“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is a common phrase noting that there is not one true definition of beauty. “Bitch Planet” by Kelly Sue DeConnick is a comic that notes this, with the group of leaders known as the Fathers attempting to turn everyone thin and beautiful. Several visual motifs exist in the story such as Penny’s hair that are obvious symbols. However, one particular symbol tends to go unnoticed or ignored. The one in question is the fact that the Fathers are always seen with a symbol behind their heads: a bright yellow and orange circle. They are only seen without the symbol at one point, which is at the end when Penny, the protagonist, discovers what her ideal self is in her subconscious. This circle is a powerful symbol, which could easily be overlooked. In order to truly understand why this is so, a thorough analysis of the scene where the cerebral action potential integration and extrapolation matrix is being set up and the scene where Penny’s perception of the perfect self is shown in the mirror, as well as comparing the symbol to the main idea of the story, is necessary.

At the end of the comic, Penny’s ideal self is revealed through a device known as the cerebral action potential integration and extrapolation matrix. From the very start of the excerpt that was read, Penny is in a room with the Fathers, who eventually end up hooking her up to this machine, in hopes of making her see what she could look like if she just stopped being so stubborn as they saw her to be, while explaining what it does. While this is being set up, the image behind the heads of the Fathers becomes the most easily visible. From what we can see, they are a mixture of red, orange, and yellow. Within the circle is a yellow blocky image. The colors resemble those that are seen at sunset and are commonly seen as very warm colors. However, the reason why those colors are seen at sunset is because the sun is very far away, thus resulting in colors with shorter wavelengths being lost. As for the position of the image, the circle is placed directly behind their heads. Similar imagery can be found on depictions of various wise and/or holy figures, such as Moses or the spiritual leaders of Buddhism. This is due to this being the easiest way to depict one’s head glowing in a stagnant image, as those spiritual leaders were sometimes known to have. The most famous example of this would be for any of the traditional paintings of a Buddha. They all have a glowing yellow ball behind their heads. The second most famous example of this same visual motif showing up in common papers would be when Moses is coming down from the mountain after having obtained the ten commandments in the book of Exodus.

On the final page of “Bitch Planet”, when Penny’s subconscious opinion as to what would be the perfect version of herself is revealed to be her current self, the circle disappears from behind the heads of the Fathers. This scene is taken from an over-the-shoulder shot from Penny’s side, most likely to show that it was supposed to show what Penny herself was seeing. Following that train of thought, it could potentially be that the circles are also just invisible in the eyes of Penny. After all, if the Fathers were in front of a wall with the symbol on it, the symbol wouldn’t disappear and the Fathers themselves have no reason to collectively move away from that one place. If it was just an image to appear behind them by the means of some sort of device like a green screen or something, there’s no reason why it would suddenly disappear as a result of the cerebral action potential integration and extrapolation matrix turning on. Upon seeing what was shown in the mirror-like screen of the machine, all the Fathers have a confused look on their faces, as they are shocked about Penny’s ideal self. Overall, the entire scene seems underwhelming save for the lines of dialogue and the mirror with Penny’s image in it. Meanwhile, the image of Penny is laughing heartily.

With the two scenes having been analyzed, it is time to point out what the visual motif means for the rest of the story. The ball of light behind the heads of the fathers is a rather simple concept to explain. Throughout the story, the Fathers were described to be powerful leaders who know what’s best and know no wrong. They were wise and powerful leaders that people would follow with devotion, hence the symbol behind their heads. When it disappears, it is pointing out how they can no longer be considered to be the invincible, wise leaders that they are, at least by Penny. After all, the logic that they thought to be perfect, that nobody questioned, has been proven wrong. They do not know what would be the best for Penny, and she considers herself perfectly fine the way she is, even in her subconscious. The whole message behind the comic is that people look fine if they themselves believe themselves to be. Society’s view of beauty of perfection is not one that applies to everyone, and that’s fine the way it is. This symbol encapsulates that perfectly, by noting that even those who appear to be extremely wise and powerful cannot, in the end, put an exact description to beauty. 
