Recurrent Vacuousness - Editorial Cartoon

By: Macy Etters

This cartoon details the objectification of women today. The man in the cartoon is degrading, not only both of the women in the cartoon, but women everywhere. In saying what he said, he is strongly suggesting that how women look defines who they are and that his actions are justified by the way he sees women. A lot of men think that it is okay to shame women because of the way they act and appear, while thinking it is okay for them to act and appear however they please. The frustration I have about this topic was my motivation for creating this cartoon. I got the idea for this cartoon after reading a thread on instagram of a very similar situation. 

I used labeling to amplify the severity and the wontedness of the oppression women face. The first label is saying “at work”, suggesting that the two subjects work together in a professional environment. Despite being in such an environment, disrespect toward women is still present. The second label explained: “regular, fully-clothed woman”. This communicates to the reader that no matter what women do, they still face oppression and have assumptions made about them. The woman was not doing anything wrong or scandalous, therefore there is no reason she should be shamed. 

In creating this cartoon, I learned more about how to represent and execute my ideas and emotions associated with this topic. I also learned about how much stigma there still is surrounding this topic.