Heroic Beauty
Again, I refer back to Wonder Woman. Compared to the male superheroes of her time, an inordinate amount of time is spent describing Wonder Woman as beautiful as well as powerful. This is most encapsulated in the tagline: “As lovely as Aphrodite, as wise as Athena.” This attention to physical appearance is not given when it comes to the likes of Batman or Superman. Instead, these male heroes are described based solely on their strength or their cunning. Wonder Woman, however must be powerful, cunning, and beautiful. She has the added responsibility of remaining feminine in spite of wading into battle every other day.
For this reason, it caught me off guard when reading the Avengers comics of the 60s. I found here instances of the male heroes being distinguished, either by the narrator or another character on the basis of their looks. Both Thor and Captain America are explicitly described as being very handsome or as having pleasing physical attributes.
The attention to male-beauty in these comics does not occur enough to be anywhere comparable to the number of such instances in Wonder Woman. However, it happens enough to the point that it is noticeable, while also making it seem odd that female characters’ appearances are given so much attention. If Thor and Captain America’s appearances were given the amount of attention spent on Wonder Woman’s (or nearly any other female hero, for that matter) appearance, fans would probably deem it excessive. Readers don't question the amount of time Sue spent fixing her hair, or how Wonder Woman must be beautiful even in a fight. If the narrator commented on Cap's eyes anymore though, it would probably be taken as more than a little odd.
Interestingly, the female member of the Avengers, Wasp does not warrant nearly as much attention herself. Even her costume does not seem to have been drawn in a sexy style: she sports a flaring dress with long tights and sleeves. I would say that this is a step forward, had Ant-Man/Giant-Man not been treating her like a child. While it is nice to have a female character that is not constantly sexualized, it’s unfortunate that Stan Lee decided to infantilize her. Perhaps she and Sue can team up for a mother-daughter dynamic.
