{"id":50519,"date":"2022-08-19T22:20:44","date_gmt":"2022-08-19T22:20:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/disney-plus-she-hulk-cant-quite-meet-its-feminist-ideals-yet\/"},"modified":"2022-08-19T22:20:44","modified_gmt":"2022-08-19T22:20:44","slug":"disney-plus-she-hulk-cant-quite-meet-its-feminist-ideals-yet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/disney-plus-she-hulk-cant-quite-meet-its-feminist-ideals-yet\/","title":{"rendered":"Disney Plus’ She Hulk can’t quite meet its feminist ideals yet"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law<\/em> makes its thesis statement about 13 minutes into its first episode: When Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) tells his cousin \u2014 newly Hulked, thanks to an accident \u2014 Jen Walters (Tatiana Maslany) that the triggers are anger and fear, she scoffs. \u201cThose are like the baseline of any woman just existing<\/em>\u201d It’s a point she’ll hit harder later in the episode, after weeks of training to be dexterous and zen so as to not accidentally Hulk out. As he reminds her that the most important thing in the whole world is for her to not get scared or, more importantly, angry, she hits him with the manifesto, of sorts, for She Hulk<\/em>:<\/p>\n

\u201cHere’s the thing, Bruce: I’m great at controlling my anger. I do it all the time,\u201d Jen says. \u201cWhen I’m catcalled in the street, when incompetent men explain my own area of \u200b\u200bexpertise to me \u2014 I do it pretty much every day because if I don’t I will get called ’emotional’ or ‘difficult’ or I might just literally get murdered. So I’m an expert in controlling my anger because I do it infinitely more than you.\u201d <\/p>\n

To demonstrate how fully in control she is, she briefly morphs into She-Hulk. Eventually, we’ll see her prove herself right, returning to the regular world and suffering her misogynistic co-worker’s snide comments with aplomb. It’s all a great win for feminism. <\/p>\n

The question is: How far will \u2014 Bell<\/em> \u2014 She Hulk<\/em> go with this limited brand of feminism? <\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

<\/source><\/picture>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Image: Marvel Studios<\/cite><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

There’s a lot of Feminism 101 shows out in the world already \u2014 your Bold Type<\/em> or supergirl<\/em>. Per the four episodes provided to critics for review, She Hulk<\/em> fits in with those shows without much challenge; feminism and the people it covers isn’t one-size-fits-all, and these shows are more of a foundation to inspire younger folks who are just beginning to find what kind of feminist action they want (or need) in their life. In its initial episodes, She Hulk<\/em> isn’t revolutionary, and for a certain set of viewers that’s OK. That the show is able to address the undercurrent of anger that comes with feminism is a step toward acknowledging rage as merely a valid response to a world that is broadly inhumane, in ways big and small, to women every day. <\/p>\n

It’s a double-edged sword that the creators behind She Hulk<\/em> know too well. The show centers Jen’s discomfort with heroics as part and parcel with her uneasiness around how people treat her new looks. As She-Hulk she’s respected, defended, applauded \u2014 even just seen<\/em> more. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn terms of the CGI being critiqued, I do think that has to do with our culture’s belief in their ownership of women’s bodies. I think a lot of the critique comes from feeling like they’re able to tear apart the CGI women,\u201d She Hulk<\/em> director Kat Coiro said during the Television Critics Association panel on the show. \u201cThere’s a lot of talk about her body type. And we based her a lot on Olympian athletes, not bodybuilders, but I think if we’d gone the other way we would be facing the same critique. I think it’s very hard to win when you make women’s bodies.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n\"she-hulk<\/p>\n

<\/source><\/picture>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Image: Marvel Studios<\/cite><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Even in the first episode, She Hulk<\/em> feels clear about how this transition is layered by Jen being a woman. But still, it’s frustrating to see a movement be filtered through Marvel Studios, whose general ethos is like if King Midas sanitized everything he touched. There’s no way the (modern) MCU wants to get as thorny and provocative as feminism actually work<\/em> in the real world; feminism is a political ideology (no matter what slogan T-shirts tell you!), which means that some topics will inherently feel taboo, prickly, and disruptive. You will not get things like that in a Marvel Studios project, by design. And so a lot of the feminism of She Hulk<\/em> feels a little too pat \u2014 of course<\/em> the sexist co-worker’s slights are things like \u201cmore smiles,\u201d and the bad bros she runs into just a little too clear about how much her femininity is what irks them. <\/p>\n

Because here’s the thing about She Hulk<\/em>: There are all kinds of Olympians. They’re bodybuilders, swimmers, runners, rowers, skiers, gymnasts, and more. They’re bulky just as often as they are slim. And so when Cairo tells Polygon that the body type they settled on was akin to Misty Copeland, someone who is \u201cstrong and powerful, but […] can go to a restaurant and have a date, can work in a regular office and sit in a regular office chair,\u201d it feels like just more Marvel sheen, where edges get sanded off to make for a common denominator. She-Hulk’s muscles have looked different through several decades of comics, and it’s telling that She Hulk<\/em>‘s iterations fall in line with a more conventionally attractive body type. for all She Hulk<\/em> feints at being \u201cfeminist TV,\u201d it’s still bound up in a specific conception of womanhood and empowerment. The show can only conceive of its heroine as a feminine answer to Hulk, so it can’t fully imagine what it would mean to be free of a comparison at all.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law makes its thesis statement about 13 minutes into its first episode: When Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) tells his cousin \u2014 newly Hulked, thanks to an accident \u2014 Jen Walters (Tatiana Maslany) that the triggers are anger and fear, she scoffs. \u201cThose are like the baseline of any woman just existing\u201d It’s …<\/p>\n

Disney Plus’ She Hulk can’t quite meet its feminist ideals yet<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":50016,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/she-hulk-episode-1-recap-marvel-easter-eggs-and-post-credits-scene\/","url_meta":{"origin":50519,"position":0},"title":"‘She-Hulk’ Episode 1 Recap: Marvel Easter Eggs and Post-Credits Scene","date":"August 19, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is the newest Marvel TV series to hit Disney Plus. It's also the most broadly comedic entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as ambitious lawyer Jen Walters transforms into a superstrong green giant to battle bad guys (and sexism).in my She-Hulk review for CNET, I noted\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Entertainment"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":56518,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/mark-ruffalo-perfected-that-edward-norton-recasting-nod-the-hollywood-reporter\/","url_meta":{"origin":50519,"position":1},"title":"Mark Ruffalo Perfected That Edward Norton Recasting Nod \u2013 The Hollywood Reporter","date":"August 26, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"[This story contains spoilers for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law\u2019s second episode, \u201cSuperhuman Law.\u201d] Apparently, the fourth time's a charm for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law head writer Jessica Gao. Marvel Studios' latest Disney+ series, centering on Jen Walters' (Tatiana Maslany) transformation into She-Hulk, was the executive producer's fourth pitch at Marvel.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Entertainment"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/HGL1020_108_comp_v324.1084_R_C-EMBED-2022.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":49707,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/tatiana-maslany-on-breaking-mcus-4th-wall-the-hollywood-reporter\/","url_meta":{"origin":50519,"position":2},"title":"Tatiana Maslany on Breaking MCU’s 4th Wall \u2013 The Hollywood Reporter","date":"August 19, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"[This story contains spoilers for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law\u2019s \u201cNormal Amount of Rage.\u201d] Now that She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has premiered on Disney+, Tatiana Maslany's Jen Walters\/She-Hulk has officially broken the fourth wall in the MCU before Deadpool. It's quite fitting since She-Hulk got the fourth-wall jump on the Merc\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Entertainment"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/ATF2120_101_comp_v299.1016-copy.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":49491,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/she-hulk-premiere-recap-marvel-series-starring-tatiana-maslany\/","url_meta":{"origin":50519,"position":3},"title":"‘She-Hulk’ Premiere Recap: Marvel Series Starring Tatiana Maslany","date":"August 18, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Marvel's She Hulk this Thursday made the case for headlining her own Disney+ series. What say you, the jury? As the series opens, Tatiana Maslany's ADAJen Walters is rehearsing her closing statement for a big trial, earning kudos from paralegal\/BFF Nikki and a dismissive offer to handle the closer by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Entertainment"","img":{"alt_text":"She Hulk","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/she-hulk-mexico-lab.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":44966,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/why-isnt-bruce-banner-called-he-hulk-she-hulks-tatiana-maslany-weighs-in\/","url_meta":{"origin":50519,"position":4},"title":"Why Isn’t Bruce Banner Called He-Hulk? She-Hulk’s Tatiana Maslany Weighs In","date":"August 14, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"She-Hulk: Attorney at Law star Tatiana Maslany said the show will address the implications of the character's \"She-Hulk\" moniker. While appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Maslany was asked by host Stephen Colbert why Bruce Banner doesn't go by \"He-Hulk\" in the way that her character was given\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Entertainment"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":47689,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/she-hulk-mcu-origin-story-explained-by-head-writer-jessica-gao\/","url_meta":{"origin":50519,"position":5},"title":"She Hulk MCU Origin Story Explained By Head Writer Jessica Gao","date":"August 17, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Cousins \u200b\u200bBruce Banner and Jennifer Walters. Image: Marvel StudiosShe-Hulk comic book fans might be a little confused later this week when the character finally makes her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the comics, the character's origin happens when Jennifer Walters, successful lawyer and cousin to Bruce Banner, is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Entertainment"","img":{"alt_text":"Back to School Month with Govee Sale","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_center,h_180,q_80,w_320\/0e1f7f91c6f352bd873f0c251d6bebe2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/V3xLt-SF27naRgSeIXPAQR48GvY=\/375x0:1976x838\/fit-in\/1200x630\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/23954467\/hbb1010_101_comp_v223_7b00dda1.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50519"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50519\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}