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Feminist perspective - Beware the Batman
Nov. 20th, 2013 06:25 pmSo far, there's lots to like about Beware the Batman, but there are also some problematic elements as well.
First off, I have to say, it's pretty rad to have Tatsu Yamashiro/Katana, a Woman of Color, as Batman's sidekick, especially when that role has been traditionally fulfilled by white males. We also get a cast of recurring female characters, such as Barbara Gordon (and I'd dearly love her to show up as Batgirl some day), Lady Shiva (also a Woman of Color), and Magpie. (Though, of course, the number of female characters is far from parity with the number of male characters.)
Yet the show is also guilty of "funny harassment" in regards to Tatsu's relationship with Jason Burr. When they first meet, she saves his life, and from then on he is constantly trying to win her affection even when she's made it clear she's not interested. Worse, by episode 9, she actually begins to come around and has a dinner date with him. Such stories reinforce the idea that men are entitled to persistently harass women for a romantic relationship because eventually they will give in, which is a very, very problematic idea.
There's also Bethanie Ravencroft, a therapist who Bruce starts going out with, though it turns out she was working for a villain all this time. And even though Bruce says he always knew she was working for a villain, it still doesn't negate the "girlfriend turns out to be evil seductress" trope. Also, it's kind of terrible that she died in a pretty gruesome way, while the villain she was working for, Silver Monkey, survives (so far), continuing a trend of female characters tending to get Killed Off For Real at higher rates than male characters.
Something I noticed that made me pause and think a little was that Tatsu is always covered up in terms of her clothing, while Magpie and Shiva, who are villains, display much more skin (particularly Magpie). Perhaps I'm reading a bit too much here, but I hope it isn't a case of equating evil woman with slutty clothes. While we're on the topic of character design, I'm also going to express my disapproval of Tatsu and Shiva wearing high heels. Dude, they're martial artists, why are they wearing heels?!
It's still a bit early to have a definitive opinion on female characters in Beware the Batman. Batman's world is less of a boys' club than it's typically portrayed, but BTB still has issues to work through. I enjoy the main characters and the animation enough to look past its flaws for now, but Your Mileage May Vary with this one.
On a non-feminist-related note, I really enjoy the fact that Alfred in BTB is portrayed with a shaved head, bulky build, and a cockney accent. They give a totally different feel to his character. Also, Batman/Bruce Wayne's voice is perfection.
First off, I have to say, it's pretty rad to have Tatsu Yamashiro/Katana, a Woman of Color, as Batman's sidekick, especially when that role has been traditionally fulfilled by white males. We also get a cast of recurring female characters, such as Barbara Gordon (and I'd dearly love her to show up as Batgirl some day), Lady Shiva (also a Woman of Color), and Magpie. (Though, of course, the number of female characters is far from parity with the number of male characters.)
Yet the show is also guilty of "funny harassment" in regards to Tatsu's relationship with Jason Burr. When they first meet, she saves his life, and from then on he is constantly trying to win her affection even when she's made it clear she's not interested. Worse, by episode 9, she actually begins to come around and has a dinner date with him. Such stories reinforce the idea that men are entitled to persistently harass women for a romantic relationship because eventually they will give in, which is a very, very problematic idea.
There's also Bethanie Ravencroft, a therapist who Bruce starts going out with, though it turns out she was working for a villain all this time. And even though Bruce says he always knew she was working for a villain, it still doesn't negate the "girlfriend turns out to be evil seductress" trope. Also, it's kind of terrible that she died in a pretty gruesome way, while the villain she was working for, Silver Monkey, survives (so far), continuing a trend of female characters tending to get Killed Off For Real at higher rates than male characters.
Something I noticed that made me pause and think a little was that Tatsu is always covered up in terms of her clothing, while Magpie and Shiva, who are villains, display much more skin (particularly Magpie). Perhaps I'm reading a bit too much here, but I hope it isn't a case of equating evil woman with slutty clothes. While we're on the topic of character design, I'm also going to express my disapproval of Tatsu and Shiva wearing high heels. Dude, they're martial artists, why are they wearing heels?!
It's still a bit early to have a definitive opinion on female characters in Beware the Batman. Batman's world is less of a boys' club than it's typically portrayed, but BTB still has issues to work through. I enjoy the main characters and the animation enough to look past its flaws for now, but Your Mileage May Vary with this one.
On a non-feminist-related note, I really enjoy the fact that Alfred in BTB is portrayed with a shaved head, bulky build, and a cockney accent. They give a totally different feel to his character. Also, Batman/Bruce Wayne's voice is perfection.
