Female Super-"Heroes"

[Lote-Tree]

Just following on from women and men losing their feminity and masculinity. I wonder what the members think of the quite recent trend of "Commando-Women" depicted in movies, cartoons, tv serials where the women looks and is thin like a super-model with gravity defying boobs and full make up but fights like Arnie Swachesnegger! I am talking about females leads that appear in Lara Croft, Resident Evil, Aeon Flux, Electra etc...

Is this a sign of women empowering themselves?

Are they just "eye-candy" - to use a term from the rap world to get men part with their money? Is this a real trend of women empowerment in our societies?

What say you?

[TheFifthElement]

I am talking about females leads that appear in Lara Croft, Resident Evil, Aeon Flux, Electra etc...

Is this a sign of women empowering themselves?

Are they just "eye-candy"

Definitely just eye-candy, which is why the films quoted are so rubbish. More male titillation, which is why Tomb Raider made it to the screen in the first place wasn't it?

[Lote-Tree]

Definitely just eye-candy, which is why the films quoted are so rubbish. More male titillation, which is why Tomb Raider made it to the screen in the first place wasn't it?

But Lara Croft was popular in the Tomb Raider games series without the movie. And remeber Lara Croft was created by a women:-)

Edit: What then of Riply in Aliens? And Kathyrn Janeway?

[TheFifthElement]

But Lara Croft was popular in the Tomb Raider games series without the movie. And remeber Lara Croft was created by a women:-)

Lara Croft was made popular with male gamers. Because men were so busy fantasising about some pixels in a computer game they made Angelina Jolie in her image. That's why she's so characterless now. She was an actress once you know.

The invention of Lara Croft is credited to Toby Gard, who would probably be upset if he knew you thought he was a woman

Edit: What then of Riply in Aliens? And Kathyrn Janeway?

Kathryn Janeway - Commando-woman

Ripley isn't a modern phenomenon, not by the standards you set in the OP. Alien was made in 1979 you know, that means it's nearly as old as me!!!

[Hyacinth42]

Well, you're listing action heroes, none of them (with the exception of electra) are "super heroes". It always seemed that there were almost no orignial /good female super heroes... I mean come on, can you name one other than electra (female x-men don't count)?

So, I think it's cool that there are now "Commando-Women" who can be the original/good "super-heroes" that we never had.

[papayahed]

Well, you're listing action heroes, none of them (with the exception of electra) are "super heroes". It always seemed that there were almost no orignial /good female super heroes... I mean come on, can you name one other than electra (female x-men don't count)?

Wonder Woman, Jayna............ok, that's all I have.

[NikolaiI]

That girl in "Bulletproof Monk," the "Bad girl" becomes a superhero at the end, sort of.

[mtpspur]

If I may, besides Wonder Woman from DC Comics there is Black Canary, who has been around a l-o-n-g time but has finally come into her own via the Birds of Prey comics from DC. Ignore the short lived TV series. Any issue by Gail Simone is worth a reread.

Dark Horse comics published a character called Ghost (think Demi Moore in White with guns) but if you read the series from the beginning you get the 'cliche' angry young lady who evolves over the course of the series into a well rounded and deep character. The eye candy is freely admitted but there is depth in those characters.

That doesn't begin to cover Sue Storm from the Fantastic Four, Storm from the X-Men, and Spider-Girl from Marvel.

[SleepyWitch]

Edit: What then of Riply in Aliens? And Kathyrn Janeway?

hahahaha, Janeway I wouldn't exactly compare her to Lara Croft etc...
she's definitely not a super-hero like Batman etc... but on the other hand she's much cooler than one of those silly heroes: she's a middle-aged women, not really what you'd call eye-candy (although some die-hard VOY fans seem to think so ), she's a rounded, realistic character, she's damn tough and she runs her own ship.
now there's a role model for little girls so who needs super-heroes?

[AimusSage]

Even though I thought a female captain was a good idea for Star Trek, Janeway never quite measured up to her potential as a captain. Sure she did some great things, but overall, what she did was either over the top, or downright stupid. It's a good thing Kim always managed to come up with a particle of the week to save Voyager, or it would have been one short run.
Voyager is the weakest of the TNG shows. I'm not even sure what I think is worse, Voyager or Enterprise.

[Lote-Tree]

None mentioned Buffy the Vampire Slayer?
She is kickass gal?

[TheFifthElement]

None mentioned Buffy the Vampire Slayer?
She is kickass gal?

eye candy

[Lote-Tree]

who would probably be upset if he knew you thought he was a woman

Sorry I am must be misinformed on this.

Kathryn Janeway - Commando-woman

She has a command of a starship

Ripley isn't a modern phenomenon, not by the standards you set in the OP. Alien was made in 1979 you know, that means it's nearly as old as me!!!

Yep but we are seeing her types appearing more on our screens.

Well, you're listing action heroes, none of them (with the exception of electra) are "super heroes".

That is why I put "heroes" in commas

Wonder Woman, Jayna............ok, that's all I have.

Come Paypy - Buffy? She-Ra? Rogue, Storm? Superwomen?


And in Computer games countless examples including those lovely girls in Dead or Alive

[Nightshade]

Voyager is the weakest of the TNG shows. I'm not even sure what I think is worse, Voyager or Enterprise.

Too true. Never actually could get into Enterprise Id just switch on for the opening song. And deep space 9 was ruined by that woman, when she and the melting guy fell in love it just all turned into mush.

Actually I cant think of a single decent female charchter from star trek except maybe for seven .

[Granny5]

The female super heros are real women trying to live the best life
they can under some pretty hard conditions.
How about a woman with seven kids trying to raise them on her own
after her husband leaves her for her best friend? She is pregnant with the youngest when he leaves. When the courts
award her a whole $45 a week in child support, she feels like she’s
won the lottery. But then the checks start bouncing. She supports
her family, while living with her mother in a two bedroom house,
by doing farm work in season and cleaning house for the well off
folks in town. Charity buys her wood and coal to heat the house,
She goes 15 years without a new coat because buying herself one will
take away from the kids. As the children get older, they start to work
and help but they also leave home when they are old enough
to find work that pays well. She scrimps and saves every dime and
quarter to give her children a life. She washes on a wringer type
washing machine and everything is hung on the line to dry even on
the coldest winter days. She loves and cares for all of her children
like they were the most precious things on earth. Each grows to
adulthood safely and become good citizens. Then, the day before
the youngest turns 18, she is finds out she has cancer and dies
6 months later. And she is not bitter, but thankful that she lived
long enough to see her youngest become an adult.
That’s a super hero. That’s my Mom. That's my super hero.