You are here

FAU Collections » FAU Research Repository » FAU Theses and Dissertations

The rise of the super sidechicks: a feminist analysis of girls in superhero films

Download pdf | Full Screen View

Date Issued:
2013
Summary:
The superhero film genre has recently witnessed a reinvention of the girl sidekick. Instead of falling back on the perpetuated and well-known stereotypes of female heroines, recent offerings have allowed for several strong and innovative female characters to emerge. This close textual analysis of specific feminist examples from the films, Kick-Ass (2010), Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010), and X-Men: First Class (2012), examines young heroines as having feminist tendencies in a postfeminist moment. This analysis employs aspects of film theory, feminist theory, and also focuses on adaptation as a potentially powerful and problematic tenant of the films. Through this thesis, I contend that while none of these characters are positioned or marketed as specifically feminist, their collective resistance to hegemonic ideals underscores a movement towards articulating the failings of postfeminism in contemporary girlhood.
Title: The rise of the super sidechicks: a feminist analysis of girls in superhero films.
7623 views
7477 downloads
Name(s): Hendricks, Dorothy Ashley, author
Charbonneau, Stephen, Thesis advisor
Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Sciences, Degree grantor
School of Communication and Multimedia Studies
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: Summer 2013
Date Issued: 2013
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Physical Form: Online Resource
Extent: 95 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: The superhero film genre has recently witnessed a reinvention of the girl sidekick. Instead of falling back on the perpetuated and well-known stereotypes of female heroines, recent offerings have allowed for several strong and innovative female characters to emerge. This close textual analysis of specific feminist examples from the films, Kick-Ass (2010), Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010), and X-Men: First Class (2012), examines young heroines as having feminist tendencies in a postfeminist moment. This analysis employs aspects of film theory, feminist theory, and also focuses on adaptation as a potentially powerful and problematic tenant of the films. Through this thesis, I contend that while none of these characters are positioned or marketed as specifically feminist, their collective resistance to hegemonic ideals underscores a movement towards articulating the failings of postfeminism in contemporary girlhood.
Identifier: FA00004250 (IID)
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013.
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library
Sublocation: Boca Raton, Fla.
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004250
Restrictions on Access: All rights reserved by the source institution
Restrictions on Access: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU