Superheroes, Pop Culture and Globalization - What's the difference?

I reckon these three factors are a big part of our social development.

Pop culture is defined on a HSC student plan website to be ‘…global level of acceptance that distinguishes a genuine popular culture from a local cult success’ http://www.hsc.csu.edu.au/society_culture/popular_culture/nature/pcnature/pcnatureofpopculture.html .
I reckon the concept of Superheroes embody this social development in our society. Initially a literary phenomenon has eventually become a major medium in defining culture and the social norms.

Though, as we know it, superheroes existed in a print universe they were able to penetrate the reality and social norms within our society, example:

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This is an ad I scanned out of my 1994 Batman Adventures comic. It is a public service AIDS awareness announcement made by DC Comics. It depicts a classic hero Green Lantern, an officer of an intergalactic police force, who stops a mob from attacking a gay couple. Green Lantern deems that AIDS and HIV is not a social flaw but rather a social cause to not prevent the cure for AIDS but to help find one.

With the help of globalization the world’s trade market has become ever more opened and free to consumerism. New ideas have been spawned to cater for the purpose of selling and communicating. Superheroes aren’t only found in book shops now but also on the internet and on people. Literally. Shirts with retro superhero icons are pretty popular now-a-days as like decades previously but, as we know, fashion is an endless cycle of interpretations.

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Such interpretations ranging from self esteem boosters…

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...to advertising, campaining and propaganda:

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Superheroes, Religions and Gods - What's the difference?

Do you reckon Superheroes exists on the same reason as why religion and God exists? I know this is by no means a 'SMALL' question to ask, but I'm just wondering. Maybe.

I think the creation of superheroes may have been linked to the creation/beliefs of religion and God. All three have the capability to keep us level headed, responsible and moral citizens, but only working in different ways.

Very early heroes were not printed in glossy papers and published every week or month. Robin Hood, for example, is a character of folklore passed down from generation to generation. It is beside the point whether Robin Hood existed or not but rather how Robin Hood became a-someone who looked after the lower-class and whose morals and beliefs that the ‘average’ Joe/Jill could agree with.

The more familiar heroes such as Superman, Wonder Woman and The Avengers were created to also, prevail in a time of hardship. Many of the famous Golden Age superheroes were created during the time of the Great Depression and WWII. The comic superheroes took a stand for justice, freedom and ‘The American Way’, battling against Nazis, communists and the Axis. This definitely appealed to a range of audience because it did give readers a firm belief in someone or something that understood the needs of that dark time, the need of a hero. Kind of like how the belief in God keeps people sane and grounded in times of need, because God is their hero.

Which Superhero are you?

Your results:
You are Robin

Robin 55% Green Lantern 55% Superman 50% Spider-Man 50% Supergirl 50% Hulk 45% The Flash 45% Wonder Woman 40% Batman 25% Catwoman 20% Iron Man 5%

Young and acrobatic. You don't mind stepping aside to give someone else glory.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test

Superhero, super image

If I was a superhero I'd need a suite or costume that can disguise me whenever I kicked arse.

Does your superpower influence the way you dress or is it the other way around? If I had the power of fire would I want to dress in blue? Or I'd dress in blue regardless because the colour alone had nothing to do with my superpower?

I go through the same dilemma every morning before school. Its where I spend half an hour planning and deciding my outfit. I keep asking myself whether I defined who I was or my clothes defined me. The same question replays like crazy in my head. "Maybe I wore that shirt because it complimented 'my' figure" or "Maybe I wore that shirt because it says 'I'm a Bitch' ." (kudos to BB) . I still haven't settled with an answer yet.

I'm thinking of whether it is actually important to pick between wearing my undies on the outside or wearing a swim suit in the cold. And if I wanted to save a soul, would I be more fussed about finding a phone booth to change in or straight away save the poor old lady from a landslide? Come to think of it, usually the superhero costumes are tightly fitted around muscular and well shaped bodies. I've noticed how lots of people don't have noticably ripped and toned figures. I mean sure if you're really busty or have a good package, why not flaunt what you've got. I guess we're just a simple bi-product of generations and generations of puny-futile mortals. Me, for instance, am a twig and can snap in half anytime. My optometrist also said I may need glasses by the end of college, thus the celebration of a puny and futile existence continues.

Anyways if I did have the figure of Elle Macpherson, Hiedi Klum and Beyonce (with tad bit of George Clooney) combined, I'd definitely be in a pair of blue hot pants and a red tank top saving the world. As long as I don't stand next to a pole, I won't give anybody the wrong message. But...no its deemed more normal to look disproportionate and imperfect in our current society. So to be accepted by peers its recognised that you shouldn't wear tight fitting and revealing costumes. Its easier that way, apparently.




As I said previously, its probably easier just to wear something more conventional.

All that I want to be but am not

I wish I had superpowers. Wouldn’t that be cool?

I wish I could fly into the skies... or join a legion of galaxy defenders... or stop moving trains at a ba-zillion miles per second... or even just simply wage a war against evil. But no I’m just a mere mortal that’s not facing 'life' or 'death' challenges but rather 'school' and 'reality' challenges.

If I did have superpowers though, then I would've won every game of soccer of badminton in high school. Whenever people had something 'cool' to talk about and then asked me if I did anything 'cool' I could've lifted up a two tonne truck easy and asked ‘cool, hey?’ If I did have superpowers than I wouldn’t have had to go through that mortal and pre-pubescent teen phase of low self-esteem and identity crisis. My powers could’ve defined who I was and my purpose in life. But no...I don’t have superpowers.

No...I didn’t walk into a pool of chemical sludge... no I'm not seeking revenge and justice for the deaths of my parents...no I was not the last survivor of a distant planet thats come to Earth to defend it...and no I didn’t come from another dimension. Instead I just spent $36 on a 'Batman' comic and an epic graphic novel about all the DC Comic characters converging in a multi-universe battle against uniting evil. Its pretty epic. The battle will forever be remembered in printed glossy glory.

I would like to think of myself as the figure head for justice. A someone who inspires and lifts up the hopes of all the fallen and the disenfranchised few and so on...but I'm not. I just want to rule the world or maybe save one day of the whole freaking year, but I probably won't. Maybe I'm just a mild mannered Earthling with a craving 'Alter Ego' but I've always been told to set high goals for myself. In the case of blogging and expressing my 'humble' point of view, I think this is as high a goal as it gets for me. To save the world, is that even too much to ask for?

I like this little short film because it depicts a couple who seems to have reached a plateau in their lives. To add a bit of excitement and hype they decide to spice up their love life, but things take a turn when they get tossed into a quirky situation. What I got out of the film is that even for just a single moment in time, it is important to find a reason why should feel good and accepting of oneself. Whether it is what you do or what've done.