female doll. I never once thought about changing her clothes or combing her hair though...Never made her drink from a tea set or put her in a a pink Malibu Play house...Nope. This was a Wonder Woman doll, and she was there to kick ass.
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How could you not be impressed?
I was 5 or 6 years old and it didn't dawn on me that anything was wrong with it. Superman and Batman were in the Justice League along with the Flash and Green Lantern– and so was she... You can't have Supes and Bats without Wonder Woman... I understood that even then.
My mother, on the other hand, was worried. I remember a conversation she had with a friend about what it might mean if she got me this doll... Would it “AFFECT” me?? It wasn't until years later that I realized that was code for: 'would it turn her “normal” boy "gay”... Nah... but it did affect he way I looked at girls and women. Somehow, I thought of them as just as capable and otherwise...equal. And especially not above or below certain things boys take for granted, like action & adventure, sci-fi, superheroes and horror films.
So fast forward to the year 2015 – There are even more dynamic female super heroes on screen and in books. Shows like the Legend of Korra, or it's predecessor Avatar: the Last Air- Bender highlight capable, likable female protagonists.
But when girls are demanding action figures or merchandise of their favorite female heroes, they find they are scarce, if not non existent. There is still a gender based expectation by toy and licensing companies that superheroes are for boys only.
What does this imply? That girls playing with “boys” toys (even if the characters are girls/women) are invalid? That they may be become “tomboyish” or lesbians as a result?
Where is the permission for young girls to fantasize to become something other than a Disney Princess?
It's a fact that female super heroes and their female fans are on the rise (see here) but it seems that licensing companies are slow to catch up with the trend. Do a google search for Justice League Party supplies- (http://products.discountpartysupplies.com/search?w=justice%20league )and you'll see everyone except Wonder Woman. The same thing happens when you search for Avengers Party supplies, except this time there's no black widow in the merchandise. Now when I was a kid that wasn't the case...Wonder Woman was included in all Justice League material and toys. I even had a garbage can that had Superman and friends on one side and Wonder Woman and friends on the other.
even though... they had the exact same friends...
Maybe because the Super Friends cartoon was marketed with boys and girls in mind. But to actively, subtly, tell boys “I know she was in the show/ movie but just pretend that she wasn't” is a bad message for both boys and girls.
Last week a a father wanted to get a costume for his daughter...She wanted to cosplay as the Kamala Khan version of Ms. Marvel – a young teenage superhero appearing monthly in Marvel comics. No biggie right? But even though Ms. Marvel is a consistent seller and pretty popular book, there isn't any merchandise for her. So her dad made her costume from scratch (which was awesome)
–and the day was saved by her father who came through in true superhero fashion. But still...no merchandise.
Recently, Scarlet Johannson starred in Avengers: Age of Ultron where she had a great action scene where she jumps out of a plane on a motorcycle and SAVES Captain America from the villain.
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#Hell on wheels #notinheels
They actually did make a toy of this scene from the movie... There's the plane, the motorcycle and...
Captain America!
Apparently Black Widow got rubbed out when it came to the toy making phase of the movie. Didn't they think a kid would be confused? After seeing her in the movie be a bad ass why would they think; “It would have been better if it was ONLY Captain America in the scene”.
In fact, Black Widows consistent omission in merchandising has led to the creation of “...But not Black Widow” (http://butnotblackwidow.tumblr.com/) a website which is “Following the symbolic annihilation of women through merchandise.” It may sound extreme but they may have a point. The blog highlights the disparity between the marketing of popular toys made for boys and girls. It's rather sobering to take in several examples at a time.
It gets worse – Young Justice was a recent animated super hero show that showcased dynamic female characters in addition to dynamic male characters. It was canceled after two seasons, when it was found out it had more female viewers than male ones and that the female fan base was growing for the show.
The reasoning was it wasn't appealing to enough boys to justify the creation of action figures and merchandise. (http://www.themarysue.com/warner-bros-animation-girl-market/) But...the female audience was growing, so why not make product for that demographic? To the higher ups , it was unthinkable. They wanted to sell toys to BOYS specifically. That they got girls and possibly families watching was irrelevant.
And yet I've met a large number of female fans (both young and old) that not only love the super hero genre, but that would buy toys and merchandise if they could. But as it stands, the industry at large would rather have nothing to do with female purchasing power. The movies and television industry are recognizing the need for stories for everyone, why can't the merchandising directors?
Still there's hope. Ashley Eckstein, voice of Ahsoka Tano on Star Wars: Clone Wars,
has started her own company, Her Universe, to cater to the merchandising needs of female sci-fi and fantasy fans.
In 2018 Marvel Studios will release their first female superhero movie: Captain Marvel
...featuring the adventures of Carol Danvers (idol of the teenage Ms. Marvel), fighter pilot and superhero.
Before that, a Wonder Woman movie is due...
- a character NEVER seen on the big screen; not even in the old 1940's serials...
Will there be merchandise for both sexes when these movies drop? Will women flock to the screen to see super powered versions of themselves? I like to think the answer will be resounding yes, so long as there is a quality script and competent direction. At present. there are a wealth of female action figures for the Star Wars Universe and the Marvel Universe toys are starting to catch up slowly. You can find a number of characters if you do a search on Amazon.com , although they tend to be exclusive and/or sold out due to low production numbers.
Still, while they may have better roles in action and sci-fi movies on the big and small screen- when it comes to genre merchandise, women still seem to be excluded...What will it take for this growing demographic to be recognized?
Maybe the voices of angry parents and relatives will bring the attention to Licensees and toy companies. And maybe then, the merchandise will inspire the next generation of heroes... for both boys and girls.
Post a comment on your thoughts or experiences - Inquiring minds want to know!