Back in April, all of us Marvel fans collectively anticipated and dreaded the release of Avengers: Infinity War, the latest in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and the massive undertaking of uniting the franchise’s decade-worth of films. I think it was the body count we feared more than whether the directors could manage a successful merger of six separate story lines in two and half hours. I tried to avoid social media, wary of spoilers, but a Tweet from a friend popped up and caught my eye. During the run-up to release, something extraordinary had happened: HerUniverse, geek clothing company extraordinaire, released an Infinity War line—for women.
Or, more specifically, for non-cishet men.
In the wake of “fake geek girls” and “women only being interested in superhero movies for the hot guys,” seeing a range of clothing and merch marketed toward women, gender non-binary, and trans people is a revelation. Sure, there have been one or two items here or there: LoungeFly collaborated with Marvel to create handbags and wallets, a couple of which I own. There’s something to be said about subtle geekery, that sharp brand of “if you see it and you know, you get it.” RockLove Jewelry, owned by Allison Cimino, handcrafts licensed Guardians of the Galaxy earrings and necklaces and recently launched a Black Panther collection.
On our way to see Infinity War at the end of April, a friend and I stopped into Target and decided to see if they had anything worthwhile for their movie merch. I had hope. Scrolling through Instagram, I’d seen the Target ads for new toys and clothes, smiling when the Thanos theme ad popped up. If you didn’t see them, the ads featured a silhouette of Black Panther, the Hulk, or Thanos, followed by a child playacting the character. The child with the Infinity Gauntlet was a girl, clearly enjoying her power.
But as we glanced over the store (we weren’t in there long), the only thing we saw was a two-sided bin labeled “Men” and “Boys.” I wasn’t surprised; I wasn’t even disappointed because it’s nothing new. The only time I’ve found a shirt for women with female Marvel heroes on it was in the clearance section of Torrid’s website.
I suppose I’m not entirely correct in there previously being no merch for an entire demographic, but it’s few, far between, and almost never for a major film launch. Let’s be real: the majority of comics-inspired—or movie-inspired—commercially available paraphernalia is geared toward one particular group.
The Infinity War collection by HerUniverse included T-shirts, active wear, an eyeshadow pallet, bath bombs, a lip gloss set, and a fragrance. More than being gender inclusive, the range is also size inclusive, which for me was a miracle on top of a miracle. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to buy something, only to find it wouldn’t accommodate my chest. I’ve purchased from “men’s” lines, but I always find the shirts too boxy and unflattering, the necklines are too high, and no, I don’t feel like tailoring or altering a T-shirt.
I’ve only purchased one item from the collection, a soft gray band tour-themed shirt, and absolutely I love it. I ordered a size too large by mistake, so there is some want for consistent sizing, but it’s comfortable, well-shaped, and flattering.
While HerUniverse was the first company I’ve seen to promote a Marvel clothing line for someone other than cishet men, Besamé Cosmetics had obtained licensing rights for an Agent Carter collection last year. Besamé Cosmetics, owned by Gabriela Hernandez in California, is a niche company focused on reproducing makeup from the 1910s to the 1970s using modern methods and formulas. If you admired Peggy’s signature red lip, good news: her shade of choice is Red Velvet, and it’s available on Besamé’s website.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh4IJiIlUpR/
I first caught wind of the Agent Carter collection back in November 2017. I’d been watching a YouTuber doing a vintage cosmetics review and she mentioned the note on Besamé’s site from Howard Stark, promising Peggy new tech.
I watched that website like a hawk. I dug around to find everything I could about the launch. The initial Summer release had been pushed back, but according to a Twitter post, the launch would be interactive, with codes to crack and puzzles to solve. Items promised included a decoder compact, bags with hidden compartments, and other spy-themed makeup. Concealed on the main Agent Carter page was a secret section that took you to a coded message, which, once solved, told fans to look for the jewelry box. In the comment section of Besamé’s blog, a bunch of us debated what the numbers in the message could mean.
And then it was radio silence until January. The website changed a little. Then February came and went. And March. Needless to say, those sick of waiting (cause Fall 2017 had long since passed), were not pleased. When Besamé did send another encoded message through the email list, it contained a launch date.
The following email had a click-through link leading to a $70 mystery box. Look, $70 is a lot for me to take something on faith, especially after the mild disappointments. I figured this was the long-promised jewelry box, and after some sleuthing determined it was a lip kit. Since I had gift money, I shelled out and bought the box for $18.
And then the trouble began. International buyers couldn’t purchase the product unless they used a shopping service, and at no time prior did Besamé mention that Marvel’s licensing agreement restricted sale outside of the United States. This definitely should have been addressed at the start. As someone who genuinely likes the brand, I can’t say they acted responsibly to questions, often not replying, deleting comments and reviews, and not publicly handling the issue.
The lip kit arrived, housed in a jewelry box that frankly I expected more from. It’s a decent-sized box, with the SSR logo embossed on the inner lid, the initials PC on the top outside. It’s covered in a leatherette paper, not leatherette, had no functional dividers for jewelry storage, but contained three limited edition lipsticks: 102 Sweet Dreams (Peggy’s signature color), 103 Forget Me Not, and 104 Always Be True. The lipstick tubes are reproductions of the ones Peggy had in the show, with two new “effects.” The jewelry box had “instructions” as well as photo of Howard. Point of frustration: it’s a rendered image of Howard, not a photo. I mean, I don’t need a photo of Howard, but come on.
Sadly, the “big reveal” wasn’t all that grand. The jewelry box was a limited edition (reasonably), but so were the two other lipsticks that came in the box. Despite being a fan of reds, I know that not everyone loves red lipstick, so excluding the two other shades seemed silly, especially since all three are colors are in Besamé’s standard line. The Agent Carter collection had only two other products: the decoder compact, which was unfortunately plastic and not metal, and an eyeshadow palette designed to look like Peggy’s British Passport circa 1940.
Except they kept spelling Peggy’s name wrong. The passport reads “Margaret P Carter,” except Peggy is short for Margaret and Peggy’s middle name is Elizabeth. When I pointed this out on Besamé’s Instagram, I was given some answer about the name being changed because Peggy was a spy and it was an added layer of security, but uh . . .this is her British Passport. It would by nature have to be correct.
Initially, I wasn’t going to buy anything from the line, but wound up purchasing the eyeshadow palette and a second tube of 102 Sweet Dreams to gift a friend. Despite my disappointment, I wanted to prove with my money that there’s a market for comic merch outside of cishet men.
The eyeshadow colors—while nice, if a little chalky—were named in a way that makes me think their branding team didn’t watch Agent Carter at all. “Zero Matter” should be matte black, not a champagne beige. My dad surprised me with the decoder compact. He knew how excited I was for it.
The powder works well on my skin, and I already loved the lipstick. Unfortunately, at the time this goes up, Besamé has once again sold out of the 102 Sweet Dreams lipstick.
All in all, I don’t think anyone was pleased by the launch. Given Besamé’s previous Snow White collection—which boasts several lipstick sets, blush, a compact, two handbags, a scarf, and a hand mirror—Agent Carter fell flat. There was an additional train case, but only two: one auctioned for charity and one raffled off at Disney’s Dapper Day. I’d have paid for that train case had there been a preorder.
While I’m happy for a small business run by a Latina woman getting the opportunity to pair with a major company like Marvel, I’m disappointed that more care and consideration weren’t put into what could have been an amazing collection.
Gabriela promised more surprises, and her following live stream revealed why Agent Carter hadn’t gotten more attention: Marvel had commissioned an Infinity War line, a set of six eyeshadows and six lip glosses.
I do hope this is the first step into companies like Marvel willingly acknowledging a demographic hungry for products marketed for them, and willing to pay. Have you seen how determined Peggy fans have hunted down those Stratton compacts? I want more superhero stuff for me, for non binary and gender queer fans, for people who just hate how “men’s” clothing fits. I want to be allowed at the table because guess what? “Girls” like comics, too, and we should be able to deck ourselves out as easily as men.
After the Agent Carter launch, it’s not lost on me that a production surrounding a strong, autonomous woman got bumped in favor of the next big, decidedly male thing. The solution is supporting as much female-led media as possible. Marvel’s recently released Ant-Man and the Wasp seems to be reversing the gender roles, at least in the poster where Wasp is staring straight at the viewer and Ant-man coyly glances over his shoulder. Captain Marvel is set to debut next year.
If movies aren’t your jam, there are female-led and female-written comics, like Kelly Thompson’s upcoming West Coast Avengers featuring Kate Bishop. In addition, Captain America is being written by a woman for the first time. Ever. It’s a big deal. Preorder comics and books, have your local comic shop order them in for you, go to the movies, talk about it online. Write in to Marvel showing your support and enthusiasm for diverse works. The way for female-led media to grow and thrive is giving it a space in the first place. You can’t support what isn’t there, but you can raise your voice (and yeah, your wallet) and demand it.
Photo by James Pond on Unsplash.
[coffee]
