Gina Torres: Superheroes Are Curvy, "Skinny Bitches" Need Not Apply

I fucking love Gina Torres, so I was excited to hear that she is the voice of Superwoman in the new film Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. I was not thrilled with her comments on women in comics.

Aww, Gina why?

Wired reports that Torres released a press statement, which reads:

“There aren’t really any skinny bitches in the world of comic books,” Torres said in a press release Tuesday. “They’ve got muscle.”

I can’t get behind the skinny bitch thing, particularly considering that comic book heroines are drawn to be idealized representations of all women. The women within the pages aren’t skinny. They aren’t fat either. They are drawn to entice and titillate, and muscle tone is depicted but minimal (see: She Hulk vs. Hulk). Torres clarifies a bit in her next statement.

“What I love about superheroes, and Superwoman in particular,” Torres said, “is that in that comics world they’re all curvaceous. They’re strong. And it’s important to have strong images of women out there, women who aren’t afraid of expressing themselves, women who aren’t afraid of taking chances, women who aren’t afraid of their own power.”

The women heroes populating comics are curvy and strong – but that’s what makes their current status so frustrating. While symbolically, characters like Wonder Woman and Superwoman do represent strength, power, and confidence. However, these women generally do not fare as well in storylines.

Still, I think we can all get behind Torres’ last statement.

“Unfortunately, being a woman in society means that sometimes you have to sort of quell what is instinctually broad and magnificent and magical about you,” she said.

“I don’t know if that’s necessarily relegated to being a woman, because we’re all so worried about fitting in and not sticking out. [But] what’s great about this whole genre is that it’s all about sticking out. It’s all about being magnificent to the highest power.”

Gina Torres: No ‘Skinny Bitches’ in Superhero Land [Wired]
Character List – Women In Refrigerators [Unheard Taunts]

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