Trina Robbins, the Controversial Feminist Who Revolutionized Comic Books Reading Reflection
The article discusses the life and legacy of Trina Robbins, a 79-year-old writer-artist-editor who made history as the first person to create an all-female comic book. Robbins helped shape the development of comic books and the way we perceive women in them by launching the longest-running comics series created and edited entirely by women, Wimmen’s Comix, and penning books about female comic creators. Despite her significant contributions to the industry, Robbins' accomplishments were not widely recognized due to the comics ecosystem's historic disinterest in feminist rhetoric and female achievement. Robbins' time in the underground was rarely a smooth ride due to her tendency to advance a version of feminism that both inspired and rankled those around her in that underground. The article notes that Robbins' awakening to feminism in 1969 changed her profoundly and made her feel left out from the comix crowd in which her boyfriend, underground creator Kim Deitch, had become a star. Despite facing social exclusion and rarely being asked to contribute to actual comic books, Robbins continued to break barriers for women in the comic book industry.
Even though there are many controversial about body shape, attractive appeal, and sexy costumes for many icon feminist comic characters such as wonder woman and furry lady, I think Trina Robbin is still an important contributor to rising awareness of woman's power considering her time period background.
In 1967, a number of women's liberation groups were slowly being formed in major cities throughout the United States as second-wave feminists mobilized in their continued fight for equal rights. It had been 10 years since the FDA approved the birth control pill and seven years since the Equal Pay Act passed, but women still lacked the same rights that their white male counterparts enjoyed. They were fed up with sexism in the workplace, at home, and in their romantic relationships. They spoke out against the sexual harassment and abuse that was often met with little more than a proverbial shrug by law enforcement and the government. And most importantly, they began what would become a decades-long fight for the government to cease its regulation of their bodies. It was during this time period that Trina Robbin tried to make changes in the comic. There is still a long way to go in stopping the male gaze in character and costume design. Thankfully, there is currently a significant increase in the visibility of women and gender issues in the world of the comics and animation industry. A plethora of female writers, artists, and writer-artists are involved in creating a wide range of content that is advocating the voice of a woman.
“We reached out to all women in our comic; we always asked for submissions,” Robbins says, but “we just never got anything from women of color” and “there really wasn’t much we could do until we finally got a submission from a lesbian.”.
“We all fight in the ways we can,” she said. “And this is what I can do—I can march and draw comics.”
Back to Dimples and her grand imagination. She is elected president! And look at her, a mere 8 years after women got the vote: she’s wearing a pantsuit!
