It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's...a Girl?!: Analyzing Representations of Femininity on The CW's Supergirl

Abstract

Although it takes more than diverse media representation to create positive social change, representation is still an important part of normalizing identities and pushing discussions of social issues. However, representations of certain minority groups, whether on the basis of racial, ethnic, sexual, or gender identities, are often largely absent in media, and flawed when they do exist. This is true of comic books and the various forms of media that have adapted superhero stories. For instance, superhero tales have long been dominated by depictions of superheroes who are heterosexual cisgender men. Because of this trend spanning from the 1930s into the 21 st century, superhero stories have developed a reputation of being a boy's club rife with sexism. Certainly, this issue persists to this day, but this thesis provides a snapshot of how women are fairing in superhero media in the mid-to-late 2010s. By focusing specifically on the case study of the CW's Supergirl, I discuss how representations of superwomen have improved greatly compared to popular expectations and no longer entirely reflect a singular and problematic ideal of what being a woman means. In particular, my examination is centered around three of Supergirl's main women: protagonist Kara Danvers/Supergirl, Kara's sister and super spy Alex Danvers, and the heroic Nia Nal/Dreamer. By doing an in-depth analysis of how femininity is represented through these three women, I argue that the show presents complex and nuanced depictions of femininity that are a strong step forward for the genre. long legal battle against a Maine school for prohibiting her access to the girls' washroom, Nicole decided to go public with her identity as the anonymous plaintiff, explaining "stories move the walls that need to be moved" (Nutt, 2015, p. 259). Nicole argues that by telling stories including diverse people, these diverse identities become recognized and accepted in society. This ethos fit perfectly with what I wanted to write about in my own thesis, so given Maines' involvement, I settled on investigating Supergirl.1.2 "Why? Because I'm a Girl?": Supergirl and This Project This project is a snapshot of women's position in superhero media in the mid to late 2010s, explored through a case study of the first four seasons (87 episodes) of the television show Supergirl (2015-present). I focus primarily on the protagonist character Supergirl/Kara Danvers, Kara's adoptive sister Alex Danvers, and sidekick/fellow superhero Dreamer/Nia Nal. Focusing on them allows me to examine three diverse representations of femininity: a cisgender heterosexual woman (Kara), a transgender heterosexual woman (Nia), and a cisgender lesbian woman (Alex).The two cis characters are portrayed by cis actresses Melissa Benoist and Chyler Leigh respectively, and Nia is portrayed by trans actress/activist Nicole Maines. All three women are white, but their versions of femininity differ: Alex becomes increasingly androgynous throughout the show, Nia is outwardly "girly," and Kara's expression falls betw...