Warning: Spoilers for Birds of Prey #7!The newest adventure in the Birds of Prey saga does more than just give the heroes snazzy outfits to wear for a fashion show. The way that women have been depicted throughout comic book history has always been questionable at best, and overly sexualized at worst. But this latest installment in the DC Comics series turns that trope on its head.
The fashion show presented in Birds of Prey #7 shows exactly how superheroes can reclaim a sexiness for themselves that’s often deemed so controversial by critics. As they attempt to solve the mystery behind who keeps killing Batgirl across the multiverse, the Birds of Prey bring Vixen under their wing. In turn, Mari has them take part in a fashion show.
In a medium that has a bad history of constantly portraying women as objects for the male gaze, seeing how Birds of Prey #7 depicts women acknowledging and reclaiming their own sexiness feels like a breath of fresh air.
The Birds of Prey Go Viral for Fashion
Birds of Prey #7 by Kelly Thompson, Javier Pina, Jordie Bellaire, Clayton Cowles
In the previous Birds of Prey arc, Barbara Gordon is noticeably absent from the rescue mission for Black Canary’s sister, Sin Lance (aka DC’s newest Shazam-esque hero), despite how close Barb and Dinah have always been. This is acknowledged at the arc’s conclusion, where it’s revealed that the choice not to include Barb in the newest iteration of the team was deliberate on Dinah’s part. Dinah had received word from a time-traveling future version of Maps that something (or someone) kept killing Barbara in every timeline scenario of the mission. All they know is that the person killing Babs is connected to The Red.
To investigate, a new version of the team is ushered in for this new mission, where among the new recruits is Mari McCabe, aka Vixen. Mari is the founder of MJM Enterprises and has a connection to The Red that makes her a prime candidate for Birds of Prey enrollment. However, Vixen also needs help with her own mystery. Citizens with no criminal history are suddenly committing theft while wearing the fashion designer’s clothes. Mari herself woke up in the middle of committing a robbery. To get to the bottom of things, the Birds go undercover as a part of Mari’s fashion line.
Women in Comics are Notoriously Over-Sexualized for Male Readers
The history of women being sexualized specifically for the male gaze stretches long beyond just one company or one era of comic book history. Although past instances of female characters being hyper-sexualized have since been corrected with more self-awareness and inclusivity regarding the subject, the conversations regarding the sexualization of women continue to this day. For instance, the nature of Wonder Woman’s costume is hotly contested for that reason. It’s often debated as to whether her outfit is truly a display of confidence or a product of the male gaze.
Such debates are why drawing Wonder Woman with pants is such a topic of controversy, and why the United Nations dropped Wonder Woman as their mascot for equality in 2016. One online petition for Wonder Woman’s removal read as follows:
“Although the original creators may have intended Wonder Woman to represent a strong and independent ‘warrior’ woman with a feminist message, the reality is that the character’s current iteration is that of a large breasted, white woman of impossible proportions, scantily clad in a shimmery, thigh-baring body suit.”
On one hand, it is wonderful that the comic book community not only acknowledges how sexualizing women in their pages can be harmful for women who read comics to see, but are going out of their way to protect images of women from such harmful connotations. However, the hyper-awareness surrounding how women’s bodies are depicted is overlooking one fact: sexiness isn’t the problem. Sexy images created for the male gaze are the problem, but women are capable of reclaiming that same sexiness.
How The Birds of Prey Inspire and Embrace Sexy Womanhood
This is where the latest Birds of Prey issue comes into play. As often as there are conversations about how characters get overly sexualized, there are hardly enough discussions about moments like this that remind readers that it’s okay to dress down. Moments like these are all about women embracing their sexiness without shame or being embarrassed of it. Embracing sexiness is a big part of fashion shows, and here, the heroes are literally dressing down to be heroes and solve a case. What they’re wearing doesn’t take away from them being heroes.
In fact, reclaiming their sexiness ties directly into their case. Mari’s fashion line is all about looking sexy, as most fashion lines are, but some mysterious villainy has bastardized that feeling of confidence and empowerment for those who wear her outfits. Therefore, the heroes must don those same outfits, and reclaim that feeling of empowerment that’s been stripped from Mari’s line in order to solve the case. There’s some apprehension on behalf of the heroes at first, but at the end of the day, they strut the runway with elegance, grace, and confidence, ready to “go viral.”
Batgirl’s New Look is Both Empowering and Inspirational
Sexiness can be as inspirational as it is empowering, not just for readers, but for characters within the Birds of Prey. One moment in this issue that is hard to overlook is the page outlining Cassandra Cain’s disdain for the outfits that Mari picks out for her, until Vixen finds the perfect fit to put a smile on her face. Readers familiar with Cass’ journey may see this and find themselves reminded of Batgirl #39 by Dylan Horrocks, Adrian Sibar, Andy Owens, Jason Wright, Digital Chameleon, and John Costanza. In it, Cassandra is encouraged (or, rather, forced) to take a vacation by Barbara Gordon.
Barb tries to talk Cass into wearing a bikini on their cruise, and while she begrudgingly agrees, the third Batgirl is visibly uncomfortable with the idea of revealing clothing. The same can be said for Cass in Birds of Prey #7, but the moment she sees the costume that makes her most comfortable, her face lights up. That’s what fashion is all about, and, really, what embracing sexiness is all about. Just as superheroes put on a costume to feel super, mild-mannered citizens can dress up to feel their most confident.
Empowerment through fashion is someone re-affirming themselves and taking back their agency in a way that makes them comfortable, not for anyone else’s gaze. This helps Cassandra Cain feel empowered as a character, and potentially, it could empower a reader out there going through their own personal journey of getting comfortable in their skin. The Birds of Prey’s fashion show provides a prime example of how empowering comic books can be for its readers and the characters in its universe.
