Perusing the various articles about nudity, sexism, and sexuality in art, one is left with the impression that any depiction of the female form in a primarily titillating fashion is, at best, questionable. We obsess over this quandary. Is it OK to draw or look at drawings of naked women because it pleases us?
Of course the answer is yes. It is OK. To claim otherwise is, in my view, akin to saying sex itself is taboo and not to be discussed in art. Rubbish. Humans are sexual animals. Art is what humans do to make sense of the world. Sex is part of that.
But also, of course, sexual depictions of women can be quite problematic and downright misogynistic. Like I said a million times, it comes down to intent and honesty. Don't make art filled with tits and ass and call it anything other than a tits and ass artwork. I like tits and ass art. I will consume that content. But when it is packaged as something for everyone, something that is serious or otherwise "mainstream", I will call bullshit. This is why it actually does bother me to see overtly sexual images in mainstream comic books. I am bothered by images of Wonder Woman with her tits hanging out or gratuitous shots of her ass... in the comics. I'm fine with pinup artists doing Wonder Woman pics for people who like the pinup art... just don't put it on the primary product and pretend you're doing comics for everyone.
Comics for everyone should be for everyone and a tits and ass book is objectively not for everyone.
 |
| Shreya Arora's critique of sexism in mainstream comics. |
Speaking of sexism in mainstream comics, artist Shreya Arora famously re-drew a lot of sexist comic covers to highlight the sexism. As far as I know, she targeted only mainstream comics... comics that are sold ostensibly for anyone to read. And this is exactly what I'm talking about. Don't sell me a She Hulk comic that I might give my daughter and load it with tits and She Hulk ass. If I want that, I'll seek out an explicitly pinup-style or adult version of the character by some fan artist. Or maybe Marvel could publish a specifically sexy comic not advertised for everyone.
Honesty. It goes a god damn long way.
