The feminine mystique: feminism, sexuality, motherhood

Abstract

This article explores the depiction of the Marvel Comics' villain and shapeshifter, Mystique, over her 30 years plus career. The article is devoted to a feminist perspective of Mystique's representation as a ‘monstrous’ mother who subverts patriarchal authority; the portrayal of her ‘unspoken’ lesbian relationship with her lover, Destiny; and her depiction as the ‘bad’ feminist in opposition to the ‘good’ feminist, Ms Marvel. As a female; lesbian; mutant; and villain, she is alluring, openly sexual, and enigmatic, inciting ambivalence. As a figure without an origin story she is unknown and is continually trying to be ‘fixed’ by writers and readers alike. As a shapeshifter Mystique evokes ideas of flow, grotesqueness, abjection, and otherness – the classic marginalized female/feminine other.

Keywords:

• feminism
• gender
• sexuality
• motherhood
• mystique
• shapeshifter