Moms as Superheroes
Moms have long been described as superheroes. They juggle their career, parenting, breastfeeding, diapers, cooking, cleaning, keeping up with feminine ideals, remaining attractive to their husbands after childbirth, and so much more. They are asked for so much from society and from their families, and they constantly deliver and impeccably take care of those they care about. While taking care of everyone else, they still need to find time to take care of themselves. There is one iconic and well-loved movie mom who portrays these motherly superhero characteristics, on top of actually being a superhero. Mrs. Incredible aka Elastigirl is a mom of three, as well as a superhero, who is tasked with many life and work challenges throughout The Incredibles movies. The movie’s encouraging representation of being a mom during the day and a superhero at night is realistically symbolic of how some moms feel as though they live two lives. As a mom, the “first life” occurs during the day when the kids are awake, and the “second life” begins once the kids are asleep. Elastigirl is an outstanding character and is a tremendous example of a strong and brave female figure who also has a softer maternal side. In terms of negative media representation, Elastigirl is also a perfect example of the sexualization of women in the media. Most media containing superhero lore has overt sexualization of female characters. It's almost impossible to find a female superhero that hasn’t been sexualized either in the plot of the story or, more popularly, through her superhero costume. A female superhero’s strength or worth should not be defined by her sex appeal. Nonetheless, Elastigirl was given a small waste and noticeable curves which are accentuated by her tight-fitting costume and thigh high boots. Not to mention, her superpower of intense flexibility could be sexualized in and of itself. As seen in the photos below, her body shape was no mistake. Sexualization of female characters in media, and mothers are no exception to this, all comes back to media catering to the needs and wants of the male audience. Although Elastigirl is stronger and more powerful than most men and could defend herself against anyone who may try to do her wrong, this negative representation of women in the media through overt sexualization didn’t spare this tough superhero one bit.
“Supermoms? maternity and the monstrous-feminine in superhero comics.” Superheroes and Identities, 2016, pp. 195–206, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315757476-20.












