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As I mentioned in the comments on the last page, the discussion about this has been interesting and not entirely unexpected… though it is a bit sad that we’re still throwing tired terms like sexist around, or perhaps it’s just sad that “sexist” is still a thing. Yes the girls depict gendered stereotypes but I’ve never gotten a single complaint about Lech or Nerd’s sexist tropes, and I bet if the roles were reversed and they were just debuted, I still wouldn’t… which is also sad. Anyway, the old Deviant art era names for the girls sprung from the idea being conceived while working at an animation studio on a fairly misogynistic show at the time. They would have fit right in :P They have evolved a bit since then (as all the characters did when I set out to actually turn this into a comic) and you’ll just have to reserve judgement until they actually do something. How about we let them open their mouths before we start pre-framing our opinions; most women I know would appreciate that. Hell, most people.
I also don’t believe either stereotype is inherently offensive: you can either buy into our culture’s dismal portrayal of promiscuous women as “slutty and shameful” or take the more progressive view of women being just as free as men to take their sexual agency into their own hands. And sure I understand the annoyance that the only female bears just had to end up pink and obviously stereotypical but it’s a humour comic with an already large cast and I had to streamline for efficiency. There was a third female originally who was a dark green hypochondriac, but she was too much like Crack and it would have been confusing and redundant…I think that was Sterling’s catch? You are crazy with the detail recall :)
Plus I sold a ton of tampon buttons and stickers at cons, people thought they were hilarious.
I also never said I’d closed the door on adding more female characters… it would be nice to have a new character reveal some day that a bunch of you don’t already know about :)
Additionally, I’m not the torrid love triangle type so don’t worry, BN will not be turning into Twilight anytime soon… which may be an imperfect ref as I haven’t seen or read any of it but there is a love triangle aspect to it right? And a creepy demon baby/underage love affair thing? What is that book even about???
Intergalactic best friends vote incentive: I can’t wait for this movie :)
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June 10th, 2014 at 10:50 am
For someone who wanted a mom, Vain didn’t really act like a good kid
June 10th, 2014 at 10:01 pm
I guess it’s time for this amateur Artist to finally leave a comment. I will make no suggestions for Alison. Suggestions are sometimes helpful. At other times they can seem downright rude or pushy. For those who have never posted any Art (literature, photos, comics, etc.) online; you would be amazed, shocked, and even disgusted
with the suggestions and comments one can receive. It is always nice to get a kind comment. I love it when I get a nice comment, especially from someone in a Foreign Country such as China and Russia.
Personally I love the new Bears and their colors. I always dreamed of having two little girls to raise, dressed in Pink and Purple. Alas that has never come about. I have always liked girls who wear pink and purple. I do not find that stereotypical, nor do I find the new Bears stereotypical. I do find them very cute! I think I know their names but won’t use them in case I’m wrong. LOL with the purple one. She makes me think of my EX. She was a real Bear during a certain time of the month!
Alison, I don’t know if you’ve ever read any of my stuff, but I love reading yours. I really like Nerd, I have glasses and was smaller than the other boys. I also got high grades and got picked on. I can really empathize with Nerd (and yes, I loved Star Trek for as far back as I can remember).
I also like Vanity and Lech. Now I anxiously await to see how the Girls pan out. Your comic is one of my weekly highlights. My favorite ARC so far was when The BEARS knocked each other unconscious fighting over the TV. I have a feeling this ARC may soon be another favorite of mine. Keep up the great work Alison!
June 11th, 2014 at 12:00 am
I’m okay with the colors. When the characters share very similar designs, you need SOMETHING to indicate their gender, and a blue bear in a dress would look too much like a cross-dressing Prozac.
My concern with gender stereotypes is a matter of variety, since too many female characters are written simply as “Generic Love Interest”.
Also, if a guy designed a bear with a tampon on her belly, he would incite a mob. I think you’ll get enough leeway with anything that can be viewed as sexist, though.
June 11th, 2014 at 12:15 am
If I may play the shipper, that quip about ‘Slut’ causing other bears to hide when she’s in heat might indicate she’s a force of nature enough to tank Death’s ‘magic touch’. Though, that is hardly romantic, which is what I believe Death is pining for…
but yeah, ‘PMS’/Prozac 4evr
June 11th, 2014 at 3:46 am
I say they will say that hey are gay, too. HA!
June 11th, 2014 at 8:08 am
“BN will not be turning into Twilight anytime soon…”
Oh, but I want to see them *sparkle*…
June 12th, 2014 at 6:23 am
@Aurora–Oh hey… oh, hey, something clicked when you said that. Those last two frames. I’ll bet you’re right. I’ll bet Alison’s gonna spring that on us and the frustrations will continue. I would never have thought of that… well, we’ll see. :)
June 13th, 2014 at 9:23 pm
I sort of got the impression all the bears were, in some way, based off of a stereotype. Like you said, look at Nerd or Lech, or Gay especially. I don’t see anyone complaining about them. I trust/enjoy your writing enough that I am looking forward to the two new girls. And just because they’re stereotypes, doesn’t mean they’re bad, or that they won’t be interesting. People need to relax lol
June 13th, 2014 at 9:37 pm
For some reason, the line up of -Evil, Gimp and Death- always makes me giggle. I can’t explain it, I just find it hilarious.
June 14th, 2014 at 11:00 am
Heh–Vanity–those were terrible manners!
June 14th, 2014 at 7:26 pm
Just realized a debatable occurence… when Nerd said the new ladies were ‘Perfect’, was it ‘love at first sight’, did he just like their bodies, or is Nerd just excited about meeting a female that wasn’t related to him?
June 14th, 2014 at 7:28 pm
I, personally, am guessing door number three.
June 14th, 2014 at 8:37 pm
One of my thoughts is the girls will use Gay as a source to get dirt on the guys. Oh noes :O
June 15th, 2014 at 9:13 am
@chocoblue welp he isn’t talking with elephants just for tea and biscotti. I’m sure he knows a lot of stuff about ALL the animals at the zoo. A walking slam-book for the girls.