The Obligatory Supergirl Costume Post

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I’m going to indulge my inner geek for a bit and talk about my ideas of what makes up the perfect supersuit. Every Super fan has their own ideas about how the suit should look. The blue’s got to be just the right shade, the shield can’t be too small or too big, the cape should be such and such length, etc. When it comes to Superman’s suit, it’s the details we argue over. The overall suit remains remarkedly consistent and identifiable over time. That’s why the most casual fan, one who has never seen a comic, can immediately spot what’s off with the suit from Superman Returns. We expect visual consistency in such an iconic character, and squirm when things don’t “feel” right.

So why can’t DC give Supergirl the same respect? They’ve radically altered her suit numerous times since the 1970′s, and there doesn’t seem to be much effort to keep it consistent. Sometimes they can’t even get the colours right! The fact that Supergirl’s suit keeps changing so radically irks me. It reflects a lack of respect, or understanding, that Supergirl is a (visual) icon deserving of as much care as Superman. They had a great costume in the movie/Matrix version. (Although I recall wishing as a girl that it would be a cheerleader-style split skirt. If I were her, I would never fly around in a skirt.) But they keep wanting to “reinvent” Supergirl, and they’re not making things better. They’re making them worse. Supergirl is the number one iconic superhero character for girls, even though Supergirl herself rarely appears on merchandising anymore (scroll down to the comment by “jr”). If you see Supergirl on kids’ merchandise nowadays, it’s usually the animated version (which I have mixed feelings on). It seems to me that DC stopped promoting superheroes to girls sometime in the 80′s, while boys continue to have Superman, Batman, and Spider-man everywhere they turn. Supergirl barely appeared in the animated shows of the 90′s, and you certainly can’t give a girl a Supergirl comic.

Yet the concept of Supergirl survives and is incredibly popular with girls, no matter how her star may rise or fall in the comics or how infrequently she appears in media actually accessible to kids. It’s the idea of Supergirl that captivates us. Seeking Avalon sums up the appeal perfectly:

“SUPERGIRL. Just saying the name makes me feel eleven years old and oh so excited. She was a girl! She was just like Superman! A girl could be just as strong as Superman and just as smart and just as able…She was like Wonder Woman, only young enough and confused enough about Earth, that a little kid like I was then could relate to her.”

I believe the following elements make for an iconic Supergirl costume, one that the average person on the street would recognize as “Super”.

  • S shield
  • Blue, red, and yellow colour scheme
  • One or more of the following elements: cape, boots, blue torso, yellow detailing

Note that I don’t consider a skirt to be iconic. Its primary purpose is mark her as female and Not-Superman (based on the idea that men are the default and women are “The Other”, and therefore need to define themselves against men in dress and behavior). The cropped top and plunging neckline of the ’70s serve the same function. If DC had been keeping pace with real world trends in women’s dress, Supergirl would have been wearing pants for at least a couple decades now, but comicbooks and their media incarnations strongly resist a nongendered appearance for female characters.

When it comes to the S shield, it should always be the prominent feature on the torso. That’s what I most dislike about the early 70′s blouse & hotpants outfit (I rather like the shorts). By emphasizing her body with a plunging neckline, Supergirl’s shield is reduced to a barely noticeable badge on her left breast. Supergirl’s femaleness takes precedence over her heroicness, and the whole outfit suffers because it’s lopsided.

A feature of the 2005 costume that I do like a lot is the gold-hued trim around the collar of the cape and the sleeves. Very nice touch. Sleeves are too long, of course, and I would have preferred the pointed boots with yellow trim rather than the v-shaped cutout. Just looks cooler.

So assuming the traditional colour scheme (no white), a shiny big S shield, and tights/leotards, what would a Supergirl for the 21st century look like? The Elseworld’s Finest suit usually comes up in discussions at this point, but while I’m fond of that interpretation of an imaginary Superwoman Supergirl, the streamlined blue suit, high collar, and massive cape (and improbable anatomy) are all better suited for the Elseworld universe. I’d be quite be sad to see the traditional yellow “belt” left out of any Supergirl costume. (The v-shaped belt and waist slashes in this fan art are nice.) Anyway, I’m confident that professional comicbook artists (who are NOT from Image/Top Cow) can come up with something appealing for Supergirl that’s nongendered and in keeping with the supersuit spirit. (Superboy’s second costume is a great example of what can be done with some imagination.) They just need to approach her suit with the level of reverence that Superman’s inspires, so they can design her costume with “iconic hero” in mind instead of “sexy girl”.

Personally I’d be quite happy to see Kara in a blue one-piece suit and red boots, with golden edging around the collar, sleeves, and boots, and a v-shaped yellow or red belt. It would be a logical progression that keeps the best of past costumes and looks suitably “super”.

[Linked at When Fangirls Attack!]

13 thoughts on “The Obligatory Supergirl Costume Post”

  1. Superman’s outfit has not changed all that much since he’s been around (the ONLY major change, not counting a brief time when the Man of Steel with long hair, has been the “S” that was changed I think by the late 30′s/ early 40′s, I don’t know off the top of my head). If you can, and it’s hard to, take the “Icon” out of his outfit I’ve always found it a little boring. He’s the same man, in the same suit for decades. I think that was one reason why Superman is often seen as second in the DC world way behind Batman. Granted the suit is only one reason for this, alot has to do with the fact that he is “indestructible” making him someone very boring to read about. I think the reason why Smallville works so well is that they made it a point to stay away from the suit and make him more beatable.

    Change can be good … take Batman, he is the #1 hero in world of comicbooks (odd since he’s one of only a few “Superheros” to not actually have “Super” powers). He’s just a guy … who’s suit — cape, belt with many, many gadgets, bat icon on chest, mask with bat horns has not changed since day one. And although no Batman story has ever been told missing any of these items he has in fact changed every time someone new takes of telling his story. The colors (blue, dark blue, gray, with yellow or gold), the light he’s shown in (or lack of light), the yellow ring over his Bat icon, the belt, the amount of muscel (or is it armor), the white in his eyes. And in resent issues they have added horn-like hooks coming from is cap around his shoulders (not a fan of that). Batman’s why he has always stayed fresh and that’s why he’s always stayed on top (minus the 60′s tv show).

    I’m new to Supergirl for the most part, I’ve enjoyed your site learning about her. However at the same time I can help but be a little irked by her back story, how many times it’s been tooled with, how many different times she’s been changed. I like the new Supergirl, but I sure can see why a lot of women are not too happy about her outfit. It’s clear that it’s made to “sex” her up … from the skirt, to the exposed belly.

  3. The thing that bugs me about Superman (and I’m a huge long-time fan), is that ever since the Silver Age, he’s been a big ol’ defender of the status quo. Conservatives don’t make for good hero material and are not much fun to read about. I think that’s what a lot of people are picking up on when they say he’s boring. Now that’s not “my” Superman at all, I think he is (or ought to be) a very progressive character, but when I try reading him in the comics, that’s what I get.

    “However at the same time I can’t help but be a little irked by her back story, how many times it’s been tooled with, how many different times she’s been changed.”

    That’s something that bothers pretty much everyone. DC made a real mess of things in the 80′s, and we’ve been dealing with it ever since.

  4. I like your idea for a redesigned costume, but would she need a belt if it were a one-piece suit? Or is that just for embellishment? What size cape would you like to see…is one necessary? I like the design of the Elseworlds Finest costume…though it definitely needs a much smaller cape…

  5. For embellishment. I was thinking of the visual effect: the outfit needs something to break up the monotony, IMO. It’s not like the belts actually hold up anything =) Far as I can tell, they’re sew right in.

    Cape: an inch or two below knee length works. Ankle length is too long. Is it necessary? Hard to say. Looks cool, and there’s the tradition, but if the outfit’s visually interesting enough on its own it may not need it. I don’t think Superboy’s suit needed a jacket or cape because it looked a little busy/bulky (actually I really hated his first outfit when he wore the black leather jacket! but I didn’t like Superboy at all in the beginning ;-)

    IMO the best reason to wear a cape is that it covers your butt in those skin-tight outfits =) You don’t have to worry about people staring at you from behind: you always look dignified in a cape. Hm. Considering how super hero women are usually drawn…keep the cape!

  6. I also think that instead of a one-piece suit, a hip- or thigh-length blue tunic over blue leotards/tight pants would work. The tunic would flare out a little over the hips and be edged in gold or red, with maybe some kind of detailing around the waist.

  7. Would the tunic be loose/hanging freely at the bottom? I would think that if it were loose, it might have the tendency to billow up if you were landing quickly(though I don’t have much experience wearing a tunic…or flying around wearing one :p). Perhaps a sash(in yellow and/or red?) around the waist would be practical, in this case.

    I’m more of a visual person…unfortunately, I can’t draw…could you draw something to illustrate how the tunic and leotards/pants would go together?

    Regarding cape length: I was thinking of something waist length or slightly longer…though I see your point about the ‘rear view’…;)

  8. I can’t draw for anything, so my visual descriptions are fuzzy at best =)

    By “tunic” I meant a top separate from the pants. Very form-fitting, nothing that would billow up. Something like the mini-dress but a few inches shorter and without the slits. And obviously not so ghastly as that =)

  9. i actually like your idea for a super-suit! it fits!

    here’s a link to a few of my “Super drawings” the first is a free-handed one i did a few years ago

    and this is a few sketches i’m doing for my 2nd fanfic ( i created 3, this one’s just for fun)

  11. Actually, I just hadn’t logged in recently to moderate comments. New commenters must have their first comment approved (this is the default setting in WordPress, I believe – it prevents a lot of crappy spam from getting thru). Thank you for commenting again. I’m not sure the second sketch is the one you intended to link. It doesn’t seem to relate, although it’s so small I can’t really tell what it is.

  13. Fixed your double-post – if you register here, you can actually edit/delete your comments within a certain time limit.

    Are those red shorts in the second piece? That would be nice.