She-Hulk, Bodies & Fashion

She-Hulk probably isn’t the superhero you’d most associate with “fashion,” likely because lawyers tend to wear a lot of suits, but also because her large green body is emphasized by a lack of clothing. However, fashion studies is linked to discussions of the body. 1/10

Fashion studies demarcates fashion eras by the overall silhouette of the garment. The core of what’s changing is actually social values regarding an “ideal body” type, and clothes exist as an extension to either accentuate or morph the body into that ideal silhouette. 2/10

Superhero costume scholarship places archetypal superhero suits as second skins akin to nudity, which help accentuate musculature & resemble classical Greek sculpture. But the “ideal body” means different things to the fashion industry, fine art, pornography, sports… 3/10

As Paolo Volonte points out in his book Fat Fashion, the ideal body is almost entirely mythical or unachievable for most people. This subsequently allows social & economic hierarchies to police others’ bodies, enforce hegemonic power structures, & influence behavioral codes. 4/10

She-Hulk’s genetically modified form is an exemplary impossible body, which constantly subjects her to discussions of body politics. She is both described as an ideal, sexually desirable woman, but also as monstrous because her size & muscles are associated with masculinity. 5/10

Representation of Sensational She-Hulk’s body borrows from the ultimate unattainable woman – the supermodel. There are many models, but only a very select group are considered supermodels & the mid 1980s to the mid 90s were an unprecedented era of supermodel celebrity. 6/10

Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, & Claudia Schiffer were famous for their confident, unapologetic personalities, overt sexuality, and wild antics. Their “ideal bodies” included the presence of noticeable butts, boobs & weight training. 7/10

Elle McPherson, famous for her Sports Illustrated covers & nicknamed “the body” was 6 feet tall – only 7 inches shorter than the green giantess. Sensational She-Hulk is clearly depicted similarly to these supermodels. Her comic covers purposefully mimic fashion magazines. 8/10

She-Hulk is depicted alongside a brief cultural period in the fashion industry that allowed women to be outspoken & sexual but she also exemplifies the way the myth of the ideal body is used even against those with ideal bodies for the purpose of policing bodies & behaviors. 9/10

She-Hulk is objectified within her text & via others’ opinions of how her body should look. It’s inescapable because her body is imaginary; because it cannot exist, it becomes a locus of ideas. But the ideal body is always changing & so can imaginary bodies—if we let them. 10/10

This thread is a guest post by scholar and fashion historian Monica Geraffo. For more, check out Monica’s recent presentation on She-Hulk for the Comics Arts Conference at San Diego Comic-Con!