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Washington University in St. Louis

Perils of the Heroine: The Historic Role of Woman in Comics

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

<p>Now more than ever the comics industry is welcoming diversity in its creators and stories, but with its historically misogynistic past, what legacy are creators inheriting? This essay seeks to explore that history, delving into the various eras of American Comics and how sexism shaped them. From the earliest heroines of the 40s, the ground-breaking feminist indie comics of the 70s, and the rampant female sexualization of the 90s, examples of brilliance and drudgery will be investigated in order to gain a better understanding of how comics became what they are today.</p>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Illustration & Visual Culture
Level thesis:degree_level
Thesis
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Graduate School of Art
Year dc:date.available
2023

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Bray, Britain

Subjects

dc:subject × 10

Rights

Language dc:language
English

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:openscholarship.wustl.edu:mfa_illustration-1026

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Washington University in St. Louis
Base URL
openscholarship.wustl.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Bray, Britain. Perils of the Heroine: The Historic Role of Woman in Comics. Thesis thesis, 2023. https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/mfa_illustration/13