Bitch Planet- Real World Implications (post 5)


There is a quote that says, “when a man gives his opinion, he is a man.  When a woman gives her opinion, she is a bitch.”  I think this quote applies to Bitch Planet well, and I would even go as far to say it encompasses the entire premise of the progressive comic.  While Bitch Planet is not yet perfect, it does do a good job at highlighting the ridiculous and unfair treatment of women that still exists in today’s society.  As the quote suggests, the slightest misstep can send any woman into the derogatory category of “Bitch.”  This is mirrored in the comic in that any type of misbehavior can be labeled as noncompliant.  For example, women are sent to Bitch Planet for a wide variety of reasons, ranging from murder to simply being fat.  “Chromosomal imbalances” such as down syndrome and being a monozygotic twin can also land you a spot on this other planet prison.  I think the author decides to include these characteristics as noncompliance to draw light to the real world view of women.  It is still true that in today’s society, a woman will be judged no matter what. On the back of the comic it asks, “Are you too whatever-it-is-they’ll-judge-you-for-today?” further emphasizing this notion.  A woman is either too fat or too thin, too obnoxious or too shy, too promiscuous or too prude, etc. etc.  The comic does a nice job of dramatizing and exaggerating something that is very real.  I think that by creating outlandish infractions, the author hopes to show the current critiques of women in real world scenarios are just as crazy.     

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 1, 2017 at 11:17 AM

    I think it’s interesting to consider the idea that the women on Bitch Planet are so extreme in the way they are portrayed to show the ridiculousness of our own society. I think it’s fair to say that this is intentional and the basis of the comic. It is social commentary. The women on Bitch Planet are so extreme not because that is the be-all-end-all of their identities, but because society stereotypes in order to demonize and dehumanize. Bitch Planet takes it to the extreme of criminalizing. In our society, we DO criminalize these traits and identities, but we do it under the guise of other things. Bitch Planet takes out the middle step and does it outright.

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