
 In Kelly Sue DeConnick’s female empowering comic, Bitch Planet, there is a great deal of emphasis put on the oppression of women through the societal expectations of men. However, many people don’t realize that there are so many other aspects of the feminist movement that are important in making our society more equal and accepting of all people. I will also be using three other sources to incorporate different aspects of feminism related to interdependency, violence, and race to grow my argument and dig deeper into the issues of our unequal society as represented in Bitch Planet. I turn to Audre Lorde to emphasize how urgent it is for women to become a united front against the pressures and influences of our sexist, and equally racist society, despite our differences. A publication called The Nation published a powerful article that explains the messages that Kelly Sue DeConnick aims to convey to her readers through Bitch Planet. One of her messages is the fact that violence is seen as an unacceptable form of expression for women, especially African American women, when it is not for men. Another strong piece from Audre Lorde works to address the issue of racism with regards to feminism. She makes the point that women of color are even discriminated against by other white women. Using these sources along with the main text, Bitch Planet, I demonstrate the importance for all women, despite their differences, to be interdependent and rely on one another to combat the oppressive force and expectations placed on us by society. 

The feminist movement is often viewed as women protesting for equal rights as men, and while this is partly true, people often overlook the importance of the infrastructure behind this movement. In “The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House,” author Audre Lorde addresses women as a whole when she explains the importance of women supporting one another. When speaking at a feminist conference in 1979, Lorde makes the point that she is the only African American and lesbian speaker at the conference, and that the lack of diversity is detrimental to the cause. To truly begin to make a change in our society, women as a whole need to embrace our differences and use them to create a diverse and powerful community that is ready to face these challenges together to make a difference. Lorde argues that, “As women, we have been taught either to ignore our differences, or to view them as causes for separation and suspicion rather than as forces for change. Without community there is no liberation” (Lorde). If women want to make a difference in our society and stop being viewed as lesser than men, we need to stop treating each other as lesser because of our differences whether they be sexuality, race, or economic status. It takes a diverse and open-minded community to make change, not just a small group of select individuals. 

While white women do still face oppression by men, we don’t experience the racial aspect that is included in intersectional feminism. White women need to use whatever tools that they have in the white male community, specifically, to dissuade derogatory and unfair judgements that are made upon women of color. Audre Lorde puts great emphasis on interdependency and support between women because it takes a cohesive team to reach a victory, and this is evident when she says, “Interdependency between women is the way to a freedom which allows the I to be, not in order to be used, but to be creative” (Lorde). Equality for women doesn’t just mean equal pay and job opportunities. It also means having the freedom to express your views and creativity without the oppressive forces of the patriarchy saying that doing certain things or acting a certain way is unacceptable, as we saw in DeConnick’s comic Bitch Planet. This freedom of creativity and expression is only a small step of the overall feminist goal towards transforming our society. Relying on each other and accepting everyone for their differences will bring us, as women, one step closer to our goal.

One aspect of feminism that most people who have no connection with the movement do not see is the issue of racism among women themselves. Racism in our country is a huge issue, and while the feminist movement is supposed to unite women around the country and the world to fight against our patriarchal society, there are so many women who are discriminated against by other women. Audre Lorde is an African American feminist writer, and she has a perspective on the topic that not many others have. In her article “The Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism,” Lorde explains how it feels to be discriminated against by people who are supposed to be united on the same team, and why racism among women is detrimental to feminism as a whole. In her article Lorde says, “No woman is responsible for altering the psyche of her oppressor, even when that psyche is embodied in another woman,” (Lorde) and this quote really shows that as women we should be working together to fight the oppression of men, not oppressing each other. For the issues of sexism and inequality to be eradicated, women need to accept each other the way they are and fight for the common good. Diversity and differences are qualities that help to build a stronger and more powerful team. Women of all races face enough oppression and challenges from our patriarchal society, so when it comes to each other women need to learn to be accepting and loving of our differences so that we can make the world as whole more accepting of everyone regardless of their sex or race.

One standard put on women of all ages and all races is the statement that women should not express themselves using violence. While violence is not always the best solution to an issue, why should men have the option to get physical if someone disrespects or intentionally insults them and women should not? This issue is addressed in a publication called The Nation in which the feminist comic Bitch Planet is used as a reference point to show how violence is deemed as a completely unacceptable form of expression for women, but not men. The author of the article quotes Danielle Henderson, a critic and author of essay series “Bitches be like…” who said “The striking thing about Bitch Planet is that we’re already on it.” (Lynch) Henderson emphasizes here how the scenarios in Bitch Planet are not just something from a fiction comic series, they are reality for the women of our society. In the article from, the writer mentions how the main character of one of the editions is scolded for punching a boy who had been teasing her and making fun of her grandmother being arrested. The irony in this situation is that the person scolding Penelope was a woman as well, and she was explaining to Penelope that women don’t behave as such and she is expected to be compliant (Lynch). Throughout the comic, Penelope shows repeated acts of violence, however none of them were unjustified, and some weren’t even harmful to others. The way that Penelope was being treated was unfair and disrespectful, and if she were a man, people would not only accept violence as reaction, but they would expect it. It is completely sexist that men are expected and encouraged to use violence to express their emotions when women are looked down upon for doing so. This is form of oppression is unfair because it not only prevents women from being able to defend themselves against others but it also blocks an outlet of expression. No man should be allowed to tell a woman how she can or can’t react in any situation. The fact that the person scolding Penelope for her actions was a woman is also concerning because instead of supporting Penelope for standing up against bullies, she supported the patriarchal idea that it is unacceptable for women to use any sort of violence.

Once we are aware of some of the nuances of feminist practice, we can focus on what the goal of this movement is. 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 some 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 that a lot of men, and even some women still have, especially for black women. 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 racist, 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 mostly white 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 white and thin, with perfect hair and makeup. The fact that the news anchor is a white woman is also no mistake. DeConnick uses this character to illustrate how white women are often seen as more beautiful and treated with more respect than women of color, which not only causes conflict within the feminist movement but also raises the question of why nothing is done by white women to prevent this way of thinking? To make a difference in the way that men view women as a whole, women need to step up and start making a change within our own community. Racism is a learned behavior, and to stop men from thinking this way, women need to set a good example and not judge others by their skin color or nationality. 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. 

In light of current events in our society as of the 2016 presidential election, it is especially important that women of all races, ages, and nationalities continue to further the feminist movement and defy any and all odds against us. With a special type of criticism put on women of color, it is not only up to the white women to fight for women’s rights as a whole but also to defend our neighbor. As Lorde has mentioned in many of her works, unity is key to achieving success, and if we as women are not accepting of all our members, we will make no progress in overcoming the hurdles of racism and sexism that we are all forced to encounter. To make our world a more accepting and equal place for all women and to put an end to sexism, we need to lead by example and show kindness and equality to each other by embracing our differences and treating everyone with the respect with which you would want to be treated.
