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    • Social Thought and Research, Volume 32 (2013)
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    • Sociology
    • Social Thought and Research
    • Social Thought and Research, Volume 32 (2013)
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    AN ANALYSIS OF EMBODIMENT AMONG SIX SUPERHEROES IN DC COMICS

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    Avery-Natale_Six Superheroes_v32.pdf (1.853Mb)
    Issue Date
    2013-01-01
    Author
    Avery-Natale, Edward
    Publisher
    Department of Sociology, University of Kansas
    Type
    Article
    Article Version
    Scholarly/refereed, publisher version
    Metadata
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    Abstract
    This study analyzes the changes in physical presentation of several DC comic book superheroes, finding that the bodies of superheroes have become far more sexualized, exaggerated, and unrealistic in recent years. The comic reader’s “gaze” upon the bodies of the characters produces an intersection of spectacle and narrative that cannot be disconnected from both the physical body and the costume of the hero. Literature on the bodies of male and female bodybuilders reveals a connection to the hyper-embodiment of male and female superheroes, which represent the ego ideal of Western representations of “perfect” gendered bodies. The study concludes by asking if contemporary comic books must shift from the “Modern Age” to the “Postmodern Age” in order to break out of their practices of reaffirming gender binaries. The argument expands on work by Jean Baudrillard and Judith Butler.
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/1808/12434
    DOI
    https://doi.org/10.17161/STR.1808.12434
    Collections
    • Social Thought and Research, Volume 32 (2013) [9]
    Citation
    Social Thought and Research, Volume 32 (2013), pp. 71-106. http://dx.doi.org/10.17161/STR.1808.12434

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    Contact KU ScholarWorks
    785-864-8983
    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    785-864-8983

    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    Image Credits
     

     

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