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Dame Diana Rigg’s portrayal of Mrs. Emma Peel in the 1960s British TV series "The Avengers" was both iconic and revolutionary. Rigg’s empowering combination of sex and violence influenced many female superheroes, including Claremont’s. 1/10 #xmen
In 1968, 3 years after Rigg debuted as Peel, Wonder Woman was transformed into a version of her. This was controversial, since it included a de-powering of the Amazon warrior. But comics’ most famous feminist superhero mimicking Peel speaks to how quickly she became iconic. 2/10
Claremont’s X-women are also influenced by Emma Peel. The 1966 Avengers episode “A Touch of Brimstone,” featuring Peel wearing a “Queen of Sin” costume (designed by Rigg) at a “Hellfire Club” orgy was banned in the US, but directly inspired 1980’s “Dark Phoenix Saga.” 3/10
This influence is both aesthetic and textual. Peel’s most-remembered costumes—her series of so-called “Emma Peeler” jumpsuits—dramatically contrast her partner John Steed’s old-fashioned (if dandy-ish) ensembles, and embody her complex challenge to traditional femininity. 4/10
Both sexy and unisex (Pierre Cardin, among others, designed similar jumpsuits for men inspired by the space age), the Emma Peeler presents the female body as modern and active. The Peeler usually appears in action scenes wherein Steed uses gadgets, while Emma uses her fists. 5/10
Paired with Rigg’s sardonic wit and cool intelligence, all of Peel's costumes emphasize agency within objectification. The “Queen of Sin” costume enables Peel’s infiltration of the Hellfire Club, and the club’s leader dies while trying—and failing—to “tame” her with a whip. 6/10
In “The Dark Phoenix Saga,” Jean Grey’s “Black Queen” costume similarly negotiates subjugation and liberation, both of which are sexually charged. It’s the Hellfire Club (and Professor X’s) attempt to limit Jean’s (sexualized) power that leads to disaster. 7/10
In his book "Superhero: The Secret Origin of a Genre," Peter Coogan argues the most successful superhero costumes express the hero’s “inner character” and “[embody] his biography.” Such costumes distill the superhero’s mission, powers, and identity into an iconic symbol. 8/10
![In his book "Superhero: The Secret Origin of a Genre," Peter Coogan argues the most successful superhero costumes express the hero’s “inner character” and “[embody] his biography.” Such costumes distill the superhero’s mission, powers, and identity into an iconic symbol. 8/10](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EhoZsyrXkAEZ8YZ.jpg "In his book \"Superhero: The Secret Origin of a Genre,\" Peter Coogan argues the most successful superhero costumes express the hero’s “inner character” and “[embody] his biography.” Such costumes distill the superhero’s mission, powers, and identity into an iconic symbol. 8/10")
In design and execution, female superhero costumes frequently struggle to effectively communicate inner character. Costumes often diminish female agency by neglecting the mission, powers, and identity of the female character in favor of (very stereotypical) male desires. 9/10
Emma Peel—and the diverse fictional and real-life mutant heroes she continues to inspire—proposes an alternative. As portrayed by Rigg, Emma Peel offers a type of sexiness that extends from one’s character and subjectivity, deepening rather than diminishing it. 10/10
Today's thread composed by (e)visiting Claremont scholar, Dr. Anna Peppard. You can read her work on "Adventures in Superheroic Style" here: http://www.fashionstudiesjournal.org/longform/2019/1/25/adventures-in-superheroic-style
