Neither Savage nor Sensational: Female Masculinity in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law
Abstract:
In her essay ‘Fetishization of Female Masculinity in She-Hulk, Big Barda and The Mighty Thor,’ Hailey J. Austin reads the physicality of superheroines like the She-Hulk along the lines of Judith Butler’s ‘transferability of the phallus’ which
problematizes the notion that masculinity is exclusive to normative male bodies. The possession of a muscular/ masculine physique facilitates the transgression of such superheroines into traditionally male-dominated spaces, and this constitutes a
threat to the male audience. This threat is neutralized, or at least somewhat made bearable, by punishing the masculine woman in the comic book. This punishment
is meted out to her by making her perform what Laura Mulvey refers to as ‘to-belooked-at-ness.’ Alternatively, if conventional tropes of fetishization are absent, the
female superhero suffers hostility in the form of what Anastasia Salter and Bridget Blodjett call ‘toxic geek masculinity.’ This paper will adopt Austin’s methodology and apply it to Marvel Studios’ adaptation of the character in the Disney+ series
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022). By doing so, this study will attempt to demonstrate how Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk is not portrayed as a mere derivative of her male counterpart as the symbolic phallus is not merely transferred to her but
also becomes more phallic in her body. Moreover, this study will also attempt to illustrate how the OTT series subverts tropes of fetishization and chastises toxic
geek masculinity.
Readers can download the Abstract and the Article clicking following buttons:
