Superfeministerne

by Mirion Malle

Hvad er Bechdeltesten? Er det ok at prinsen kysser Snehvide, mens hun sover? Kønsroller, er det noget man har eller noget man får?

Hvorfor udskyde dine børns indblik i strukturel sexisme og social konstruktion til det er alt for sent? Med Superfeministerne giver du dit afkom (og dig selv med evt. forsinkelse) mulighed for at undslippe de værste faldgruber i det store kønsrollespil.

Superfeministerne er en didaktisk billedbog for dem på 12 år og op efter. Engageret, let tilgængelig og super cool bog, der som den første af sin slags tager komplekse temaer op og gør dem tilgængelige og forståelige for børn: sexisme, samtykke, forestillinger om køn og seksuel identitet mv.

Alle kapitler er forsynet med teoretiske værktøjskasser (teorier og argumenter), der er med til at gøre denne udgivelse til en rendyrket feministisk selvhjælpsbog for de helt unge læsere, der netop befinder sig dér i livet, hvor stereotyperne begynder at banke på. Den kan læses alene eller sammen med voksne og/eller større børn.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Bande Dessinée, Feminism, Nonfiction, Comics, LGBT, Queer

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 4, 2019

Reviews

[Carol Storm · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's nothing wrong with the ideas in this book. But they're just ideas. The artwork is flat and lifeless, there's no sense of motion, adventure, or fun. Just talking heads lecturing. Not the right way to reach kids!

[Aubrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As much as I read about gender studies, I couldn't believe it when a children's non-fiction comic book made me cry. This book is validating and teaches intersectionality in such a simple way. I really wish I had read something like this growing up. This gives me hope for a better future.

[Judithrosebooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

En forma de viñetas, nos hace reflexionar sobre cómo nos vemos las mujeres tanto en el cine (series y películas) como en la literatura. Como nos influyen desde pequeñas todas esas desigualdades que no nos damos cuenta ni siquiera de que existen. Como se limita el papel de los personajes femeninos, como chica buena y chica mala, sexualizando siempre esta última.

Me ha gustado las reflexiones que va haciendo. Creo que es un buen libro para adolescentes, ya que habla de temas muy interesantes, como el género y la identidad.

[Celia Burn · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a lot of taboo subjects that Mirion Malle broaches here in a graphic novel geared toward teens and that alone should be impressive... but... for how many important topics they tie feminism into (because it's not a stand alone issue!) i.e. racism, privilege, gender orientations, representation in media, Kimberlè Crenshaw's "intersectionality", etc. a lot of these topics are introduced, but not necessarily addressed enough to answer basic questions newcomers will likely have.

I was familiar with all of the terms and topics presented and noticed the terms were generally explained metaphorically, which I can appreciate examples to help introduce ideas, but they weren't always accompanied by actual definitions or very good metaphors to break down some big terms for kids. There was too much brief ambiguity within one topic panel that made me think it might have been better not to introduce some of the terms at all.

As other reviewers have mentioned, the art is incredibly flat and while I expect the artist was trying to lighten up important issues with some art, there is a large amount of text that covers each page with only small differences in text sizes and mostly the same font style so readability isn't easy. It also doesn't help that clearly the book pages are designed similar to comic paneling, but instead of distinct black borders, breaking up panels to ease moving from one frame to the next, each page typically has a bare minimum of white space bubbled around each idea being presented so the pages are especially crammed and simultaneously under and overwhelming.

Young readers would benefit most reading this alongside teachers, parents or older friends to help walk them through it and answer bigger questions that will come up throughout the book.

[Pauline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Encore une BD à offrir !

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool book. It's not necessarily about raging feminism, but a mix of defining rolls and explaining the role women have played in society.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The graphic novel covers a lot of ground but in a smart and funny way that teaches and/or reinforces understandings that we should all be working toward.

It uses strong vocabulary to better understand issues that are ongoing or appearing and the kindness and understanding that needs to continue to be advocated for. Malle discusses gender and sexuality, intersectionality, pronouns, gender pay gap, standards of beauty, romance, stereotypes, to name just a few.

But with plenty of whitespace on the page, it's easy to follow for the target audience and the narrative and dialogue is instructional while being entertaining still.

[Elyse NG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chouette introduction à des principes de bases du féminisme pour les plus (et moins!) jeunes!
Les explications des différents concepts sont brèves, mais efficacement rendues, sans être sursimplifiées!
Je m'inquiétais de l'exclusion des notions de capacitisme et de diversité sexuelle/de genre, mais elles sont intégrées vers la fin dans l'explication de l'intersectionnalité (elles auraient tout de même pu être représentées dans les illustrations avant cette section, mais bon!)

[Ame.lit.beaucoup · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gros coup de cœur pour cette belle bande-dessinée où plusieurs grands thèmes féministes sont abordés.

Pour pré-ados ou ados, ce livre traite de consentement, d’identité de genre, de sexisme, de racisme, des privilèges et de plusieurs autres thèmes extrêmement pertinents !

Très bien vulgarisée, appuyée sur des données scientifiques et complètement d’actualité, cette bd m’a complètement charmée. J’ai très hâte de la faire lire à mes filles et d’avoir des discussions sincères avec elles ensuite !

[Lisa]

I was disappointed that I didn't like this more, but I'm not the target audience, so hopefully it is appreciated by young people. The artistic style, which feels juvenile to me, is not my favorite, and I wondered about some translations ("the" opposite gender, supporting a gender binary, for example). Hopefully this is a great introduction to important concepts.

[Tess · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a 3.75. Great introduction to a lot of different topics ranging from content, to sexism and a nice bit of intersectionality at the end. Would be a solid read for late middle school into high school aged kids as a launch pad to deeper discussions on each of the topics. The art style wasn’t my absolute favorite

[Agathe · Rating 5 out of 5]

à offrir aux enfants, c'est expliqué de manière simple et synthétique !!

[Marie Peyrousere · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super mais plutôt pour un public jeune ou peu renseigné sur le sujet même si un rappel mais jamais de mal. Je l’offrirais a mes frères et sœurs qui sont ados !

[Mateen Mahboubi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple illustrated primer on feminism and why it's important. Pretty basic but good gor an introduction.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A right-on polemic for young readers that acknowledges the intersectionality of feminism, racial justice and sexual minority rights. The charming drawings make it all go down easily.

[Nicolas Lontel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dans les très bons livres d'introduction aux féminismes pour les plus jeunes, on y parle d'intersectionnalité, de représentation, de genre, d'orientation sexuelle, de privilège, de stéréotypes, la féminisation, etc. dans un format de 1 à 4 pages environ sur chaque sujet. La mise en scène des différents scénario est la suivante : une narratrice explique à deux enfants (une fille noire, un garçon blanc) les différents concepts et ces enfants posent des questions ou complètent avec leur propre expérience.

C'est peut-être moi qui est trop à cheval sur l'exactitude des propos, mais certains concepts auraient mérités des citations directes et/ou attribué à leur autrice (seule Bechdel échappe à cette critique) ou une remise en contexte plus exacte (ex: le pourquoi derrière l'idée d'un test de Bechdel [représentation de personnages lesbiens dans un film], la justification derrière "le masculin l'emporte [...]" n'est pas littéralement "les femmes sont moins importantes et moins intelligentes", mais plutôt « Le genre masculin est réputé plus noble que le féminin à cause de la supériorité du mâle sur la femelle » (Nicolas Beauzée), etc.) .
Bref, plein de petits trucs à droite à gauche que j'aurais aimé voir mieux précisés ou cités, je pense que les plus jeunes peuvent en prendre et de plus en plus d'albums jeunesse inclut des lectures supplémentaires (bibliographie) à la fin que cette BD n'a pas (parfois autant pour les adultes que pour les plus jeunes).
Après, c'est un choix éditorial, si ce n'est pas ce que la bédéiste voulait, okay, ça ne ruine absolument pas la thèse ou la BD, vraiment plus une question que j'aurais, personnellement, aimé voir.

Un bon début, à compléter avec d'autres ouvrages au besoin. Une BD qui n'avait pas vraiment d'équivalent non plus avant sa parution et qui vient combler un vide.

[Anne-Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chouette BD de vulgarisation de pleins de concept autour du féminisme. J'aurai aimé la lire quand j'étais jeune !

[Myk Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Super important topics boiled down to the point of unhelpful oversimplification. I'm not sure who the book is for - if you know little about these topics, there are much better graphic novels to introduce and delve into the topics and their ramifications, and if you know lots about these topics there is no new information or insight. A cool idea covering many of the most important topics of our times, that was poorly executed compared to others out there already.

[Anna Vladi (Rakhmanko) · Rating 4 out of 5]

May be a bit too complicated beginning ( I would not choose "representation" to start with) but amazing book. Read with my daughter and wish I had this book in all possible languages to share it with my friends and their kids. We need more of such books

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh bah c’est trop mignon et super bien expliqué ! J’ai envie de l’offrir à mes frères ! Merci Mirion !

[Sassenach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Etre une femme, ce n’est pas être inférieur aux hommes, même si beaucoup de choses et de comportements semblent suggérer le contraire. Cela commence avec la représentation que les filles se font d’elles-mêmes à travers les histoires, romans, films où elles sont souvent des princesses qui sont juste là pour être sauvées par des princes héroïques ou alors un personnage secondaire sans nom et sans personnalité. De même, dans les relations d’amitié, les femmes sont souvent représentées comme concurrentes au lieu d’être solidaires entre elles …
Ce petit album s’adresse à un lectorat préadolescent, filles ou garçons ou autres, car cette lecture permet d’aborder des thèmes qui ne se limitent pas au genre féminin. Si l’auteure parle effectivement beaucoup des filles, de leur place et de leur représentation dans la société actuelle, de leurs capacités et de leurs envies, de l’inégalité entre les sexes, elle explique aussi, de façon simple, le genre qui ne se limite pas aux femmes et aux hommes, englobant tous ceux qui ne se retrouvent pas dans ces deux normes habituelles. En fait, pour moi, les problèmes évoqués peuvent correspondre à toutes les minorités ou tous ceux et celles qui sont considérés comme inférieurs sans raison, juste parce qu’ils ne sont pas des hommes blancs hétérosexuels (ceux-ci étant la strate dominante avec tous les avantages). D’ailleurs, l’auteure parle d’intersectionnalité, qui explique comment, si on cumule plusieurs critères de minorité (par exemple une femme racisée et homosexuelle), ils s’ajoutent et s’amplifient. Le graphisme est simple, un peu cartoon, moderne, avec peu de cases fermées, coloré et aéré. Les explications sont simples, illustrées par des exemples, avec des touches d’humour et pour commencer à comprendre comment les différences se sont bâties au fil du temps, créant des inégalités et des discriminations, c’est plutôt bien fait. Bien sûr, en tant qu’adulte, j’ai parfois été un peu frustrée de ne pas voir les thèmes creusés plus en profondeur mais c’est une porte d’entrée dans le sujet qui mérite d’être lue par tous pour essayer d’améliorer les choses en évitant de reproduire le même schéma diviseur et discriminatoire.  

[Jemmie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book starts off by designating the idea that "girls are fragile and boys are strong" as a stereotype not based in reality. Biology will tell you that men have much denser bones, much more upper arm strength, faster reaction time, and much greater running speed than women do. Teaching young people that women are just as strong as men is not only factually incorrect, but it creates an environment that is unsafe for women.

Further into the book in the romance chapter, the book introduces the idea that women tend to care for children and do housework because of sexism. In reality, it is because the woman (in the huge majority of cases) gestates, births, and breastfeeds the child. She requires time off of work to recover from labor and to take care of the helpless infant. Men, can take care of infants post-birth as well, but the reason this is more rare is not "sexism". The author goes on to describe child care & housework as "unpaid labor". This is not true. If both you and your partner were to work, you would have to pay a third party to perform housework and child care. The money you collectively save by one partner staying home is the pay. The writer heavily implies that a relationship where the woman works in the home and the man works outside is "not equal". Just because they are not doing the same work doesn't mean one is more important than the other. This implication shows the author's personal sexism more than society's, as she basically states the male role is more important.

Why are men still considered to be attractive when they are older, but women are only attractive when they are younger? Is it sexism? No. Attractiveness has to do with fertility. Men are fertile for forever. Robert De Niro just welcomed his fifth child into the world in May of this year. He is 79 years old. A woman who is 79 hasn't been fertile for about 40 years if not longer. This sex difference is not a "sexist stereotype", it is a biological fact.

It makes absolutely zero sense for this book to push back on the notion of gender stereotypes and then privilege transgenderism. Transgender ideology relies solely on gender stereotypes. The driving philosophy behind transgenderism is that because you don't fit into gender stereotypes you were "born in the wrong body" and thus need to be castrated & mutilated to fit in. It is regressive and antithetical to feminist rhetoric. Also, what does "women's rights" even mean if mentally ill men can just become women by their say so? It means nothing. Allowing men to become women, and then enter women's changing rooms, play on women's sports teams, and serve time in women's prisons actually hurts women. Labelling women who dare have the courage to speak out against this injustice "bigotted" is deeply wrong, and not what any so-called "feminist" movement should stand for. The book poses the question "Do feminists hate men?" the answer seems to be "yes, unless they are pretending to be women"

This book identifies "Capitalism" as the institution that gives "rich people privileges and poor people suffer because of that". Read a damn history book. In communist countries they lock poor people in prison, or ship them off to labor camps. Capitalism is the institution that allows for competition which keeps goods cheap and benefits the poor.

Overall this book is deeply flawed, very stupid, and poorly drawn. Would not recommend.

[Aude · Rating 4 out of 5]

BD (destinée aux adolescent·e·s) que je voulais lire depuis littéralement des années et que j'ai enfin empruntée à la bibliothèque municipale ! J'ai vraiment bien aimé, je trouve que c'est très bien "vulgarisé" (si je puis dire) et ça me semble très accessible à un public adolescent.
Avec humour, Mirion Malle traite de nombreux thèmes liés au féminisme :
- la représentation (des femmes, des hommes, …) au cinéma, à la télé, dans les livres ;
- l'égalité femmes/hommes (et les inégalités actuelles, forcément) ;
- l'écriture inclusive (d'ailleurs, la BD est elle-même écrite en écriture inclusive !) ;
- l'amitié, les relations amicales (et leurs représentations) ;
- les relations amoureuses (et leurs représentations) ;
- le consentement (notamment au sein du couple) ;
- la beauté (il y a deux poids deux mesures entre les femmes et les hommes), le diktat de la beauté et ses conséquences ;
- les privilèges (quand on est blanc·he, quand on est un homme, quand on est riche, quand on est valide…) ;
- l'intersectionnalité.
Elle parle aussi d'homosexualité et d'homophobie, de racisme, de la sexualisation des femmes et des filles, du rôle de la société / du système dans l'attribution des rôles genrés ("cases sociales" ; ça m'a évidemment fait penser au concept philosophique qui oppose nature/culture)… Le fil directeur de la BD reste le genre.
Elle fait aussi plusieurs rappels concernant :
- les personnes intersexes / intersexuées ;
- la transidentité & les personnes transgenres ;
- la différence entre identité de genre, identité sexuelle et orientation sexuelle.
Si vous voulez offrir un livre à un·e adolescent·e (mais pas que !), je pense que celui-ci peut-être une très bonne idée !

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feminism, and all the intersectional issues on which it touches, is defined in this practical primer in graphic novel form. Aimed at an audience who is new to the idea, the tone is direct and inclusive. The narrator is a peppy young white woman who is aided in her talking points by a diverse cast of actors who are at times a Greek chorus, and at others ask questions that the reader may have in mind. I particularly like that many of these characters are non gender conforming in appearance, so the reader would definitely be able to see folks to identify with. Representation in media, the Bechdel test, the importance of friendship, romance in all its variety, consent, and ideas of beauty are covered, as well as explaining inclusive language and gender identity. The author also links the impact of prejudicial practices and policies to racism, ableism, fatphobia and other issues. It is important for young people to learn how all these systems are interrelated, as their experience may not have shown it to them yet. The author uses a naive style and a quasi-comic book format. There are few panels, but an easily understood sequence of ideas is conferred by the order of the text blurbs. I guess what I appreciate most is that the way Mirion explains feminism is that it's like being a good friend and a kind member of society; that feminism is respect for women.

[Tirzah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Here is yet another book veiled as middle school/YA literature with woke content galore enough to make the founding, first-wave feminists shake their heads. I was certainly shaking my head as I read it. Parents, teachers, and librarians who still believe in fundamental truths (and that the truths do not absurdly shift with the times to justify one's selfish fancies) will most likely have problems with this book. Also, there are sketches of genitalia, which is a sensitive topic in and of itself, so that is a warning for parents preferring to introduce their youth to such things in their own way and time. It is a book I would not recommend, for it conveys messages contrary to God and His Word.

I need to end out with a quote that has stuck with me even years after reading it: "These gusty women [Tamar and Rahab] help us redefine femininity. They give way to neither Victorian fainting nor feminism's touchiness. They give us a third way in which femininity is defined as humility joined with power, sensitivity with guts." -Paul Miller, A Loving Life

The League of Super Feminists is for sure feminism touchiness, which I personally feel has harmed families and man/woman relationships.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Já tinha ouvido falarem bem deste quadrinhos, que segue minha onda de quadrinhos queridinhos do momento, que chamo de quadrinhos documentário-acadêmicos. A intenção de A Liga das Superfeministas, que não tem nada a ver com super-heroínas, como a capa pode instigar a pensar, é a de apresentar questões amorosas, femininas e feministas, de gênero e de sexualidade para crianças. Contudo, acredito que a autora erra um pouco na mão na forma como traz esse assunto para os pequenos, não que não devam ser discutidos, mas talvez não em tanta profundidade nem usando termos tão acadêmicos. Se fosse um quadrinho com o intuito de falar com adultos, tranquilo. Outro problema que vi nesse quadrinho é na escolha do formato e do design de páginas, que ficam muito carregadas de informações e muito poluídas. A escolha de um formato menor e com mais páginas teria sido mais acertado e deixado a leitura menos cansativa e mais convidativa (principalmente para crianças que odeiam textão). Em conteúdo esse quadrinho é cinco estrelas, mas em direcionamento e em escolhas editoriais é duas estrelas, ficando com um total de quatro (numa conta nada a ver).

[Snehaa Suryanarayanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found it in the library and picked it up because it seemed interesting.
And it was ... I'm giving it 3.5-4 stars because I didn't really gain any new information from it except the last part about intersectionality. I was aware of intersectionality but didn't realize that it had a term.
Introduced a bunch of important topics but only scratched the surface. I would have liked more examples and thought experiments.
Perhaps my job now is to Google it and find out about it. Perhaps that's what the author aimed.
Some definitions didn't seem right or seemed a bit biased, to be honest. Eg: the definition of 'stereotypes' or the definition of 'capitalism'. They were too simplistic bordering on the inaccurate.

Anyway, a decade ago, this book would have given me a lot to think about. Now, not so much.
Still, it is an enjoyable read and perhaps really great for teenagers.

[Élo ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une BD bien rigolote, avec juste assez d’amertume pour la prendre au sérieux comme il faut. Mais pas de panique : le célèbre petit rictus sarcastique n’est jamais bien loin.
J’ai bien aimé les illustrations pleines de peps et d’humour.
Les thèmes un peu touchy des genres et de l’intersectionnalité ont été bien traités, quoiqu’un peu à la va vite selon moi, mais autrement c’est vraiment bien de le traiter auprès d’un public jeunesse. Ne pas se cantonner au féminisme et parler (rapidement certes mais au moins le faire) de grossophobie, racisme, hypersexualisation des mineurs...etc. c’est juste TELLEMENT APPRÉCIABLE! En bref : le genre de démarche qui mérite mille encouragements !

[Demoisellejean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Une BD claire et pédagogue à destination d'un public jeunesse. Les thèmes sont variés : féminisme (surtout) mais aussi transidentité,intersectionnalité, grossophobie, racisme... et sont traités avec subtilité. Certains aspects paraissent parfois effleurés, mais ce n'est pas un défaut : la BD est une porte d'entrée vers un approfondissement pour qui s'y intéressera.
J'ai pris un grand plaisir en le lisant. J'ai réussi à mettre des mots simples sur ce qui me paraît parfois compliqué à expliquer/exprimer au quotidien, et je suis ressortie de cette lecture avec un pep's nouveau.
Merci Mirion Malle !

[Heather (Belle's Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and sweet way to learn about looking at films or literature in a critiquing fashion and whether it is a healthy depiction of women. It talks about romance, representation and friendship as well as many other themes. I think it was great at just pointing out some things to recognize and how you can change your thought processes to make for a better world in which women are treated equally to men and also to recognize the ways in which women are not treated equally. Sometimes when things are the way they have always been we don't recognize the damage it could be doing and that we need to be able to recognize and talk about these things such as why do women characters in movies always seem to have a competition or being fighting over something? It was good information in an accessible form. The graphic novel explains it so much better than I can.