We live in a world where much of the power over anything, really, is put in the hands of men. Over the last few decades, women have started to receive more respect in everyday life, especially in the United States. However, there are certain aspects of life where this male-dominated way of thinking is still very much intact. While women have become much stronger and increasingly equal in the workplace throughout the last few generations of society, one thing that has not changed are the expectations for women that many men still have. In an excerpt from the female-empowering comic Bitch Planet, the author Kelly Sue DeConnick uses the tool of amplification through simplification to show the impact that our society’s outdated and sexist expectations have on women, while also encouraging women to be comfortable in their own skin and embrace who they are.

Our society has come a long way from the days where the only job for women was tending to the home and children while looking a certain way to please their husbands, however, some of these outdated expectations are still carried by some men today. In the comic, we see the story of Penelope, a young African American woman who lives in a facility on Bitch Planet. This facility is a society run by middle-aged white men who call themselves the Fathers. These men represent an extreme version of our patriarchal society today, and they spend their time trying to “help” women, like Penelope, whom they feel do not meet their standards of femininity. The detailed illustrations and powerful words used in this comic amplify the message that DeConnick is trying to convey to her readers. In the opening scene, Penelope is being spoken to by the Fathers regarding a recent violent outbreak and her unacceptable appearance. One of the Fathers says with a look of absolute disgust, “Good God woman. What have you done to yourself?” (DeConnick 177). Although short, this line is powerful because we can see the pain and anger in Penelope’s eyes as these men speak to her as if she is an object or a child. The Fathers claim that they only want to “help” Penelope. However, even by saying this they are degrading her in a way that would make anyone feel as if there is something innately wrong with them, solely because she is a woman who doesn’t fit their standards of femininity.

In children we see the most innocence and naivety of any person. Children have yet to be influenced by some of the harsh and devastating realities of the world, and they see things as they should be. In a flashback scene of Penelope’s childhood, we see her in the kitchen baking with her grandmother. When Penelope finds that she is too weak to mix the batter, her grandmother says that if she keeps working hard she will be strong like her father. Penelope replies “My mom is strong” to which her grandmother says “…that she is” (DeConnick 179). These lines show Penelope’s lack of awareness of the patriarchal society she lives in. As a child, Penelope never questioned whether or not her mother was strong because she had not yet realized that in society, women are automatically assumed to be the weaker sex. The Fathers tell Penelope that they took her in to “protect her” from her mother. They go on to say, “She was delusional and dangerous. She refused to see the truth before her.” (DeConnick 184). From this quote we can see that the Fathers took Penelope away from her mother because they saw that she was a strong woman who defied their expectations that women should be quiet and statuesque. Penelope’s mother put the patriarchy in jeopardy by refusing to submit to the demands of the men around her, and the Fathers decided to take Penelope from her to prevent Penelope being raised with the same mentality as her mother. DeConnick’s message is really amplified through this simple two sentence quote because we can see not only that many women are incredibly strong, but also that men are intimidated by the idea of powerful women because they threaten the hold that patriarchy has on society.

Our society is structured in a way in which people who are different and don’t fit standards of what we call “normal” are often looked down upon or treated as outcasts. In a flashback of Penelope’s life, we see her working in the kitchen of a café serving muffins. Throughout the scene, there are men whom she is serving that are incredibly rude and mock her because she doesn’t match their expectations of women who are small, timid, and take orders. As Penelope is dealing with these customers, she becomes increasingly aggravated for being antagonized and belittled for being different. On the television in the background, we see a female news anchor reporting on the day’s news, and she says “Today’s top stories—how you can try the parasitic worm diet that is all the rage with today’s tween celebs” (DeConnick 193). The anchor is pictured to be thin with perfect hair and makeup, and is an example of the type of woman that men believe should stand as an example of how all women should look and act. The positive reaction that the news program gets from the men and women in the café exemplifies the fact that our society’s completely unrealistic expectations of how women should look have actually become a normal reality for many people. 

With all of the negative influences and messages put out into our world today with regards to women and how they should look and act, it is incredibly important for parents and role models in general to instill values of confidence and individuality in young girls. Because our society is so heavily influenced by the sexist and outdated opinions of men, it can be very difficult for women to resist their influence and be confident and happy with who they are. In the final scene of this excerpt from Bitch Planet, the Fathers are conducting an experiment on Penelope that projects her mental image of her ideal self onto a mirror. When they conduct the experiment, the image shown in the mirror is Penelope exactly the way she is. The Fathers are all concerned that there was some sort of technical error, but Penelope says with a smirk, “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. I ain’t broke. And you bastards ain’t never gonna break me” (DeConnick 199). DeConnick really amplifies her message by using such a simple quote as this one because the few words that she uses are carefully chosen to convey that Penelope loves who she is while also antagonizing the patriarchy that is represented by the Fathers she is speaking to. This last scene is so powerful because it shows that even though Penelope has spent her whole life being told that she should change, she loves herself the way she is and embraces her individuality. Penelope didn’t let the Fathers make her feel inadequate or weak, and DeConnick uses Penelope as an example of how women in our society need to be strong and embrace who they are no matter what pressures are put on them by men. 

DeConnick’s writing style and use of amplification through simplification combines detailed images with simple yet powerful quotes to instill her message into the reader. Overall, this comic is an extremely effective reminder that while men have certain expectations of how women should look and act, it is important for women as a whole to fight these standards and love ourselves the way we are. 
