The sexual revolution... in cartoon form

[WhiteCrow]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7776018.stm

The sexual revolution... in cartoon form

Seventy-five years before the Spice Girls coined the term girl power, Betty Boop struck a blow for just such a cause. Ever since, cartoons and animations have challenged our traditional perceptions of femininity, says Stephen Garner.

From Betty Boop to Lara Croft - every generation alive today has grown up with subversive animated female characters and comic book heroines.

Many of these creations, often idealised and oversexed, have challenged stereotypes of how "good girls" should look and behave and have proved an important and useful catalyst effecting change in women's battle for equal rights.

Over the years artists have created strong assertive women that have appealed to both sexes.

Frequently topping the polls as the greatest female cartoon character and celebrating her 20th anniversary this year is Jessica Rabbit, the animated femme fatale of the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, who risks all to help her man. Rabbit was about as sexy as a cartoon character could be, but a look at some of her predecessors and their trademark devices shows that every creation had their own unique appeal.

THE GARTER - BETTY BOOP, 1930

Betty Boop was the first character in animation history to fully represent a sexual woman. She regularly wore short dresses, high heels and a garter belt and was an object of affection for many men.

Created by Grim Natwick for the Fleischer Studios, Betty Boop's effortless style, wide-eyed innocence and charm took the world by storm.

But her cartoons were often considered to be risqu? and very heavy on sexual innuendo and towards the end of 1933, animators had to tone down the appearance.

She was reinvented as a husbandless housewife wearing a full dress. Much to the public's disapproval the famous Betty Boop garter had disappeared, although it has since become a very popular fashion accessory.

THE STRIP - JANE, 1932

No girl was loved more fanatically or unrequitedly by the British troops during World War II than Jane, of the Daily Mirror.

Her unexpurgated adventures saw her accidentally lose most of her clothes much of the time, and when she wasn't on a mission she would often strip off for a swim or a bath.

She earned the title of the first British pin-up and by raising troops' morale she was "worth two armoured divisions to us. Three if she lost her bra and pants". The frequency with which she lost either or both must have troubled the enemy.

THE GOLDEN LASSO - WONDER WOMAN, 1941

In the late 1930s, the dominant genre in American comic superheroes was male. That all changed in 1941 when a character reversed the trend in amazing fashion. Armed with a costume resembling the United States flag and wielding a magical lasso, Wonder Woman was born.

This female riposte to the triumph of Superman was designed purposely with girls in mind and embodied feminist politics in a way that was unprecedented.

Created by psychologist William Moulton Marston, Wonder Woman's storylines included scenes of bondage involving the lasso, whips, chains and manacles.

In a 1943 issue of The American Scholar, Marston wrote that this was "a feminine character with all the strength of Superman plus all the allure of a good and beautiful woman".

Wonder Woman's "lasso of truth" is usually referred to as the magic lasso or golden lasso and forces anyone it captures to obey and tell the truth. Its sometimes been interpreted as a symbol of bondage and discipline.

THE CATAPULT - MINNIE THE MINX, 1953

Minnie the Minx is a rough, tough, cartoon character in the long-running Beano comic who is always carrying out pranks, particularly with her catapult.

At the outset her creator Leo Baxendale characterised Minnie not so much as a female Dennis the Menace but as "an Amazonian warrior" who specialised in beating up boys - often dozens at a time! Mischievous and impudent, she is not - as her nickname implies - flirtatious.

Paul Gravett, author of Great British Comics, acknowledges her influence on women in the 1950s and 60s.

"As a figure of anarchy and individualism Minnie did inspire many women. Feminists were given a lot of encouragement to be free of male subordination and of course Beryl the Peril is another example of that."

THE NAILER - MODESTY BLAISE

Modesty Blaise was an extraordinary young woman with many skills and a criminal past. Her adventures, appearing in the Daily Express courtesy of Peter O'Donnell, are regarded as being among the classics of comic book fiction.

"The Nailer" involved her stripping to the waist and entering a room full of bad guys so the sight would paralyse them for a few seconds, long enough for her crime-fighting partner Willie Garvin to come in through the back door and take some of them out with his knives.

THE BAG OF CHIPS - FAT SLAGS, 1989

"Do you fancy some more chips before the bus comes …I'm starvin'."

Created by Graham Dury, the Fat Slags were featured in alternative British comic Viz.

The eponymous and enormous "slags" San and Tray's dual purpose in life was to eat as much as possible (mostly chips) while also having vast amounts of casual sex.

When Viz became more popular, the Fat Slags became the subject of Guardian letters and discussions about sexual politics.

"Tracey and Sandra are a product of the neglected issues in Britain today, and so far from having a rude immature sense of humour, the cartoonist is perhaps being observational," wrote A Level student Rachel Spence in a media studies paper.

THE TANK - TANK GIRL, 1988

Accompanied by her faithful kangaroo Boga and her various cohorts, Tank Girl partied, plundered, rioted, and stuck two fingers up at the establishment.

The tank she drives is also her home. When first introduced she undertook missions for a nebulous organisation, but after a series of mistakes was declared an outlaw.

Tank Girl is not your average heroine. She is a tough, no-nonsense, hard-drinking, chain-smoking, shaven-headed feisty character. However her attitude is all part of her appeal and charm and today she is recognised as a lesbian icon.

The strip was initially set in a stylised post-apocalyptic Australia and her creators Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin described her as "Mad Max designed by Vivienne Westwood". The comic's style was heavily influenced by punk visual art.

THE MATCHING HANDGUNS - LARA CROFT, 1996

Lara Croft is the protagonist of Eidos Interactive's Tomb Raider video game series. Designed by Toby Gard she was awarded a Guinness World Record in recognition of being the "most successful human video game heroine".

Lara is a gorgeous, clever, athletic, and somewhat irresponsible Englishwoman of noble birth who travels the world in pursuit of priceless artefacts.

Similar in style to Indiana Jones, Lara Croft frequently ventures into ancient, and often very dangerous, tombs and ruins. In addition to traps and puzzles, Lara encounters a variety of enemies including gangsters, legendary creatures and supernatural beings.

Lara's matching handguns are used, much like Indiana Jones and his whip, as both a means of defence and as a tool of tomb raiding. In every computer game, her handguns have unlimited ammunition.

AND THE NEXT FEMINIST ICON IS...

In the computer-generated film movie Shrek, Princess Fiona turns the conventional princess character on its head.

And although she belches, is a bit bolshie, and can handle herself in a fight, she exerts a certain sex appeal which continues even after she changes into an ogre - perfectly underlining how attitudes have changed towards women in the 21st Century.

[Alex]

Well personally I think Tank Girl would be the best shag.

It's an interesting article, but all too brief, there's loads of very strong comic strip characters who haven't made the cut.

[WhiteCrow]

"How dare they not mention Buffy", said an SFX reader ...

I quite like the sound of this Jane - should look up her "adventures".

Thing is, is this a "sexual revolution", or really is it just some kind of series of male fantasies in animated form?

I have to say I like Wonder Woman most. But I think I have to agree with Alex. I think WW would be a bit too preachy, and difficult to live with. Plus she'd use the lassoo of truth to ask if you fancy any of her mates. It would end badly ...

[Logo Polish]

I quite like the sound of this Jane - should look up her "adventures".

There was a TV series adaptation in 1982 starring Glynis Barber.