Truth, Justice, Boobs? Analyzing Female Empowerment and Objectification in the Graphic Novel Genre

Female representation is a problem within the graphic novel genre. Positioned to sell as profitable commodities, women in this genre are grossly misrepresented, sexualized, and objectified. While many scholars acknowledge a problem with these debasing marketing techniques, few have critically analyzed the ways in which we sell the female body in graphic form. My project addresses the issue of female representation with special attention to body commodification. Capitalizing on my time spent working at a local comic bookstore and a series of twenty in-depth interviews that I conducted with comic book readers; I draw from a series of personal field notes, ethnographic observation, and transcribed interviews. I argue that female misrepresentation and sexualization is a problem that alienates and objectifies the female fan base. Ultimately, this project seeks to expose the ways in which we consume, sell, and objectify women in the graphic novel community