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Passage Five
New research by Hillary Pennell and Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz at the University of Missouri suggests that, at least for women, the influence of superheroes is not always positive. Although women play a variety of roles in the superhero genre, including helpless maiden and powerful heroine, the female characters all tend to be hypersexualized, from their perfect, seducing figures to their sexy, revealing costumes. Exposure to this, they show, can impact beliefs about gender roles, body esteem, and self-objectification.
Consider, for example, superhero movies like Spider-man or Superman. These action-packed films typically feature a strong, capable, intelligent man fighting a villainous force. The goal of course is to save humanity, but more often than not there is also an immediate need to rescue a fair lady in distress. The female victim is typically delicate, naive, and defenseless, but at the same time sexy and beautiful. What she lacks in strength and cunning she makes up for in kindness and curves. It is not surprising (or insignificant) that she is often the object of the hero’s affections.
Pennell and Behm-Morawitz argued that exposure to these stereotypic female victims, whose primary appeal is sexual, may lower women’s body esteem, heighten the value they place on body image, and result in less equal gender role beliefs and expectations. However, female characters have come a long way in the superhero genre, and it’s possible that the antidote to the helpless fair maiden is the competent, commanding superheroine.
The X-Men films, for example, feature a number of empowering female characters like Storm, Jean Gray, and Dazzler, each of whom wields a unique special ability and displays impressive cognitive and physical competence. Perhaps exposure to this new generation of female heroines will result in more equal gender beliefs, higher body esteem, and greater prioritization of physical competence over appearance.
Still, today’s superheroines, like their female victim counterparts, are often unrealistic, sexualized representations of female figures, with large chests, curvy backsides and unattainable hourglass dimensions. Their skin-tight outfits underline their sexuality with plunging necklines and bare skin, and many of their names (e. g. , Risque, Mystique, Ruby Summers) connote, shall we say, a slightly less respectable profession than superheroine.
Pennell and Behm-Morawitz thus speculated that while today’s powerful superheroines might elevate equal beliefs about gender roles, their sexualized nature might simultaneously have destructive effects on body image and self-objectification.
60. What’s the implied meaning of the first paragraph?
A. Women are either helpless or powerful in superhero movies.
B. Superhero movies definitely inspire women to become stronger.
C. Female characters are extremely sexy and appealing in superhero movies.
D. Superhero movies make women objectify themselves and question their body shapes.
61. Female victims in superhero movies tend to be .
A. formidable and quick-witted B. sophisticated and intimidating
C. pretentious and loathsome D. amiable and seductively-shaped
62. According to the author, the image of stereotypic female victims can be improved by
A. showing more competent and heroic female characters
B. distinguishing them from the superheroines
C. turning them into capable and powerful superheroines
D. strengthening their image as innocent and alluring maidens
63. The film audience in Paragraph 4 will most probably support the idea that .
A. men and women are equal
B. special abilities are unrealistic for females
C. women should always be on a diet to stay in good shape
D. the importance of a strong body should be downplayed compared with that of appearance
64. What is the main idea of the fifth paragraph?
A. Female roles are dressed in revealing and inviting costumes.
B. Leading female roles are still stereotyped by alluring bodies.
C. Many of the superheroines’ names are related with undignified jobs.
D. Sexy maidens remain the typical image of female victims in movies.
65. What is Hilary Pennell and Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz^ attitude towards today’s superheroines?
A. Affectionate. B. Respectful. C. Objective. D. Opposed.