In DeConnick’s Bitch Planet she examines the ways these ideologies can be put into practice through a dystopian society who’s values may not be as far-fetched as they initially seem. The ways in which the system has harmed Penelope to make her more violent and frustrated creates a parallel to real modern-day society. Images we see in advertisements showing unrealistically thin women lying on cars eating cheeseburgers don’t encourage women to be confident in themselves and eat what they want; it teaches us that we are mere objects and that the standards expected of us are unattainable, leading to a burden on our women. Relating this idea to Bitch Planet, DeConnick shows that this boarding school that was determined to make her a perfect specimen of a women has not made Penelope more compliant to the rules of society, it has fueled her anger and hatred towards this society.  DeConnick emphasizes the standards that women are held to in modern society by highlighting the ways that many women feel because of society’s expectations. When Penelope has an uncontrollable fit of rage, the illustrations illuminate the frustration felt by women in modern-day western civilizations. She is depicted throwing things at people and destroying the bakery that she works in, while other women in this society just sit to the side and stare in horror. This parallels the conflict between women in our society. It shows that we struggle between succumbing to the standards expected of us and accepting ourselves for who we are. 

From the start of the comic, Penelope’s appearance makes it apparent that she would be mistreated in the patriarchal society of Bitch Planet. She is very large in stature, overweight, and African American. Meaning that many of her natural physical attributes are not considered to be ideal to the “Fathers.” She is not only a female but African American and that subjects her to many forms of discrimination. This is one of several reasons she gets sent to a boarding school that is supposed to train her to become a peg in the system. Penny starts being trained to fit into this society that never truly wants to accept her, but rather shape her to become the bare minimum of what they will accept. This lack of acceptance leads to an inner frustration which cant be fixed. This is shown through Penny’s numerous outbreaks. She knows that no matter what she does she will never be good enough for the Fathers or their societal standards. She appears drained an worn down while speaking to the Fathers in the beginning, but by the end she feels empowered because she realizes again that she is proud to be herself.  This shocks the fathers, because when they hook her up to a machine, which is supposed to show Penny’s vision of an ideal version of herself, it shows her reflection. The fathers are confused and assume that the machine is broken.  This reflects DeConnick’s hope for women in today’s society. Although life in a patriarchal society may wear down women, we must overcome these obstacles and be proud to be ourselves.

In the beginning, when Penelope faces the fathers in her orange jumpsuit, it is clear that she holds anger and resentment towards them. Although we do not yet know any of the hardships Penelope has experienced, because of the way she looks and her gender. Although we can infer that she has been mistreated because of the looks of disgust and frustration. Penelope looks aggressively at the Fathers who look at her as if she were an ugly animal. As their conversation progresses she looks pained and saddened as she begins to recall memories from her childhood. When Penelope has a flashback she appears innocent and happy. She was nothing other than an ordinary, innocent, happy little girl. By showing her past innocence, it makes it clear to the audience that Penelope was once a normal child, unaffected by the harsh truths of discrimination and authoritarian rule. After this flashback, the facial expressions of the fathers which appear aloof and falsely-concerned cause an outrage in the reader, similar to how Penelope feels. By showing her once held innocence, DeConnick plays with the reader’s perception by relating Penelope to the audience. 

Throughout Penelope’s life she is taught that she is lesser than the other women in her society because of the way she looks and expresses herself. But the sexism and racism she is subjected to isn’t always through blatant acts of disrespect, it is more frequently through seemingly small acts that reinforce these backwards ideologies. For example when Penny gets sent to the principles office Mother Sierbertling insists on saying things that perpetuate patriarchy and racism, but one can’t help but to wonder if she is even aware of this. They start a conversation about Penny’s grandmother whom Penny refers to as Bertha however the principal calls her “Mrs. Chester Alexander” (which was her husbands name.) When Penny brings this up, Mother Sierbertling just dismisses the fact that she will not even refer to the woman by her own name. Next in their encounter, “Mother” tries to tame Penny’s naturally curly, kinky, African American hair. When Penny questions “What’s wrong with it?” Mother replies with “It’s not black or white, good or bad. Folks don’t know what to make of it because they don’t know what it is.” This perfectly exemplifies the ignorance that many people hold in regards to beauty standards and treatment of women. It is often the case that just because someone does something different than the ordinary, they are punished regardless of whether or not what they did was wrong. Rather than focusing on education and acceptance of our differences, we are often taught to repress the things that make us who we are. 

Bitch Planet exemplifies many of the struggles that women in our society face today. In addition to this DeConnick shows the added struggles that woman of color face. Although Bitch Planet is thought to be a dramatization of the patriarchy, because of the institution that Penelope is sent to.  many of the specific examples of ways that women are discriminated against are very comparable to reality. 

