Growing up I have always watched Batman, Superman, Spiderman, and Iron Man, it has always been a MAN and never a WOMAN. I'm sure we have always been accustomed to this stereotypical binary of media characters to our gender where every birthday you would get gifts of dolls whilst you'd see brothers or cousins getting these superheroes. It was not until I watched the first 'Avengers' movie that I realized female superheroes exist to be an actual phenomenon in this fantasized version of the Marvel & DC universe.
Women in powerful roles of a superhero remained an unknown concept in the film industry for a long time despite being a part of the universe of several comic publications for years with the first female superhero release of Supergirl in 1984. They seize to exist in productions but are just drawn on paper-back versions for the liberty of the wider audience to adore them in their overtly sexualized outfits in comparison to the male superheroes.
Wonder Woman, Scarlett Witch, Black Widow, Captain Marvel, Cat Woman and many others have one thing in common and that's not that they are women or have superpowers.
*Drum roll please*
you probably guessed it, it's their leather-tight fit body hugging superhero suits or outfits that have been adorned with their respective signature colour palette as well as details including Wonder Women's W at her abdomen, Captain Marvel Golden star on her chest and Scarlett Witch and Cat Wome's headgear. The outfits are made as such to accentuate the breasts as well as the hips to achieve the exact imagery in the comic books of curvaceous yet slim body types formed under the male gaze.
Hyper-sexualization of these female superheroes brings forth disruption in the women empowerment initiative that young female audiences hope to see in these female heroines as it shows them to be perfect always with the slimmest and most "perfect" body type. Such representations also cause problems for actresses as in the case of Scarlett Johanssen who on multiple occasions has had to respond to the most inappropriate sexist remarks and interview questions made by none other than male interviewers. The fact that they have to deal with her being a symbol for a sexualized character & address comments on her body type and personal questions about her undergarments just goes to show that female superhero representation is not conducive to women's empowerment not even for the actresses playing them.
Even villains as in the case of Suicide Squad's Harley Quinn not just presented as overtly provocative but also bring to light larger issues of women superheroes always needing a man or a romantic fling in the movie to establish her as inherently feminine. To humanize those with supernatural powers filmmakers often take on tragic backstories or an on-going romance narrative to achieve that and for female superheroes, it has always been the latter as they have often been projected as love interests of the male superheroes rather than an individual character.
The guise for heroines to be independent yet require a man to support them in their missions as in the case of Wonder Woman who has Steve as her trusted friend that later develops into her lover. Even the most recent Ms Marvel show garnered much attention among the Pakistan community with Kamala Khan representing a desi expat who has her best friend and sidekick Bruno who later is shown as being attracted to her. A heroine should not always have to have a man by her side to protect her in case of her not able to manage her battles on her own.
To have women in superhero roles still be expressed as merely depicting more feminine versions of strength with supernatural powers and body types that are limited to model-like images ultimately impacts the self-esteem of the younger audience. Inclusivity should be one tool to shift the narrative from women being presented as consistently strong and put-together as in the films rather than presenting them as more relatable forms which Ms. Marvel has achieved in its representation but there needs to be more diversity not just in terms of race, ethnicity but in terms of physical appearances with no specific body type being promoted throughout.
Women in the audience should be able to look at the film and see a glimpse of themselves in the hero rather than a fantasized image of what a true superhero is. Female superheroes should formulate storylines that act as counters and positively motivate substitutes to the traditional princess fairytales that are fed to young girls and teenagers.