You've Come A Long Way, Baby?!?

Reading Silver Age Supergirl can tell you a lot about the era.

I know it's only a comic story...but sometimes these things can provides us a snapshot of the state of society (or, more accurately, the views of middle class white collar white males on the state of society...).

It's mid-1970, and Linda Danvers is taking an obviously important class at Stanhope College:

You've got to wonder--what kind of class is this, exactly? Computer science? Sociology? Basket weaving? I'm paying how much per credit hour to take silly Entertainment Weekly polls?

You've also got to wonder how many students are in the class, that you need a computer to tally the results?

Anyway, the results of the tally are:

Interesting...given the DC universe, you'd figure at least one other superhero would have gotten some support (if Geoff Johns were in the class, you know Green Lantern would have gotten his vote as the person he'd most want to be like). And Jimmy Olsen? Seriously? Some college males seriously wanted to be like Jimmy Olsen?!?

After several more panels of silently complaining to herself about why the ladies didn't get to vote--and running a ridiculous interplanetary errand for Professor Hanson--Supergirl learns a very important lesson:

The lesson: don't question men folk about perceived sexism, because you're just being foolish!! Men are really looking out for you, even if they don't seem to be!!

So, again using a computer roughly the size of an entire room to calculate a popularity contest...

Now this is an interesting list, especially as compared to the mens list. First of all, whereas the men didn't choose any fictional characters to admire, the top two choices for the females are fictional. And three actresses? Does this indicate a dearth of role models for women, or does Bob Kanigher think ladies are just too frivolous to pick real people?

Plus, Juliet? Did you ladies actually read the play? Because that didn't work out to well...

Still, the ladies chose a civil rights figure, whereas the men kind of ignore Martin Luther King. On the flip side, though, you'd have to think that a lecture hall full of 1970 college age women would have at least a few who might pick Gloria Steinem, or Susan B. Anthony. But nope, apparently Scarlett O'Hara represents all the female empowerment Stanhope girls care about...

Now, I've really got to pick on artist Win Mortimer here. The result of the ladies vote is represented on the splash page of this story (please click to embiggen):

Really, Win? Is that the best you can do? Let's blow this up a little...

Come on, now...does that look even vaguely like Sophia Loren? That's Barbra Streisand?? Win, have you ever even seen Greta Garbo?? Geez, I know it's just a little splash page of a silly comic book story, but could you have at least put a little effort into your "likenesses"??

Back to our plot. Poor Supergirl finished ninth in our poll. Which really isn't too bad, when you consider that she's competing against every single woman ever, living and dead, real and fictional. So what's Kara's response to not winning?

That's right, she cries.

Not only does the Maid Of Might tear up at not being the most popular...she goes on an all night crying jag, and decides that this means she should give up being Supergirl!!

Yup, that's right...8 people are more popular than you, so stop being a hero!! It's not about helping people and doing right, but being the most well-liked by everyone!!

Sigh.

After a pointless series of super-stunts to help out classmates, Kara found out that most of her classmates actually had voted for her...and discovers that, while on her interplanetary mission, she had gotten a bunch of "mysterious metallic dust" in her hair on Pluto, and that had somehow upset the computer's "delicate circuits." So, set gets Professor Hanson to re-run the test (and waste yet another day class...Stanhope is clearly not a "grind" school...). And:


Hurray!! But get ready...this part is going to blow your minds:

Really.

Uhhh...Professor...you realize that computers don't work that way? And your little "acrostic" only works if you use "F. Nightingale" instead of "Florence Nightingale?" And only if she's the only one you abbreviate?? Seriously, Kanigher, how long did you spend working on this little puzzle to make it come out right, how many hours to find the womens names that would exactly fit your cunning acrostic??

And Supergirl's reaction to finally having computer confirmation that people like her, right now they like her?

Yup, more tears. Sigh....

So, lessons learned? In 1970, women are more likely to choose fictional characters or actresses as the heroes than men are. Women should never assume that unequal treatment means sexism. Female heroes should only be heroes if they can maintain a sufficient popularity. And female superheroes cry when people like them, and cry when people don't like them (enough). And a girl's sense of self-worth is entirely decided by acclaim from her peers.

Oh, and apparently, if Supergirl won an Oscar, it would go a little something like this:



snell takes yet more from Adventure Comics #395 (1970), the gift that keeps on giving...