“Girls read comics too”: How this 11-year-old just schooled DC Comics
The comic and superhero worlds have given us plenty of exciting things to cheer about lately (Lady Thor and these nine new comics written by women to name just two), but one brave 11-year-old girl named Rowan (go Rowan!) thinks there’s a lot more to be done when it comes to representing girls in the comi-universe. Rowan thinks we need need more girls in comics, period, and she’s written a thoughtful letter to one of the biggest comic-book publishers in the world to make her point. We’re hoping DC Comics (and all publishers for that matter) will take her words to heart.
Take a look at Rowan’s letter here and you’ll see a lot of valid points:
To be fair, DC probably should’ve made that Wonder Woman movie that’s currently in production before Marvel managed to release a film starring a “talking tree and raccoon,” as Rowan puts it. That’s not to say we didn’t all love Groot and Rocket, but when you think about it, it seems kind of crazy that we didn’t get a Wonder Woman movie first.
Rowan’s not asking for the world, just for fair representation. She points out how there are hardly any female action figures from her favorite comics for her to buy and play with. And when companies do provide the option, they package the toys in pink and purple because, girl colors. Rowan’s whole point is that she loves comics, and wants to show that love—and support her interests—by buying action figures, but the company neglects to produce the toys that would appeal to their female audience.
With the Wonder Woman movie and a Supergirl TV show in the works, DC is taking steps towards taking its female audience into account, but these attempts still feel like mere drops in the bucket of a male-dominated superhero universe. But let Rowan’s letter teach you, if you speak up for yourself, the corporate gods might just listen. DC responded to the letter via Twitter saying:
Hopefully DC will give us more than words—we’ll all be optimistically awaiting what’s to come.
P.S. Go Rowan.
