Supergirl: Not Quite the Feminist Superhero We’ve Been Waiting For

When I first heard that CBS was making a new show about Supergirl, my feminist soul started dancing for joy. Finally, a female superhero! – someone with literal superpowers to join the ranks of the figurative female superheroes we’ve idolized for years: Sydney Bristow, the Gilmore Girls, Olivia Pope, and Alicia Florrick. But despite Calista Flockhart’s character’s seemingly constant feminist lectures, the show falls short of its self-professed feminist banner.

The Shortcomings:

• The Outfit. Why does she have to wear a skirt? I’m not a physicist, but I don’t think a skirt really make sense for flying. Superman’s aerodynamic tights seem most agreeable for all of his superhero shenanigans and I don’t see why Supergirl can’t wear the same. And how about a ponytail while we’re at it?
• The Name. As if the writers knew we would take issue with it, Cat Grant (played by Calista Flockhart) delivers a lecture as to why she dubbed the new superhero “Supergirl.” “I’m a girl,” she says. “And your boss, and powerful, and rich, and hot, and smart. So if you perceive ‘Supergirl’ as anything less than excellent, isn’t the real problem you?” Actually, Cat, you’re a woman, not a girl. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a girl versus being a boy, but when you are an adult, there is something wrong with being called a girl when you are a woman. In the original story, Supergirl was thus named because Kara begins her superhero activities as soon as she landed on Earth at the age of 13. But in this show, she doesn’t start using her powers until she’s in her 20s. Calling her a girl now makes us take her less seriously. Would anyone think of calling Superman “Superboy”?
• The Love Triangle. Even after just the pilot episode, it was obvious what was coming. A love triangle between Supergirl, her geeky best friend (played by Jeremy Jordan) and the good looking newcomer (played by Mehcad Brooks). Can a girl not kick some alien terrorist butt without having to deal with romance? And if she does, does her love life have to be so formulaic? These archetypes do harm to men and women alike. Speaking of characterization….
• The Awkwardness. Why does a girl or woman on TV have to be awkward for us to like her? The awkward-cuteness, epitomized by Zoey Deschanel on The New Girl, damages women’s and girls’ self-esteem, making it seem like we can’t be sure of ourselves and good at what we do. Or even good at like, walking.
• Body Image. Melissa Benoist’s biggest role before Supergirl was Marlee Rose on Glee, a character who suffered from bulimia. Episode three of Supergirl tries to comically address her body type, depicting Kara as an alien who can eat whatever she wants and not get fat on this planet. This harmful depiction fuels the idea of the “Cool Girl” who eats whatever she wants without caring while simultaneously maintaining a size zero figure – a truly fictitious woman. How about the human women around Supergirl? Are there any larger-than-twig female characters on the show? Chyler Leigh, who plays Kara’s adopted sister and badass government agent, is thin, and Calista Flockhart’s tiny frame was the subject of countless debates throughout her tenure as Ally McBeal.
• Women of color. I think the only woman of color we’ve seen so far has been a waitress who had one line. While it’s nice to see two black men in powerful roles – Mehcad Brooks as Kara’s love interest and David Harewood as director of the alien-fighting government agency – women of color are absent.
• The bossy boss. Calista Flockhart plays Cat Grant, founder and CEO of media conglomerate CatCo, who seems to get a perverse thrill from being unpleasant to everyone around her. There is ample research on the variety of leadership styles, but the producers of Supergirl seem to think these various styles apply only to men, while all women fall into one category: the bitch. While her steely reserve, strong work ethic, and history of rising to the top of her field are commendable attributes, the attempt to make her a Devil Wears Prada type falls flat and repetitive.
• Her strength. Sure, it’s natural for superheroes to struggle with their powers when they initially gain them. But Kara has had her powers since birth, decided not to use them on Earth, and now struggles with the simplest of tasks (like saving an oil tanker without causing an ecological disaster). She is constantly questioning her abilities and herself. For once I’d like to see a woman who is comfortable with her power (without being the bitch archetype like Cat Grant, as described above). The third episode gives me hope that the show is moving in this direction, as Kara herself explains, “I’m every bit the hero he is. I just need the chance to prove it.”

Despite these shortcomings, it’s important to celebrate the progress this show does make. A woman runs a media empire. A man (Jeremy Jordan) is a sewing savant, creating Supergirl’s heroic costume. And a girl kicks ass on primetime TV. But just making a show about a female superhero isn’t enough. Having a character explicitly espouse the ideals of feminism isn’t enough. We have to remember that millions of boys and girls are watching and they deserve to see healthy, truly feminist depictions of men and women on TV.

The makers of Supergirl want to banish the patriarchy as easily as they have dismissed Superman as Kara’s distant cousin, but it’s a more daunting task than they’ve realized. While we enjoy inhabiting a fantasy world of benevolent aliens with superpowers, the all-too-real patriarchy still looms over us, just as Superman’s shadowy form looms over Kara in her most desperate times of need.