Starfire as a Feminist Icon

You know who's a character I really tend to enjoy? Starfire. I am, for whatever reason, inordinately fond of that character.

It's funny, because I sometimes think that I shouldn't like her. I mean, I can't really deny the general criticisms of her character. She is very much a character designed by men for men.

She's exotic and alien, provocative and sexy, constantly in skimpy clothing and showing herself off, she's sexually promiscuous with a passionate nature and a hot temper. Also, her name is a silly joke.

It's interesting, really, because as much as she's a male fantasy, she's also a very strong and positive character. For one thing, how rare is it in today's media to find a female character that embraces her own sexuality without being lambasted for it either in character or by the narrative? There's still such a bizarre attitude toward female sexuality in our society. Good girls don't. Or they get punished for it. And almost always the only female characters really allowed to embrace their sexuality whole-heartedly are the stupid, amoral sluts.

This idea is so pervasive too. Look at romance novels, even. You'd think, being a medium essentially by women for women, the ideas toward female sexuality would be more open. But very often, the narrative places very heavy emphasis on the fact that this confident, successful, beautiful, experienced protagonist is a virgin. Sure there are a lot of adult women who remain sexually inexperienced, for whatever personal reason, but there are a lot that aren't, especially in this day and age. The female protagonist is almost always in it strictly for love. She never has thoughts of pursuing casual sex at any point in time. In fact, her desire for the main male character is often portrayed as though it's the first time this character has ever felt any sort of true sexual desire. Which, come on! She had been a teenager once, hadn't she?!

Villains and rivals get to embrace their sexuality of course. And of course, at the same time, they get to be amoral, sneaky, deceitful and manipulative. Our Heroine is always good and pure and innocent. If in the rare occasion that she ISN'T a virgin, she's either a divorcee, who'd only ever been with her ex-husband, vile cad, of course. (*He* naturally left her for one of those amoral sluts.) In historical setting romance stories, the character might be some sort of prostitute, but it's always for the sake of her family!!! And she's almost always rescued that first night.

I don't think I have to get into why this is incredibly insulting.

One of the things I was very happy about, getting into comics, was how many superheroines ARE allowed to be sexually confident without being demonized for it. Sure, there are some issues remaining, but it's honestly really nice to see.

Kory is particularly interesting though, because she completely divorces the idea of "purity" from sexuality. There is no question, I think, that Kory is a very moral person. She has a temper, of course, and she's a bit unfamiliar with Earth's sexual mores, but she's always had a very clear sense of right and wrong. She is a character largely incapable of deceit or manipulation, her heart is on her sleeve. She is open, accepting, forgiving. She loves intently and hate is very difficult for her. And she is as free with her sexuality as with everything else. And that's okay!

Even her costume, which very very certainly show off a lot of skin, are more empowering than offensive. Kory shows skin because she's comfortable that way and she likes showing herself off. It's absolutely her choice and she has utterly no shame or self-consciousness about it, and that's great! I don't see anything wrong with a character who likes to be sexy and show herself off as long as that's what she is intending to do. (Contrast this, with say, Supergirl and her belt-masquerading as a skirt. Which of course Martha Kent made for her?! I've been really happy that her portrayal has shifted to an angry teenager out for attention and crushing on anything on two legs. Because at least then I can believe that SHE is choosing to dress that way, rather than someone else dressed her.) It does help that she's an adult woman. (I love that she's taller than Dick and pretty much everyone else too)

I also like that Kory is a very emotional character, but it's portrayed largely as a source of strength. Our society is very strange when it comes to women and the expression of emotion. We're considered to be more emotional than men, more in tune with our feelings and more willing to express them. But our society also discourages a lot of emotional displays from women in the same way it does for men, just different emotions. Little girls are encouraged not to cry, to be a "big girl", not to be angry/aggressive because it's not "ladylike", not to be overly exuberant, to always try to smile and be calm and well-mannered despite what one is feeling on the inside.

I remember reading an article in anthropology class that remarked on the phenomenon that anglo/american women suffered more pronounced mood swings and emotional turmoil during PMS than in most any other country. The writer theorized that PMS made for a nice (subconscious) scapegoat for women to express buried anger, resentment and frustration that we're normally discouraged from displaying. Anything said or done during that time is then written off as mood swings and dismissed.

Kory definitely is not repressed. She's not "ladylike". When she's angry, she yells or hits things. When she's sad, she cries. When she's happy, she'll show everyone! And that's really neat! She gets to be strong, emotional, sexual and it's all completely without shame.

In a weird way, I think Starfire is as much a feminist ideal as Diana, she's just more id than super-ego. Where Diana is more of a cerebral representation of the ideal potential within all women, Starfire represents embracing one's inner primal nature without any sense of shame or regret.

Even if she has a silly name.