Comics and realistic body image

[McDuffies]

Awww.... Someone's getting all angsty...

Though, it's not like it's not provoked. You know how you have those banners for webcomics that practically scream at you "HEY! WE GOT HOT CHICKS IN TIGHT CLOTHES IN THIS COMIC!".
No, wait, that was about three years ago. Nowadays, a guy makes a banner that screams that at you, and also adds exactly the same words in the tagline, just in case you didn't notice.
And when you go there, you realise why: a comic has nothing else to be proud of.

[Castle_Builder]

Drawing imitating self:

Over the last 2 years I went from 6 hour a day athlete in fantastic shape to fat ass gut ridden stretch marked lardo.

I've noticed that I draw characters differently now then I did then. My people now are more realistic and more "padded." Before, everyone had muscles and was slim and trim. Now things are a bit more shapely.

Part of the reason I think is that the person you see most is yourself, in mirrors and just seeing your body in general. You are always looking at yourself intentionally or not, so it's natural to carry that over to your artwork.


As to unrealistic women:
Certainly the media displays unrealistic women, but I would argue they do the same for men. I'm sorry, but most "comic" men are trim or muscled out and that is just as uncommon as the women.

That being said I work in a particularly "beautiful" industry and here at my company of about 300 people, I kid you not, 80 percent of the women could pose for magazines, where as only maybe 30 percent of the guys could.

Sure their proportions are not like the comics but they aren't all that far off.

I don't see why we shouldn't exagerate women and mens proportions in comics. It is a story telling device. It adds femininity or masculinity to a character. And after all, don't we ultimately read comics to get away from real life?

I want to see something I don't see every day, but then, maybe, that's just me.

And besides, comics are more true to life then I think most people are willing to admit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm fairly sure I may have flip flopped opinions or contradicted myself somewhere in there but I stand by it. All of it. And I smile. =P

[Col]

So where do you work that's got all the beautiful people?

[Dutch!]

Probably a supermarket display window.

[Princess]

I think it is painfully obvious from my comics that I am a short person (I have never suffered from hydrocephalus though)

[Castle_Builder]

Sorry. Sould have said. I work in the advertising industry. We specialize in "luxury" products/services.

[ChibiJess]

My comic, or rather, the continuing character designs that resulted in my comic, most likely represent an extremely warped body image.

In truth, the three main characters represent different facets of who I wish I could be. Nida is tall, busty, and thin. Seri is busty, and exotic looking (atleast in my eyes). Pandora is just me. Plain and boring, nothing exciting to look at.

I don't necessarily think it's the media or other comics that has resulted in my warped body image, it's more going through high school and most of life being called "plain" and generally ignored. It's also the people I find myself surrounded by (not always voluntarily) that make me self concious and feel the need to draw my characters so idealized.

That, and I work at a Renaissance Festival, so I really do see women with a 24" waist and prize winning melons bouncing in front of them.

[Wp]

Sorry. Sould have said. I work in the advertising industry. We specialize in "luxury" products/services.

Damn, bad guess. I was thinking pharmaceutical sales...

[Blackaby]

Now I'm wondering why our lead female is short, chubby, fair and hippy when the artist is tall, thin and somewhat gawthique.

[Phact0rri]

I never understood what the big deal was with impossible stuff in comics. people draw like they want to draw. least thats what I do. who cares?

If I draw a woman with big boobs and a small waist, because I enjoy the contours that this character design brings out, suddenly I'm to blame for eating disorders and the barbie complex. the same thing that has been going on since hollywood arrived on the scene.]

This impossible image (men and women) have been going on for a while, and hate when people point fingers. How about people quit being lazy and dumb and find that way they want to be and go for it.

ehh.. sorry couldn't help myself. but no one's perfect after you realize that you move on. Even poster girls and boys. they are all far from perfect. Take a look at the industry, and you'll see how much you truely have.

just wish people would quit riding the machine if they hate it so much.

[Rocknjosie]

I never understood what the big deal was with impossible stuff in comics. people draw like they want to draw. least thats what I do. who cares?

If I draw a woman with big boobs and a small waist, because I enjoy the contours that this character design brings out, suddenly I'm to blame for eating disorders and the barbie complex. the same thing that has been going on since hollywood arrived on the scene.]

This impossible image (men and women) have been going on for a while, and hate when people point fingers. How about people quit being lazy and dumb and find that way they want to be and go for it.

ehh.. sorry couldn't help myself. but no one's perfect after you realize that you move on. Even poster girls and boys. they are all far from perfect. Take a look at the industry, and you'll see how much you truely have.

just wish people would quit riding the machine if they hate it so much.

I promise I'm not going back on a rampage. But I do want to respond to this. In feudal China, women wore boxes on their feet to prevent them from growing beyond a childish size, which debilitated their posture. In Europe women wore corsets to give them an hourglass figure, which cut off their breathing and circulation. Women helped each other into these torturous devises because this was the kind of woman men wanted, and there was really no other way for women to move up in society at the time.
Things have changed now, and women don't have to conform to social norms. But you can't tell me teenagers tell their friends the secret to throwing up after meals because they think it's fun. Did the media force her finger down her throat, no. But did it play a role in forming her self-image, probably. It's only one factor, and isn't the sole place to point the finger, but it's the most visible factor.

[Princess]

In feudal China, women wore boxes on their feet to prevent them from growing beyond a childish size

Upper class girls had their feet broken then bound with bandages. (Even sadder this made them marks during the the Communist rebellions, because this deformity marked them as an aristocrat) There are still some elderly women with bound feet.

[Dutch!]

Pandora is just me.

Oh. Someone else with a character named Pandora...I thought I was the only one...at least now I have company, eh?

[Warren]

Pandora was bad news.

[Dutch!]

Yeah...but her best mate's called Chastity...how many jokes can I get away with with names like that, eh?

To present count, about twenty five...the parents got the jokes...the kids didn't...

[Noise Monkey]

Pandora was bad news.

I think she opened the box on purpose.

[Mo]

So then do I get an apology?

I'm sorry for killing you twice.

On topic: I am actually rather conflicted about this. The constant idealization of the female body in medias etc DOES worry me. I think well about 90% of the women I know have some sort of issue with their body shapes, including me. I know many women who have had or do have eating disorders of different kinds, my mother being the prime example... But I digress.

Look at women in art a few hundred years ago...
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/history/hi ... sance.html
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/history/vi ... icism.html
(I'm sure there are better examples, but I had not much time to google for them.)

And look at this painting:
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Birth-of- ... 99861_.htm

Their proportions were healthy and natural and, imo, beautiful. Now, I realize that comics are not fine art, there is a difference and that's okay. But I do wonder why this difference so often results in overly exaggerated big boobs and sickeningly thin waists. I mean, comics are definitely about caricature and stylizing, but there ARE other ways, you know.

Another thing that bothers me is when comic characters sulk about how unattractive and ugly they are when they JUST. DON'T. LOOK IT. I mean, if the girl in the comic with a visually perfect body shape says she feels fat, how is the girl with 10 pounds overweight who reads the comic supposed to feel about HER body?

On the other hand, I confess that I like drawing idealized women myself, though I wouldn't say I'm extreme when it comes to breast size and that. I try to keep the proportions SOMEWHAT realistic, unless I draw full cartoony style (which rarely happens though). And yet I sometimes feel guilty for not drawing girls with big noses, or bad skin, or chubby/fat girls, or girls with damaged hair. I don't know why.

I guess I like to reach for what is perfect in my book, but at the same time, am turned off by other people's exaggerated idealizations.

My name is Cookie, sorry I'm late.

[Castle_Builder]

Why can't people take responsability?

Why is that so hard?

It's not the media, entertainment industry, social aquaintences or schools that have the largest influence on a kid. It's the parents.

The PARENTS dictate what is and is not appropriate. THEY have the ability to explain to their children why people do certain things and what is right and what is wrong.

Many parents in today's society SUCK at their job. And it IS a job people. It is NOT a right to have a kid, it is a PRIVILAGE.

If a parent does not care or does not want to be involved and just sets their kids in front of a TV then the kids are going to get a very skewed view of what the world is all about.

Is that the medias fault for putting it on TV? No. It's the parents fault for being essentially an absentee parent and not providing any CONTEXT for the kid.

It's like fathers that read Playboy and keep them in the bathroom. Eventually his son is going to find them. If the kid looks at playboy from a young age onwards, he will develop a shallow view and an unrealistic view of what women should look like.

The fact is, a responsable parent would not allow their kid to see playboy at a young age until they are AT THE LEAST able to create a distinction between reality and fantasy. And a good parent would sit their kid down and discuss this.

Many parents (at least from my own experience and talking to ) never take the time to really talk to their kids and ultimately that is their GREATEST responsability.

Now, don't get me wrong I hate how much the entertainment industry promotes loose values etc. But as a parent you have a choice. You get to decide whether or not that is acceptable for your kids.

And YES sure, if kids don't see it at home they will see it somewhere. But if you tell them it's bad and don't do it at home then they WILL listen and learn from that. Simply giving up and allowing them to watch or listen to whatever they want is simply NOT acceptable.

Parents need to be held accountable.

[Noise Monkey]

I've long said they should make people get licensed to have the ability to reproduce.

If you fail, sterilization it is!

[Castle_Builder]

I've long said they should make people get licensed to have the ability to reproduce.

If you fail, sterilization it is!

I can't help but agree. On the one hand it scares me to death that I feel that way, but SERIOUSLY there just ARE people out there that should NOT be reproducing.