Category: Week 3 Questions – Tintin

Week 3 : What gaps are there in Herge’s representation of women?

The Adventures of Tintin, though widely popular and loved by many generations has faced serious criticism for racial and ethnic chauvinism. Infact, in Herge’s early comics, his affiliation with right wing propaganda and fascism has also been scrutinized by contemporary critics. While these are very important issues and their discussion promotes the step towards equality and the decrease of stigma and stereotypes, the issue of gender in Tintin albums hasn’t been mentioned in many critical discussions.  

There are many layers to the discussion of gender in Tintin, including Herge’s portrayal of women, Tintin’s sexuality or lack of, and the representation of gender roles throughout the 20th century. There is a noticeable absence of women throughout all of the Tintin albums, and there seems to be deliberate reason for this. In the earliest comics, women only appear to be faces in crowds, submerged into the mass of the background. Later on, some women are given space on the page simply as wives of men who appear in the comics, or subordinate, nagging characters who aren’t given any agency. One of Herge’s explanation for this is that he loves women too much to caricature them, and that they cannot be made into comedic characters. This quite obviously suggests that according to his beliefs, there is no equality between the sexes, because if there were, there wouldn’t be a distinction between who can be portrayed as comical and who cannot. Suggesting that he loves women too much to feature them as protagonist like characters with agency points towards the notion that Herge thought of women as weaker than men, and creatures that must be shielded from the world of comedic social commentary. While Herge didn’t demonize women, or make a mockery out of them in a cruel way, he did however perpetuate sexist stereotypes by treating them as submissive background characters who are subordinate to men. Herge’s statement about women and his portrayal of them is hugely problematic because of the various important social movements throughout the time of the albums being published that worked towards the liberation of and emancipation of women. At the time when his racist portrayal of ethnic groups were critiques, he endeavoured to be more politically correct and improve his portrayal of people of colour. At the time of the 1960’s and 1970’s however, when the sexual revolution was unfolding along with the second wave of feminism, Herge failed to change his depiction of women, or change the way he incorporated them in his comics. This proves that he found some issues worthy of paying attention to, and conforming to the waves of social change, while others he wished to view in a traditionalist, chauvinistic way. In conclusion though, gender and sexuality seem to be a complex and sometimes ambivalent issue in the world of Tintin, so that could be a reason for the confusing statements and portrayal of women.  

References: Mountfort, P. (2020). Tintin, gender and desire. Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics. https://doi.org/10.1080/21504857.2020.1729829

Week 3 Question: Why might the queering of Tintin offer new life to the series?

5. Why might the queering of Tintin offer new life to the series?

Tintin has already been established as a series plagued with issues regarding Hergé’s depiction of gender and sexuality yet despite this the topic of Tintin’s sexuality has been an aspect of discussion surrounding the series. This is due to Tintin’s sexuality within the comics being very ambiguous and as a result of this, the queering of Tintin could breed new life into the series by reclaiming him as a gay icon and in a way that could build off Tintin’s ambiguous sexuality. Taking the series in this direction could also present a way forward, past the problematic depictions of gender in the comic series.

Very little, if anything, about the character of Tintin, is defined by his gender, there is not anything particularly masculine about him. In Paul Mountfort’s article, Tintin, gender and desire (2020) he mentions how “envisaging Tintin as a girl or young woman would make little material difference to his depiction in the series, other than perhaps to raise eyebrows at his living arrangements with Haddock” (Mountfort, 2020, p.13). Throughout the many readings of the comic series, Tintin himself has been read as a strongly feminised character, especially when compared to Haddock who exhibits many traits that are typically associated with masculinity. This is due to Tintin showcasing many ‘feminine’ qualities like being silent, observant, and surprisingly tender, evidence of Tintin exhibiting these qualities is furthered due to his relationship with Haddock in which he assumes a more passive position. This is why the vagueness surrounding Tintin’s gender and sexuality is seen as inherently queer as it allows Tintin to be viewed as any gender or sexuality. Mountfort claims that “he can be read as a boy, a ‘girl’ (in relation to Haddock) and thus a quasi-adult male, or even a castrato. As gay, a-, bi-, or even pan-sexual” (Mountfort, 2020, p. 14). These qualities allow Tintin to be read as a queer character and why it would be a surprisingly natural step to canonize him as a gay icon. “He appears to sit somewhere outside of the heteronormative and in this respect evidences a form of queering” (Mountfort, 2020, p.3). Taking Tintin in this direction would not only create a revitalization of the series in some way, whether it be through an adaptation, remake, or brand-new series, it could allow Tintin’s character to be explored in various new ways and expand upon him.

Therefore, the queering of Tintin would help breed new life into the series by introducing a progressive aspect that shows the series is willing to change since the representation of gender and sexuality in the series is severally outdated. This allows the series to move forward past the problematic gender representation. The result would be a series that has undergone a cultural rehabilitation of sorts that could bring the series back and would also take advantage of the hidden potential present in the series by capitalizing on the possibility of Tintin as a gay icon.

References

Mountfort, P. (2020). Tintin, gender and desire. Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics. https://doi.org/10.1080/21504857.2020.1729829