Busty Girl Comics
This comic I found on Tumblr is one I have grown to love so much. Instead of the average comic or modern media which usually oversexualizes breasts and dehumanize the person who has them, busty comics looks at the perks and strifes of women who are considered “busty”. Showing breasts as a natural part of the female body instead of something that’s there for guys to stare at (which dehumanizes because it removes true ownership of the body part (the woman) and assumes that it is the ownership of the public, which is very wrong), it re-humanizes women and make them into whole beings like they should be. Busty comics is very crafty at not necessarily desexualizing breasts but normalizing them as body parts, which is what they are.

What I also love is that the comic is actually diverse. Not “Oh hai, I’mma chuck a Black person in there once in a while so no one’s gonna call me racist, tokenization is a lifesaver,” but actually diverse. This is what really makes me love the comics because I can show it to friends and they’ll take to it easy, not go “Eh, if I wanted to see an online White out, I’ll download a snowstorm app.” To see yourself is important, especially since breasts are sexualized differently due to race so it’s important to show the faces of various women having the same problems/successes because all women need to be re-humanized in opposed to be involuntarily desired simply for body parts.

Look at these below:

 

What I also like is that the tumblr is also used as a place for women to celebrate, not hide or slut-shame, their bodies. They can talk about what they like about their chest, what they don’t, the reactions that they get, the reactions they wish were strongly outlawed (cat calling, street harassment), how to manage their size and everything in between to make lives better for them. Some women are busty, some are flat, some are in between but it’s great to have a site for women to be able to not have their bodies seen strictly as if it exists for men and taken apart, derided, humiliated and dehumanized for that exact reason. If a girl has a big chest, it doesn’t make her a slut or “easy” no more than is it okay to assume a Black person must be nothing but a criminal or servant simply because they’re dark. That would be nature (and yeah some girls get surgery on their chest, you can also change your skin color, too thanks to the wonderful world of racist and sexist bullsh- I mean the wonderful world of science and medicine.) but culture, which is usually pretty androcentric (male-based gaze) likes to blissfully ignore that part. Busty Girl Comics flips the idea on its head and brings back the discussion to the group usually silenced the most on it, the women who have them.

Busty Girl Comics
BGC FB Fan Page
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BGC Store

Princeless
A common complaint in the world of comics is how so stereotypical it is. White, male, heterosexual, doesn’t think strongly on minorities and women. Even I have made the complaint because it is very true: for example, think of all the advertising for The Avengers and try to remember how many times you saw Black Widow in comparison to the rest of the guys. Try the Justice League, think about Wonder Woman. Alright, movies. Name any popular or well known female superhero lead film. Actually, name five. There’s just a drought of anything that ain’t a White guy running around.

Also, it’s not every day to find a comic book that has a Black female lead and one that is not drawn as if by 14 year old boys. I came across Princeless on Tumblr and pretty much tracked it down until I managed to read a sample copy. I have to say, it is definitely a story any Black girl could relate to for once. From the Queen doing the lead character Adrianne’s hair to Adrianne setting a prince straight about how Whitewashed all princess tales are.

What I like about Adrianne is that she’s witty but not obnoxious. She’s rational but not an emotionless robot. She’s a realistic character with a strong personality, something that I like immensely. On top of all that, she responds to the stereotypes that women in comic books and fantasy are often held to with a fighter’s realism and outstanding humor.  Princeless is a story for all ages. It doesn’t fasten to silly gender stereotypes and lets the characters be themselves instead of be idyllic.

So, what is the gist of the story about? Well, it about a princess named Adrianne who becomes trapped in a tower thanks to her parents on her sixteenth birthday. They force her to stay there, protected by a dragon, until some prince can come along and save her to be awarded the prize of becoming the next heir to the throne. Adrianne doesn’t really dig that so she decides to set off on her own and rescue her five other sisters trapped in different dragon-guarded towers across the land.

Here, read the first issue! Keep your eyes peeled for a Princeless giveaway!

Princeless (Action Lab)
Action Lab Comics Twitter
Princeless Tumblr

Afro-Punk Festival
It’s that time again! The Afro-Punk Festival is coming ‘round again! Last year’s got canceled by hurricane Irene (and NYC prolly being shook about the earthquake that happened earlier that week)  but this year seems to be a go! It’s August 25 – 26 and most importantly it’s free.

The AP Fest. will be in Commadore Barry Park in New York, free to the public and here’s some of our line up:

Erkyah Badu
Janelle Monae
Toro y Moi
Bad Rabbits
Gym Class Heroes
Ninjasonik
Straight Line Stitch

There’s plenty more! There’s also going to be BMX riding and skateboarding so if you like to live life on wheels, this is for you. Keep checking Afro-Punk for information. I’ll be at the AP Fest most definitely.

APFest – For all your updating needs

That’s all The Arts! for this month. Next week is Ask Black Witch so send your questions in!