comicsriot:

This is the first of a series about how male superhero costumes are affected by gender norms and sexual stereotypes. My hope is to build a larger cohesive narrative throughout the posts, but I’ll admit upfront that I don’t have a hard and fast outline. Come with me and see where it goes.

The standards of acceptability for superhero costumes have been changing of late. A great deal of discussion has revolved around female super-costumes. How skimpy is too skimpy? Is a skimpy costume even a problem, or is it really all about how the heroine is written and drawn? Should Power Girl have a cleavage window? Should Wonder Woman wear pants? While these valid and important conversations are happening, male costumes have been evolving too, with far less discussion.

Everyone hates the new Superman costume, and I have to agree. The unnecessary lines make it way too busy, and the lack of yellow in the belt throws off the color balance of the whole outfit. The most discussed change, though, is the loss of his traditional red shorts. Superman is far from the only hero to give up the trunks, however. Batman’s lost his too, as has Green Lantern. The younger DC heroes, like Superboy and Robin, had already evolved into trunks-free looks before the recent reboot. Marvel Comics has never been as dedicated to traditionally designed costumes, but those Marvel heroes who used to wear the trunks, like Cyclops and Wolverine, have also given them up in recent years. Even the Beast and the Thing can be seen in long pants these days.

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(Source: comicsriot)