More Than Their Image : Guest Post by Edwyn Brown

Beth's Forward: So, my brother is an amazing artist, and working on a graphic novel. He and I have had many conversations about how women are portrayed in the media, and specifically in comic books, and I invited him to share his thoughts on the subject! His will be the first of (hopefully many) posts from men in my life sharing why they are feminist, and/or talking about self-love, body image, and women. 

Be sure to check out and like Edwyn's Facebook page, here, to see more of his fantastic artwork!

More Than Their Image: by Edwyn Brown 

I consider myself a feminist. What I generally mean when I say "feminist" is being aware of issues and inequities in our society regarding women (and girls) that I feel need to change, and then trying my best to be a force for that change. One of the biggest issues I have is with the way women are represented and objectified in entertainment and media, or their "image."

I was always taught to treat women and girls properly, and to be a gentleman. Not because girls needed me to be, but because they were daughters of God and they deserved respect. I was also wisely taught that while attraction and the physical are important, true beauty and true romance are founded on what is on the inside. A woman's strength, character, values, intelligence and personality were what ultimately counted, not her physical image.

When I was in high school I picked up a teen magazine in art class and was horrified to learn about the way many teen girls were comparing themselves to fashion models and celebrities, and how this image-obsessed culture was affecting eating disorders, low self-esteem, and other serious problems. I knew that I wanted to be a part of the solution, and that same feeling has increased dramatically in the years since.

Image courtesy of beautyredefined.net

 

In college I studied art, and was constantly aware of the way the images of women were misrepresented. I studied psychology, including research on bulimia and anorexia disorders. I read surveys about body shame and learned about the horrendous empire of fashion photo retouching. I began to notice things that had always been in front of me, like the waist size of cartoon princesses and the often grotesquely exaggerated bodies of comic book women (see example below). Each became a thread in a huge, counterfeit tapestry of objectification. As an aspiring comic artist myself, I was first saddened at the realization that working for a large comic studio would likely mean contributing to this epidemic, and perhaps betraying my beliefs in other ways.

Beth's Note: Umm... because THAT outfit is totally practical to fight crime in--a corset and a push-up bra.

Then it occurred to me--there was a way I could make a difference in this culture of misrepresented women, a way I could be part of the solution. I could create my own comics on my terms. So first I decided that the women in my comics would represent more realistic body types. My main character Jakayla is a pear-shaped young woman, and that is how I will draw her. I am not saying I will attempt to draw photo-realistic characters, my style (like many other comic artists and animators) has a certain graphic simplification of anatomy. But simplified doesn't have to mean unbelievable, grotesque or sexually objectified. Real women and girls run a full spectrum of shapes and sizes based on genetics, diet, lifestyle, and so forth, and each is unique and beautiful in its own way.

Beth's Note: Check out his gorgeous and healthily proportioned main character, Jakayla! 

Even more than their body types, however, I want my female characters to be known for their personalities, their strengths and struggles; for their humor or sadness; for the way they strive against adversity. In an extremely appearance-based medium like comics, I want my female characters to be more than their image, more than whether or not readers will think they are "hot" according to incorrect and often offensive stereotypes.

Even in a place as often distorted as comics, I can make a difference. Maybe it will be so subtle that no one will really notice, but I like to think that some women, men and children who read my comics and see the way I draw might be inspired to be part of the solution as well. We can create media, cartoons, magazines, films, shows, books and yes, even comics that break the mold, that defy misrepresentation, and that work towards a society where women in media and entertainment are much more than their image.

I couldn't agree more! Thanks again to Edwyn Brown for his thoughts, as well as his contribution to redefining how women are portrayed in the media. 

For more about this same subject, check out this article about a man taking his five year old son and seven year old daughter to a comic store.