Catwoman
Named one of the top ten DC Comic villains, Catwoman, otherwise known as Selina Kyle, doesn't seem like the type of character that belongs in a piece about heroes. A master thief, acrobat, and fighter, she was created to be a thorn in the side of/love interest for one of the company's most popular heroes, Batman, though in my mind and more recent comics she is more of an antihero than a villain, often doing the wrong things for the right reasons.
Still, my overall admiration for her character is still there, though my complete infatuation with Catwoman has faded, leaving only the want to control my life like she is able to do for hers in its place.
Catwoman is a prime example of not allowing your current state to determine where you’ll go in life. Born to a suicidal mother and alcoholic father, she grows up in absolute poverty on the streets before becoming the woman dripping with diamonds she is as an adult through hard work and cleverness. Though much of her wealth is obtained by stealing, Selina Kyle wears class like a perfume---she reeks of it, yet she's so absolutely unapologetic for who she is and what she does...and to put it simply: I love that. As a fairly meek someone who has always struggled to say no and stand up for herself, I was drawn to this character for her boldness and the fierceness she went after what she wanted with. This idea of being as assertive and successful as her was so attractive.
However, I'm hesitant to fully congratulate my younger self on her choice of fictional role models as I look back and take a moment to study the character without rose-tinted glasses. It is no secret that Catwoman is one of DC Comic's most sexualized characters. Often portrayed with the body of a porn star and clad head to toe in black leather, Selina Kyle is famous for her promiscuous dialogue and her weaponization of sex appeal in order to get what she wants or simply because she can and is bored. Her love/hate affair with Batman romanticizes toxic, violent relationships, and the heists she pulls of are dangerous and not to mention VERY illegal. Yes, I was drawn to her before I was old enough to understand or even fully acknowledge the existence of that rather manipulative and self destructive side of her character, but still: admitting that Selina Kyle was someone my younger self looked up to isn't something I'm sure I should be happy with.Still, my overall admiration for her character is still there, though my complete infatuation with Catwoman has faded, leaving only the want to control my life like she is able to do for hers in its place.
Never apologize for loving Catwoman. Self-destructive, manipulative, objectified or not, she's an awesome character and I will love her until my dying day.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I LOVE your descriptions of Catwoman (both the positive and the negative), and I think for a 3 & 1/2 paragraph blog post you did a great job of summing up a 70 year old character. Selina was (is) my favorite DC character for a lot of the same reasons. She's super tough, obviously overcame a lot to be where she is, and doesn't let Batman or the law or anyone else pass judgement on her life without living it. She's completely her own master.
I think maybe I'm a little bit more okay with openly admiring Selina as a character than you are, mostly because I first became interested in her character through Gotham (a Batman prequel where Selina is baby Bruce Wayne's badass street fighter friend). It's not accurate to the canon in any way, but Selina's portrayal in particular is a lot more sympathetic, going into her backstory and her struggles. Also, it probably didn't hurt that the actress was 14 when the show started so they had to put the sex appeal on the back burner and come up with other ways to make her character interesting.
Or maybe I just love Catwoman because our culture's misogyny is built into my brain and sexy women are fun to read about. Who knows?
Catwoman is definitely an interesting character. You're never 100% is she's on the good or bad side. However, it's not extremely unusual to like her; she is an extremely independent character who can get what they want. Although Selina isn't the best role model, she definitely has heroic characteristics. I'm pretty sure she never kills and the only crime she commits is theft.
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