Women in Refrigerators

Women in Refrigerators (or WiR) is a website created in 1999[1] by a group of feminist comic-book fans that lists examples of the superhero comic-book trope whereby female characters are injured, raped, killed, or depowered (an event colloquially known as fridging), sometimes to stimulate "protective" traits, and often as a plot device intended to move a male character's story arc forward, and seeks to analyze why these plot devices are used disproportionately on female characters.

Women in Refrigerators
Type of site
Comic book
Available inEnglish
OwnerGail Simone
Created byDaniel Merlin Goodbrey
Rob Harris
Gail Simone
Beau Yarbrough
John Bartol
URLlby3.com/wir
RegistrationNo
LaunchedMarch 1999
Current statusOnline

History
Panel from Green Lantern #54, the origin of the phrase

The term "Women in Refrigerators" was coined by writer Gail Simone as a name for the website in early 1999 during online discussions about comic books with friends. It refers to an incident in Green Lantern #54 (1994), written by Ron Marz, in which Kyle Rayner, the title hero, comes home to his apartment to find that his girlfriend, Alexandra DeWitt, had been killed by the villain Major Force and stuffed into a refrigerator.[2][3] Simone and her colleagues then developed a list of fictional female characters who had been "killed, maimed or depowered", in particular in ways that treated the female character as merely a device to move a male character's story arc forward, rather than as a fully developed character in her own right.[3][4] The list was then circulated via the Internet over Usenet, bulletin board systems, e-mail and electronic mailing lists. Simone also e-mailed many comic book creators directly for their responses to the list.

The list is infamous in certain comic book fan circles. Respondents often found different meanings to the list itself, though Simone maintained that her simple point had always been: "If you demolish most of the characters girls like, then girls won't read comics. That's it!"[5]

Journalist Beau Yarbrough created the initial design and coding on the original site. Technology consultant John Bartol edited the content. Robert Harris,[6] a librarian and comic-book fan, contributed to site maintenance and updates along with fan John Norris. The idea for placing the list online originated with software developer Jason Yu, who also served as the original site host.[7]

Creator response

Simone received numerous e-mail responses from comic book fans and professionals. Some responses were neutral and others were positive.[8] Additionally, arguments on the merits of the list were published on comic-book fan sites in early 1999.

Simone published many of the responses she received on the website.[8]

Several comic book creators indicated that the list caused them to pause and think about the stories they were creating. Often these responses contained arguments for or against the use of death or injury of female characters as a plot device. A list of some responses from comic book professionals is included at the site.[9] Marz's reply stated (in part) "To me the real difference is less male–female than main character-supporting character. In most cases, main characters, "title" characters who support their own books, are male. ... the supporting characters are the ones who suffer the more permanent and shattering tragedies. And a lot of supporting characters are female."[10]

Dead Men Defrosting

In response to fans who argued that male characters are also often killed, content editor John Bartol wrote "Dead Men Defrosting", an article arguing that when male heroes are killed or altered, they are more typically returned to their status quo. According to Bartol's claim, after most female characters are altered they are "never allowed, as male heroes usually are, the chance to return to their original heroic states. And that's where we begin to see the difference."[11]

Discussing the site in his book Dangerous Curves: Action Heroes, Gender, Fetishism and Popular Culture, Bowling Green State University professor Jeffrey A. Brown noted that while male comic book heroes have tended to die heroically and be magically brought back from the dead afterwards, female characters have been likelier to be casually but irreparably wounded or killed, often in a sexualized fashion. To support his claim, he cited the Joker shattering the original Batgirl's spine just for fun, resulting in her being written as a wheelchair user for over a decade. He also cites the torture and murder of Stephanie Brown by the villain Black Mask.[12]

References in mass culture

In 2000, several national newspapers ran articles that referenced the site, generating discussion on the topic of sexism in pop culture and the comic-book industry.[13] Some universities also list the content of Women in Refrigerators as related to analysis and critique of pop culture.[14][15]

Within the comics medium, during the DC event Blackest Night in 2009, Alexandra DeWitt was one of many deceased characters temporarily brought back to life as part of the Black Lantern Corps. While she appeared briefly, she was seen inside a refrigerator construct at all times.[16]

Deadtown

Deadtown, an upcoming television series from Amazon Studios, an adaptation of the Catherynne M. Valente novel The Refrigerator Monologues, centers upon five recently deceased women who meet in Deadtown, a purgatory where they discover that their entire lives were merely in service to the superhero men, resulting in each of their deaths once they provided emotional backstory for the men.[17]

Notable contributors

Several contributors to the site and the original list later became comic book creators and entertainment industry professionals.

See also

References
  1. Simone, Gail (March 1999). "Women in Refrigerators". LBY3. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  2. Condon, Michael (October 2002). "The Fanzig Challenge". Fanzing. Retrieved January 11, 2006.
  3. Prowse-Gany, Brian (August 12, 2015). "Rise of the Female Superhero". Yahoo! News.
  4. Simone, Gail (March 1999). "The List". lb3.com. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  5. Simone, Gail (March 28, 1999). "Email as of 4/28/99". LBY3. Retrieved January 11, 2006.
  6. "Who's Who: The Scarlet Rob". Gay League. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
  7. "Women in Refrigerators". lby3.com. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  8. Simone, Gail; Bartol, John (Editors). "Fan Reactions". "Women in Refigerators". Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  9. Simone, Gail; Harris Rob (Editors). "Responding Creators". Women in Refrigerators. LBY3. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  10. "Ron Marz responds". Women in Refrigerators. LBY3. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  11. Bartol, John (March 1999). "Dead Men Defrosting". Women in Refrigerators. LBY3. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  12. Brown, Jeffrey A. Dangerous curves: action heroines, gender, fetishism, and popular culture. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. pp. 175–6. ISBN 160473714X.
  13. "Letters: Wonder women". Dallas Observer. May 25, 2000. Archived from the original on September 3, 2000. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  14. "Popular Culture". WSU.edu. Washington State University. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  15. Moore, Perry. "Who cares about the death of a gay superhero anyway?". Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  16. Green Lantern Corps Vol. 2 #46 (May 2010).
  17. Fleming Jr, Mike (December 7, 2018). "Amazon Sparks To Shauna Cross eOne Hourlong Female Superhero Saga 'Deadtown'". Deadline Hollywood.
  18. "Sixgun: Tales From An Unfolded Earth". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
  19. "Brain Fist". E-merl.com. August 7, 2007. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
  20. "Fan Reactions". Women in Refrigerators. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
  21. Weiland, Jonah (December 27, 2002). "'7 Guys of Justice' return this July in special giant-sized issue". Comic Book Resources.
  22. "Yahoo! Movies: About Greg's Previews". Movies.yahoo.com. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
  23. "Yahoo! Movies - Greg's Previews". Movies.yahoo.com. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
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