Date of Award
2013
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]
Charbonneau, Stephen
Abstract
The superhero film genre has recently witnessed a reinvention of the girl sidekick. Instead of falling back on the perpetuated and well-known stereotypes of female heroines, recent offerings have allowed for several strong and innovative female characters to emerge. This close textual analysis of specific feminist examples from the films, Kick-Ass (2010), Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010), and X-Men: First Class (2012), examines young heroines as having feminist tendencies in a postfeminist moment. This analysis employs aspects of film theory, feminist theory, and also focuses on adaptation as a potentially powerful and problematic tenant of the films. Through this thesis, I contend that while none of these characters are positioned or marketed as specifically feminist, their collective resistance to hegemonic ideals underscores a movement towards articulating the failings of postfeminism in contemporary girlhood.
Extent
95 p.
Recommended Citation
Hendricks, Dorothy Ashley, "The rise of the super sidechicks: a feminist analysis of girls in superhero films" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019. 888.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general_6/888
Identifier
FA00004250
Comments
Includes bibliography.|Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013.|Includes bibliography.