by Wolfmoon Lady » Sat Jul 08, 2006 5:05 pm
Thanks for posting these. I couldn't say whether these comics were trying to 'sexualize' youngsters. As a child, I never knew what homosexuality was, and never related imagery such as what these covers illustrate, to sex. I can see it now, of course, but not then. I do think such covers promoted a kind of phallic worship, which manifested as male authority and privilege in and outside of the nuclear family.<br><br>I was born in 1951, and we grew up with this stuff. Boys and girls lived in separate spheres, especially once they started school. Gender roles were quite specific: girls risked being called 'unladylike' or 'tomboys' if they didn't conform. This meant you'd never find a husband when the time came. Males were the leaders, decision makers, the breadwinners. Men were the ones who took care of women and children, for good or for ill, and women had to abide by their authority. This was reinforced in multiple ways, permeating every aspect of American life, especially TV.<br><br>Back then, we only had 3 channels, and watched shows like Gunsmoke, I Love Lucy, and The Mickie Mouse Club. All of these programs, in one way or another, instructed us on how to behave in the context of 1950s culture. <br><br>MMC, for example, had a series called, "<!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047775/" target="top">Spin and Marty</a><!--EZCODE LINK END-->." It was about a rich kid (Marty) who was spoiled, frail, and unmanly. His grandmother sends him to the Triple R - a ranch for boys - where every summer, the boys learned to be cowboys, riding horses, roping, and competing against each other. Fair play betwen the boys was emphasized. So was the difference between girls and boys.<br><br>In the second season of "Spin and Marty," a subplot developed that included a nearby ranch for girls. Annette Funicello was one of them. She presented herself as ladylike, spoke softly and politely, and always looked fresh and clean. And, she had boobs. I never wanted to be like Annette. Too boring. Instead, I wanted to ride a palomino like Skyrocket, and sit up all night in front of a campfire with the other boys, singing, "Way out west on the Triple-R, yipp-i, yipp-a, yippi-o!"<br><br>My brothers had no problem with including me in their playtime escapades. I ran with the boys and took my lumps along with them. They treated me as an equal, partly because I could run faster than most of them, and I could punch their lights out if they hassled me. When I started school, my parents couldn't afford to buy me a new winter coat. Mom being practical, gave me my brother's ugly grey monstrosity, along with a cap with ear-flaps. I remember being laughed at because I "didn't look like a girl." I was amazed at the (to me) ridiculous appearance of my female classmates: ponytails curled, barrettes on the sides, full-skirted, starched dresses, with feet clad in snow-white anklets and patent leather Mary Janes. How do they play? I wondered. I soon found out - they didn't play, at least not the way I had been doing. They all had dolls and tea sets. Boring again.<br><br>Later on, when we reached our teen years, things changed all on their own (shades of "Spin and Marty"'s second season). Once my older brother found out that his friends were more interested in trying to steal kisses from me than playing Saturday afternoon softball, I was banished from 'the gang.' That was the year I started reading books all day long.<br><br>For years, I resented the fact that, as a female, I had to change while the males did not. I felt a sense of anger and resentment that I was expected to morph into another self, an alien self. When I complained, my mother said, "It's part of growing up." I suppose that I carried that anger into the 60s, in becoming a feminist. Now, I look back and admire my own plucky individuality, and marvel at how I managed to get through it at all. It was the best of times, and the worst of times, for a gal like me.<br><br>Sorry if this went off topic. It just came out.<br><br>FYI: Here's the <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.disneypov.com/issue10/spin.html" target="top">backstory</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> to "Spin and Marty" for those who remember it and loved it as I did. <p></p><i></i>
