Okay, forgive me here, but I’ve got to go on a bit of a rant… (when you’ve been stomping around grumbling about something for the past two hours, you know the only way to get it out of your system is with a good rant ;-))
I was reading canadiangeek.org today and they mentioned in a blog post that they were offended by a booklet entitled “how to get girls into your store” by “Friends of Lulu.” I went to check out the “Friends of Lulu” website and was very disturbed with what I found there.
This organization’s mandate is to encourage women to be more involved in the comic industry and to promote more comic content and stories geared towards women.
(here is the rant part ;-))
Stories geared towards women?!
What does that even mean?!! Graphic adaptations of “Pride and Prejudice”?
Who are these people to dictate what content is “female content” and what isn’t?
(okay, rant part over)
I think when you break things like art and literature into categories of sex like this (women’s stories vs men’s stories) you are doing your own cause a disservice. If the objective is equality and equal opportunities for men and women in the comic industry, the last thing you want to do is start singling women (and their tastes) out.
The slogan on the webpage is “Comics are for everyone!” and shows a picture of a proud looking girl holding drawing implements.
Are they really suggesting there is a prevailing sentiment to the contrary in this day and age?
It reminds me of a conference I attended when I was 7 years old at Simon Fraser University- it was called “Women Do Math” and its objective was to convince young girls that math was possible for them to comprehend. Even as a 7 year old girl I was able to twig into the fact that something wasn’t right with a bunch of women telling me (with my 100% math grade) that I “could do math.” Of course at the time I could only articulate my disconcertion with the slogan as “Well Duh!” Now when I see slogans like “Comics are for everyone!” It makes me wonder as it did back then- just where are all the people implying it is otherwise?
I’m all for breaking down barriers WHEN THEY EXIST! You’d better believe if someone was refusing to publish my comic on the grounds that I was a woman, or refusing to sell me Batman because its not “girl content” I’d be the first up in arms… But these people are fighting paper dragons. No one is stopping women from buying Batman, or Marvel Zombies, or any other of the “men-centric stories.” No one is stopping women from starting publishing companies, or writing comics, or creating art.
Neil Gaiman in his forward to the “Friends of Lulu” booklet suggests that comic shops are uncomfortable environments for women and paints a picture of a dank, seedy hole peopled with overweight, unkempt leering men. While I don’t doubt that somewhere there is a comic shop that fits this vision to a tee, I’m certain the same could be said of almost _any_ business. I’ve encountered travel agencies and restaurants that match this description… I’ve yet to encounter a comic shop like this. I think this is another example of creating false obstacles for the purpose of making a point (or at least exaggerating the truth.) The “Friends of Lulu” booklet suggests that a “well-lit, clean store with a diversity of titles” will attract more women. I would like to suggest that a “well-lit, clean store with a diversity of titles” will attract more _people_ period. Statements like “women don’t like shopping in filth” render the whole debate absurd and obscure any actual issues that organizations like “Friends of Lulu” exist to combat.
I have been a creator and connoisseur of comics my whole life, and the only gender-related obstacle I have ever faced in my pursuit of this passion was when my comic “Black Betty” was yanked from my university newspaper because the campus women’s group mistakenly thought it was created by a man (I signed my name J. Clark back then… but that whole story is a subject for another rant!) I’ve found the patrons and operators of comic shops very friendly and helpful on the whole (and the filth-levels quite manageable 
I think the folks at “Friends of Lulu”, while well intentioned, are not giving women enough credit. I think the barriers preventing women from fully participating in the comic industry that they outline simply do not exist, and that by insisting women need a leg up to be taken seriously as artists/creators, and by insisting comic shops are not carrying books of interest to women, they are doing a great disservice to those of us who already are creators and fans of comics.
Fact of the matter is, some women love comics, and some don’t.
And there is nothing wrong with that.
I’m curious as always to hear other thoughts on the matter, this is just my opinion of course, but it is a subject I feel strongly about and have encountered with friction throughout my life, so I figured it was about time I weigh in!
Comments (5)
100% Agreed!
And you don’t have to tell me about SFU horror stories as I think everyone who has ever attended would understand. I just checked out the Friends of Lulu site and I’m more confused than anything. I understand that non-profits “should” have good intentions, and I’m sure they do, but after reading through some of their articles it is amazing how no one on their list of “Women Doing Comics” has spoken up.
Love the rant, SFU can be worse than a straight jacket, and Neil Gaiman needs to get out more.
Comment by Lotus | February 11th, 2007 @ 8:50 pm
Jessica, I can’t really understand how you feel since comic books ARE for guys only–JUST KIDDING! Sheesh, I can sense your anger from here! Ya, I think that’s kinda messed up that they do that. It’s embarrassing sometimes to be associated as a guy when I see/hear these things (it sounds close-minded and selfish)—you see, if you haven’t noticed already, I’m of Mexican decent. And believe me, I know the second a white american tries to avoid certain topics because I’m around. Just yesterday, Paul Kwon (the guy I referred to you) was talking about skin color. His is very light. I liked how he said it though because he didn’t even think that my skin color would affect my response. It didn’t even affect the student in front of him, another of our design “posse” members, Mike D., who is black. Paul mentioned he couldn’t get a tan, while I joked that Mike knows the secret of tanning and to ask him for it. We all laughed. It is just a matter of how to say it and bring it up in conversation, not just blurt it out like the Lulu folks. It’s also frustrating to me as a mexican because I usually like to voice my own opinions of these topics, but I never get the chance to since it becomes virtually non-existent around (mostly) white people when I’m there. I get a lot of issues that, although by good intentions from the others, can seem rather harsh when you hear/see it and you happen to be the culprit. The Lulu folks tried but didn’t quite succeed in making their message clearer. Perhaps they could have lured more women in by placing pictures/posters of women looking at comic books. It is understandable that sometimes it’s easier to say it then think about it more deeply before saying it, but usually the intention of it was positive. More than likely a white person will not understand or be aware of the feelings we (mexican descent) might get. On the contrary, mexicans tend to call white people “gueros”, which I think is offensive to them, so I stay away from that. The folks of Lulu are guys and did not try in any way to offend women, they just did it in a very macho burly and unaware of their surroundings kind of way. Men will try, in good faith, to lure women to their shop. It is indeed, however, based on HOW they do that.
Comment by Miguel | February 13th, 2007 @ 3:08 pm
Well said. Really nothing to add, but people have to realize that its not like every single man reads and collects or wants in on the comic seen. I know many men who absolutly hate the idea of comics, or are just completly indifferent to them.
Heck, my mom reads comics, now she wont buy them, but she reads mine. Haha.
I think it may not necissarily even be that there isn’t any suitable content for girls, but that its not seen as an option. I didn’t get into comics untill I was in gr.10 (currently undergrad at university, 1st year). I mean honestly, no one told me about it till then. It’s somethnig that should just out and out be publicized more and talked about. It’s a very amazing thing, and I think that it’s still a very underground thing. Even if millions collected, I’ve yet to run into more then a handfull.
But this very well be on its way. As I said I’m still fairly new to the Comic world, but it’s become one of the biggest parts of my life, and it would be great to meat more people interested in it, and not only women, but men as well.
Comment by Kyle | February 13th, 2007 @ 5:46 pm
Whoa.
Being a guy, I’m not sure if I should say anything. Because I never thought “sex” had been a barrier in the graphic novel world.
Having said that, a caucasion friend once said to me “Hey JW, I wasn’t aware of any racism growing up in the 70’s.” Well of course not dude, you were part of the majority.
As a male, I’m sure I’m part of the majority in the publishing world, so I don’t know how much merit any of my comments might have. I know there are fewer women in this industry, as compared to men, but I never thought “sex” in of itself, was the reason. There’s just fewer women in the biz. BUT, anything to increase readership, awareness or participation in the industry is welcome.
Let’s go read!
Comment by BlogGuy | February 14th, 2007 @ 6:13 pm
Yeah- I agree with ya’ll. I think we need to bring comics more into the mainstream period. Not every guy likes comics, not every women likes comics. The answer is not in going all feminazi on the comic shop owners, but in all of us doing our part to let others know how cool comics are!
Comment by Jessica | February 27th, 2007 @ 7:26 pm