batgirl

UK Retailer Primark Sells Appallingly Sexist Batgirl Nightshirt

It seems like every six months like clockwork, a retailer somewhere in the world releases a superhero-themed shirt for women that sends exactly the wrong message to women and girls — undercutting the very notion of heroism, and reinforcing gender stereotypes rather than challenging them.

This time the culprit is British retailer Primark, and the victim is both Batgirl and any woman who bought the incredibly sexist nightshirt they are selling in their stores.

Primark - Batgirl Nightshirt
Primark – Batgirl Nightshirt

Superhero fan Pippa Granger spotted the nightshirt on a recent shopping trip, and initially she was excited at her find. “When I first saw it I was excited as it is difficult to get female superhero clothing without it being pin,” she said. “Then I read the words and my jaw dropped.”

The words?

When is a woman ever a woman? Every moment of the day…and night! Even Batgirl during her most hectic moments…when she is battling criminals…is always conscious of her appearance! Should her costume be ripped, her face smeared, a bootheel lost… and her concern boomerangs against her! And yet being feminine can sometimes be turned to an advantage as she demonstrates to Batman and Robin in…

Batgirl’s Costume Cut-Ups

‘By the time Batgirl pretties herself up’ ‘It’ll all be over’

Detective #371, circa 1968
Detective #371, circa 1968

That’s right, instead of heroically saving the day, Batgirl is obsessing over her physical appearance … because that’s what “being feminine” is all about.

The design is taken from Detective #371, originally published in 1968. While the comic might be from the ’60s, the ideas about women contained inside it are from decades earlier.

“It’s extremely demeaning to women,” Granger said. “I don’t understand how someone could have approved that design.”

‘The Killing Joke’ Gets a Brutal ‘Honest Trailer’

Warner Bros. new animated take on the controversial Killing Joke makes the problematic Batgirl story arc even more problematic.

This summer at San Diego Comic Con Warner Bros. unveiled the trailer for their newest and most controversial animated film yet, an R-rated adaptation of The Killing Joke. The fine folks at Screen Junkies decided to make one of their patented ‘Honest Trailers’ for the movie, and it is safe to say they are not fans.

The Killing Joke is widely considered to be one of the greatest Joker stories ever told. But as time as passed it has also become infamous as one of the worst Batgirl stories ever told. The story sees the Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) shot in the spine, paralyzed and sexually abused at the hands of the Joker, then discarded — solely to provide motivation for the male protagonists, Batman and Commissioner Gordon.

Writer Alan Moore remembered asking whether it would be OK to dispatch Batgirl in such a cavalier fashion. “I spoke to Len Wein, who was our editor on the project … [He] said, ‘Yeah, okay, cripple the bitch.’ It was probably one of the areas where they should’ve reined me in, but they didn’t.”

The movie adaptation tried to blunt some of the criticism aimed at the graphic novel by adding more Batgirl content to the beginning of the story, but the minds at Screen Junkies were having none of it. From their ‘Honest Trailer’ of the film:

“Warner Bros. is fighting fire with gasoline, by adding even more Batgirl, except now she also gets roofied, flirts with a criminal who is giving her attention, has sex with her boss, complains about men and gets talked down to by a grown man in a batsuit … Prompting this strong female character to just give up and quit, and only then get victimized in the exact same way as the original source material.”

Ouch.

New Margot Robbie Harley Quinn Movie Enters Pre-Production

Batgirl #29 variant - Cliff Chiang
Batgirl #39 variant – Cliff Chiang

Months before Suicide Squad has even opened, Warner Bros. is so confident than Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn will be a breakout star, that they’ve given the actress a chance to reprise the role in an untitled project that she will also produce, according to an article in The Hollywood Reporter.

What is even more interesting is that the project will not be a Harley Quinn solo movie. Rather, it will focus on a number of DC’s female heroes and villains. Names being thrown around include Batgirl and the Birds of Prey.

Birds of Prey
Birds of Prey

Robbie is the driving force behind the movie, according to sources. She dove deep into DC comics lore to prepare for her role as Harley and fell in love with the female heroes and villains. She pitched the idea of a female-driven superhero film to Warner Bros. brass and got the go-ahead based on the strength of her performance in Suicide Squad.

Robbie has brought in an unnamed mystery writer who is currently penning the script, and she is reportedly very excited to bring more of DC’s deeps stable of female characters to the big screen.

Batgirl Joins “Batman: Arkham Knight” Action Figures

Square Enix announced that Batgirl will be the next to join their hyper-detailed Play Arts Kai line of action figures from the video game Batman: Arkham Knight.

At 10 inches tall, Batman: Arkham Knight Batgirl comes with an articulated hard-plastic cape, interchangeable hands, a Batarang, a grapnel gun and a display stand.

Priced at $117, the figure is slated for release in August.

Square Enix’s Play Arts Kai Batman: Arkham Knight Batgirl
Square Enix’s Play Arts Kai Batman: Arkham Knight Batgirl
Square Enix’s Play Arts Kai Batman: Arkham Knight Batgirl
Square Enix’s Play Arts Kai Batman: Arkham Knight Batgirl
Square Enix’s Play Arts Kai Batman: Arkham Knight Batgirl
Square Enix’s Play Arts Kai Batman: Arkham Knight Batgirl
Square Enix’s Play Arts Kai Batman: Arkham Knight Batgirl
Square Enix’s Play Arts Kai Batman: Arkham Knight Batgirl