Catwoman as a woman of color and sex worker

[Park Slope Pixie]

Hello everyone! So, this is my first post here in the cbr community forums, and I had a question to propose...

For an upcoming paper that I am writing, I am looking at the response of the Catwoman fandom toward the idea of Selina Kyle as a black woman, but also a prostitute, and what the (mostly negative) responses to this notion say about American culture/society and its response to race and employment as a sex worker. It has been my experience amongst the inter webs that the majority of people prefer the white, classy, pearl wearing cat-lady to the woman with actual motivation to become a thief turned hero/villain tight line walker.


thoughts? opinions?

"classy, pearl-wearing"? What Catwoman is this? I've been reading the character (in all incarnations) for almost 25 years now and I don't think there's been a depiction of Selina that matches that.

And in the effort of full disclosure, my favorite Selina depiction was Pfeifer/Woods' run in the mid to late 00s where she was a single mother barely making ends meet.

[Mia]

Half Hispanic? Not even mentioning that Hispanic doesn't mean non-white (I'm a white Hispanic myself), how can we be sure when we don't even know if the Falcones are her parents, which would make her completely Italian.

Kyle is a Gaelic surname from the UK, and Selina is a common name in all of Europe. With her being created in 1940, it would be logical to assume that she was originally a white American.

However, the black alternative versions are fun, even if none was much of a hit.

In the Brubaker series, it's mentioned that her mother is from Puerto Ricco. And yes I realize that Hispanic doesn't mean non-white, or Latin American for that matter. I just used the term in reference to the majority Spanish speaking Latin American's I know and have worked with, are of mixed race.

[Rafa-Rivas-2099]

In the Brubaker series, it's mentioned that her mother is from Puerto Ricco. And yes I realize that Hispanic doesn't mean non-white, or Latin American for that matter. I just used the term in reference to the majority Spanish speaking Latin American's I know and have worked with, are of mixed race.

Well, there you have it. Puerto Ricans are mostly white, if you had said Mexican, that would be another story. However, we don't really know what Brubaker had in line, probably leaving it unclear on purpose.

[Carabas]

However, we don't really know what Brubaker had in line, probably leaving it unclear on purpose.

I don't recall it ever being mentioned in Brubaker's run but if it was then he was simply referencing an older story from the Jim Balent era where a change in ethnicity was retconned in by means of a never seen before or since Puerto-Rican mother.

[Confuzzled]

"classy, pearl-wearing"? What Catwoman is this? I've been reading the character (in all incarnations) for almost 25 years now and I don't think there's been a depiction of Selina that matches that.

Loeb and Sale's take on her in Long Halloween/Dark Victory/When in Rome and her BTAS/TNBA version.

[dancj]

On a side note, does anyone else think the "Person of Colour" phase sounds incredibly lame?

Yeah, I hate it. I also hate "african american" and "coloured".

[exile001]

"classy, pearl-wearing"? What Catwoman is this? I've been reading the character (in all incarnations) for almost 25 years now and I don't think there's been a depiction of Selina that matches that.

I'm guessing Selina has the pearls, as in Long Halloween, etc.

Edit: Ah, Confuzzled beat me to it. Missed that.

[Rafa-Rivas-2099]

Yeah, I hate it. I also hate "african american" and "coloured".

I'm also tired of white. We prefer "color challenged people".

[tbgo]

I remember Puerto Rican from Brubaker, but wasn't Selina always said to be at least half Italian, which is where the possible mob father connection come into play?

Oh, and in "Year One", Selina looks like a cross between Grace Jones and Annie Lennox, the androgynous look. In the film adaptation, I hate the voice they gave her. I always thought she would sound butcher.

[Rafa-Rivas-2099]

I remember Puerto Rican from Brubaker, but wasn't Selina always said to be at least half Italian, which is where the possible mob father connection come into play?

Oh, and in "Year One", Selina looks like a cross between Grace Jones and Annie Lennox, the androgynous look. In the film adaptation, I hate the voice they gave her. I always thought she would sound butcher.

Always said to be italian? I think that's a post crisis thing.

I agree on the grace jones / annie lenox thing, however, it's hard to think of her wit a butch voice.

[teddyeatsyourface]

This may be of some help http://dr-von-fangirl.livejournal.com/42641.html and http://capesandwhips.com/reading-com...n-when-in-rome it gives a pretty thorough look at Selina's origins and addresses some parts of her "race"

Also this http://capesandwhips.com/so-you-want...rker-catwoman/ may help with the sex worker stuff.

[HowitzerJoe]

I thin Haley berry´s Catwoman´s movie killed the posibility of a black catwoman ever happening again

Even though that movie sucked, I think Halle Berry or another black actress could be Selina Kyle. As far as the character's race is concerned I could always see her as being another ethnicity other than white. It's her charm and persona that makes the character what she is. Not her race.

[Rafa-Rivas-2099]

Even though that movie sucked, I think Halle Berry or another black actress could be Selina Kyle. As far as the character's race is concerned I could always see her as being another ethnicity other than white. It's her charm and persona that makes the character what she is. Not her race.

Well, that would go for any character.

A black Joker might look interesting (nevermind the propaganda):

[CapeandCowl]

I am of the opinion that Catwoman needs no revamping and was thus suprised to hear of the radical changes they made to the character. I much prefer her to be as Julie Newmar played her and how she appeared in comic-form in the 80s and early 90s. I also enjoyed her in Batman Returns and Batman-The Animated Series. Very few changes are needed for this particular character tomake her memorable.

[Carabas]

I am of the opinion that Catwoman needs no revamping and was thus suprised to hear of the radical changes they made to the character. I much prefer her to be as Julie Newmar played her and how she appeared in comic-form in the 80s and early 90s.

Almost all these various origins and retcons ARE from the 80's and early 90's.