Andres Morales

Professor Beadle
English 113A
11/2/15
Kamalas Gender Expectations
I do agree that Kamala Khan does transgress gender expectations as a result of gaining
super powers because in the graphic comic Ms. Marvel, by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian
Alphona shows that she gets her powers and though others did not take her serious, the results
from her actions would prove others wrong which helped her transgress the gender expectations.
Kamala cannot find a way to fit in to society how she wants, being Muslim her parents wanted
her to be exactly like her culture is, she felt as if she was being forced when in reality she wanted
to be her own person. Kamala would want to go out late night but her parents would forbid it.
She snuck out even though her parents told her to stay in and went to a party and met people
there but it was not how she expected it to be. Kamala gains her powers, gains confidence and
starts to fit into society.
It is controversial whether Kamala Khan transgressed gender expectations by gaining
super powers. I agree and do believe Kamala does transgress because later on she shows that she
evolves from what she was before which was a girl that was trying to fit into society but when
she gains her super powers she shows that she starts to gain confidence and starts becoming who
she wants to be. Kamalas parents are keep Kamala very restricted and try to protect her as much
as they can which is why she does not want to her parents to find out about her powers. If
Kamalas parents were to find out they would be in complete shock and I believe she would not

be able to express herself as Ms. Marvel like she would want to. The only person that knows
Kamala is a super hero is Bruno. Even though Bruno does keep her secret he still feels the need
to protect Kamala even though she has her powers and is clearly stronger than him. As I read I
started to understand more about how even though Kamala had her powers it did not change the
fact that she was a girl and he still felt the need to protect her. An example would be on page 71
in the comic Ms. Marvel Bruno says he needs to help his brother and Kamala feels the need to
help and Bruno says No way. It could be dangerous. Ill handle it. But Bruno does end up
letting her help which I believe is Kamala transgressing.
Others can argue and say that Kamala does not transgress gender expectations by saying
she is a girl super hero and others do not take her serious as they would a male super hero which
is true but she actually does transgress because throughout the story she starts to see where she
feels needed and wanted. She proves others wrong by saving people and showing that being a
girl super hero does not matter. Kamala was not able to control her powers in the beginning
which became another problem of many in the story. Kamala would have to find a way to act
normal when she was not able to control her powers. Kamalas parents would absolutely not let
Kamala go out at night, they believed it was too dangerous for a girl her age to be out at that
time. So she had to find a way to sneak out of her house when she needed to help someone at
night such as Brunos brother. She didnt care what people would say about her being a girl
because she knew and was confidend that she was able to help Brunos brother.
The book, Composing Gender, by Rachael Groner and John F. OHara has an article
Hegemonic Masculinity and Black Gender Ideology by Patricia Hill Collins, Collins talks
about minority racism. In my opinion you can compare this to Ms. Marvel because of the fact
that she is Muslim. In the beginning of the story when Kamala went out to the party, on page 10

they told her No offense Kamala but you smell like curry. Kamala had tough things to
overcome to build confidence and I believe this can be an example of one she overcame. Kamala
tried her best to transition from a normal person to a super hero. In the beginning it was tough
and she felt as if she had wished for something that she did not want. Later on she found out how
to control most of her powers but even though she did that villains still would not take her as
serious because she a female. Even though she was not being taken serious I believe she can still
be happy inside. She can think of this as a first step for because of the fact that felt as if she was
not a part of society and she could not find where she fits in. Now she has an idea of what she
feels she need to do which is be a super hero and help people who are in danger such as when
Zoe was drowning and she saved her as well as her close friend Bruno when she thought he was
danger but when in reality it was his brother. Her becoming a super hero in the beginning helped
her later gain confidence not just with her super hero self but with herself as Kamala.
The article, Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender, by Judith Lorber is
an example of how Kamala does transgress gender expectations. The article reads that is
something such as a human production like as if we are doing gender says Lorber. It is looked
at as an everyday production that we humans do. All of us act and dress a different was and some
of us transgress gender expectations such as I believe Kamala did. She is Muslim girl that stays
inside during the night because of her strict parents. Later on during the story we begin to see
Kamala act different because of the fact that she now has her super powers and feels obligated to
help others. Society expects predictable gender such as men being strong and women not being
looked at the same. Kamala shows later on in the story that that is not exactly true, society does
not have to be so predictable. Even though it was her powers that made this happen this still
helped transgress as not only Ms. Marvel but ordinary Kamala as well.

In my opinion Kamala meets all expectations to not just herself but to others as well.
Others are not use to seeing Kamala as a super hero and would not expect her to be one. The
only person that knows about Kamala being a super hero is her friend Bruno. Bruno was shocked
when he found out that she was a super hero but promised Kamala to keep her secret because she
knew if others were to find out she would be judged and if Kamalas parents were to find out
they would they would try to protect her even more than they already do. That was exactly what
Kamala did not want. It took a while for Bruno to process that Kamala was a super hero but later
started to be more understanding about it. Even though Kamala was a super hero Bruno still felt
the need to protect her. Kamala made it clear and got through to Bruno that it was ok and that she
would be fine in the situations she would get herself into. He had to understand that she was not
the same girl she was before when it comes to protecting herself.
The art style of the comic book Ms. Marvel shows the situations Kamala is in and sets the
mood really well. The art can show you how strong Kamala is and how she feels and how the
situation feels and looks. The page layout and art style support my argument because throughout
the story you can not only read but see how Kamala transgresses gender expectations. The
images and the colors would show how powerful she was as Ms. Marvel and also shows how she
is as a person without her super powers. The book did a great job of knowing when to show only
images and how strong the images relate to the situation.
Kamala is not a rebel even though she snuck out to go to the party. I believe Kamala just
felt trapped by everyone surrounding her. By not only her parents but by her friend Bruno as
well. She was tired of them thinking that she was helpless, so she decided to go out and try to be
the person she wants to be and try to find herself. Once she was gained her super powers and
became Ms. Marvel I believe that was when she found out who she was. It is not the super

powers that changed her completely they helped her figure out who she wanted to be and helped
her transgress. Even though she still has some problems surrounding her such as finding a way to
do what she feels the need to do as a super hero and not have her parents finding out she still
transgressed into a better person that she wanted to become.
Even though Kamala could not figure out where she would fit into society in the
beginning of the story she ends up transgressing gender expectations later on. Others may think
that being a female super hero is not the same as being a male super hero but Kamala proved
others wrong. Society can be predictable and others can expect you to act a certain way because
you are a male or female but Kamalas story is different. Her powers help her with these
stereotypes and helped her become a stronger women. You do not have to act a certain way just
because society is that way. You can transgress and be who you want to be such as Kamala
found out towards the end of the story.