Tomboy by Liz Prince - 251 pages
Tomboy is by Liz Prince. She writes about growing up and not feeling like she's a girl and not really wanting to feel like a girl. As a child, she felt more comfortable in typical boy clothes. She was interested in things other than princesses, pink, and frills. And as she grew up she realized that the way she felt made people label her a tomboy.
What was amazing about this memoir is that it covers how she felt about the way girls "should behave" and it had nothing to do with romance. She was not dressing like a boy and "acting" like a boy in order to be more pleasing to girls. She did it because it was a natural progression for her. She behave in a way that felt right, and because of that she felt like a weirdo outsider. A lot of the reason why she felt so separated was because she didn't see girls like her anywhere. Not in school and certainly not in the media. I felt the same way growing up and I feel like Spera would have been the perfect book for Liz Prince to read.
Spera by Josh Tierney (illustrated by a variety of artists including AfuChan) follows two princesses (Pira and Lono) from two warring lands. They decide to get the heck outta there, and have adventures on their own! Their destination: Spera. They travel with a fire spirit (Yonder) who is not only their transportation, but also a friend.
In Spera, I actually didn't realize until the 2nd chapter that Lono was a girl! She dresses is typical men's fashion, and has a short haircut. Also, I don't think it was ever explicitly said in the first chapter that Lono's gender was female. (to be fair, I really could have just missed it.) BUT, it was a happy surprise, nonetheless. I have become too accustomed to the stories of princes saving a princesses from her unfortunate life. While in Spera, these two ladies decide their fate together!
In Tomboy, Liz Prince says it's not that she hates girls. She hates the fact that women seem to only have the option of being pretty, thin, vapid creatures. While boys can either be dweebs, jocks, hippies... "A boy can be celebrated because of his personality ad talents, regardless of how he looks. In fact, talent can make a guy attractive who may not be by traditional standards. But a girl is usually only popular if she looks good." - Liz Prince
Josh Tierney gives readers the typical timid princess in Pira, but you also have the confident warrior in Lono. Variety! And again, this is not tied to romance. Lono decided to act the way she does because that's just how she is. The same goes for Pira. They make the choice to travel together because that's what friends do!
Spera is great
for young and old readers, and it excites me that young girls who read
this will have someone outside of the typical female gender norm to look
up to. And if you want a glimpse at the childhood of a tomboy, definitely give Tomboy a read. I'm glad I read these two books one after the other. They're the perfect companion pieces and it made me appreciate my own brand of femininity!
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If you're interested in reading other feminist comics like these, I'd recommend:
Princess Princess by Katie O
Princeless by Jeremy Whitley
Princess Ugg by Ted Naifeh
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