Supergirl: An updated hero from an obsolete stereotype

I don't think much of Supergirl...

I'm not just talking about the upcoming television show starring Melissa Benoist as the big guy's cousin from Krypton.

I'm talking about the whole premise.  It's almost insulting if you dig deep enough.

Supergirl, the character, was born in the late 50's functioning as everything from the female counterpart to Superman to a love interest for Superboy. 

Let's cut to the chase, there's nothing that interesting about the character.  She's an also ran with superpowers and a skirt.

Does that sound chauvinistic as hell?  I suppose it might except that what all those politically correct defenders miss is that the character is nothing more than a misogynistic retelling of the Superman tale.

It's the same tortured existence we've seen before with the stereotypical protagonist discovering and then agonizing over what to do with their "super" abilities.  From there comes acceptance of his/her fate leading to a career of crime fighting and world saving with a few moral dilemmas nobody could identify with thrown in for good measure.

Typical comic book stuff.  Not a lot of depth there and really none should be expected.  It's a fantastical character after all born from  super-powered heroes with origin stories that involve radioactive spiders, nuclear accidents and alien planets.  Even Batman, a hero with no super powers, is unbelievable as he teeters on ledges of Gotham city like some brooding gargoyle ready to pounce on evil doers. 

Supergirl comes from an age of sexist female stereotypes with perfect hair, heaving bosoms and fits of emotionalism.  She's a product of an time where Hellboy or Spawn would be considered obscene if not  outright pornographic.

Does that even fit the image of a modern, self directed woman?  From the sneak peeks we've had of the series it seems Supergirl is at least as concerned with picking out the right outfit for a hot date as she is saving the world.

Far from a pillar of modern womanhood, Supergirl is little more than her counterpart's story line presented in a more titillating context.

 There are far less insulting examples of female super-heroines on TV and in comics with far more depth.  

I'll take a pass on this one...

A lifestyle event, now with stereotypes!

Article originally published on Technorati as: A lifestyle event, now with stereotypes!

It's January in Scottsdale, Arizona and that huge traffic jam on the 101 freeway can only mean one thing, Barrett-Jackson's back.  With examples from classic to wild custom there's always something to drool over at this largest of the four Barrett-Jackson auctions. 

It's said to be "The" automotive event of the year that both collector's and wannabe's alike use to value their dreams.  Is that all original Hemi RoadRunner in your garage  a good investment or is it just another Satellite?  Barrett-Jackson will clear that up for you.

Since 1993 Speed Channel, now called just "Speed" and recently acquired by Fox networks has broadcast the event.  Each year a week's worth of coverage in the middle of January dominates the otherwise Nascar centric programming on the channel.  It offers a view into not only the cars but the lifestyle and people that surround them. 

Watch it for an hour and you notice that the "lifestyle" is populated by primarily affluent 50'ish white men.  None of which seem to have any compunction against throwing ridiculous sums of money at cars your parents probably couldn't wait to get rid of back in the day.  They call it an investment but it's dubious reasoning.  The collector car market is as fickle as Wall street.  It's more likely an attempt to recapture lost youth with a bit of braggadocio thrown in at their financial ability to try.

Speed has always been good about staffing the event with veteran commentators from across motorsports.  Whether they've been covering Nascar or writing articles for Hot Rod there's sure to be at least one you can identify with.

Which makes a recent change to the event coverage perplexing.  Last year saw the addition of what can only be described as a "booth bunny" to the lineup.  I appreciate an attractive woman as much as the next guy but does shoehorning a stereotype from a bikini contest really add anything to the broadcast?

There's nothing wrong with female broadcasters so let's get that out of the way.  Speed's choice, however,  is little more than a foil for dumb blonde jokes.  Is there a dearth of female motorsports commentators versed in their subject? If this is the way motorsports views women I wouldn't blame them for staying away. 

Still, it's not as though Speed hasn't had access to female journalists at least familiar with motorsports.  Is it too much to ask to not perpetuate a stereotype?  It's demeaning.  On Wednesday night's broadcast for example,April Rose (of Maxim fame) was seated in a driving simulator and actually said,

"They should make one of these for women drivers where everyone stayed far away" 

I hate Internet shorthand but...O M G ! 

She even did the hair flip thing! 

Gender equality set back 50 years in 20 seconds.  Were I an affluent woman considering the purchase of one of these shining examples of lost youth I'd likely have switched off Speed channel's coverage left the auction and headed across the street to Russo and Steele instead..

I'd like to say it was an isolated incident but unfortunately it was only one of many.  It's obvious that to the old white men in charge of Fox, she is the pinnacle of female broadcasting.