Discovery of hidden identities

This week we took a detour away from the Wonder Woman chronicles to visit the not-so-distant topic of sexuality and gender in the discussion of the superhero genre. In the readings for this week, we are examining binary relationships of masculinity and femininity as well as heterosexuality and homosexuality. It is peculiar to say the least to assign roles of sexuality to a genre that is viewed popularly as a children's genre. This, however, establishes an interesting grounds for such a discussion. Catherine Williamson refers to "The Mark of Zorro" as a means of citation for exploring the aforementioned binaries. Zorro, as a major influence of the superhero genre, displays traits of femininity in his non-hero identity before transforming instantly into a hypermasculine masked vigilante. In this transformation, it is clear that his feminine personality is coupled with an identity that is not "super". This identity, which is known and accepted in the public eye, represents the side of the hero that is not revered by the audience. It is not until he transitions into the less dainty/more manly Zorro that the audience begins to admire his character. This process sets up a barrier between the masculine and feminine binary that perpetuates the image of hypermasculinity as a model for its viewers. Williamson insists that the notion of a suppressed masculinity that only reveals itself in Zorro's masked persona is a reversal of true human nature. Her position, in my eyes, is that nature pushes toward an equilibrium between the masculine and feminine while society tends to separate the difference between these poles further. I agreed with her up until she noted the phallic nature of Zorro's sword. At this point the rest of her argument seemed like a bit of a stretch.

The next consideration of secret identity in the superhero genre is investigated in Chabon's essay on "Secret Skin". Chabon examines the perception of the superhero in its reflection within popular culture. He states that we love our superheroes for what they represent, but we try to be like them in all the wrong ways. Superhero conventions, for example, are infested with fans wearing cheaply made costumes that loosely represent the costume of a given hero. According to Chabon, this practice accentuates a misrepresentation of the way that we should perceive our heroes. Instead, we should use reflect superheroism in establishing our true identities that are otherwise repressed. Superheroes fight for justice without, arguably, compromising or consenting to popular opinion. They stand for something and don't falter whatsoever. This concept, Chabon says, should be applied to our own lives. We should stand for what we believe in, and use this as a means of emulating our heroes. This practice will allow us to relate to characters like Superman and Batman in a more powerful way as opposed to the desperate recreations of fabrics and color palettes.