Thor, Lego Scientists And Real Disney Princesses: This Is How We Like Our Fantasy Women

Forget infantilising anime and impossibly proportioned Barbie dolls, turns out there is a way to insert women into the world of fantasy without reducing them to a beautiful cipher.

Yesterday Marvel made an announcement that shook the comic book world – Thor is now a woman.

The mythical God of thunder has historically been a man but Marvel, who has a growing list of strong female arse kicking characters, decided it was time for an update.

“No longer is the classic male hero able to hold the mighty hammer, Mjölnir, a brand new female hero will emerge who will be worthy of the name Thor,” Marvel said during the official unveiling.

Thor will make her first appearance in October and Marvel have been keen to point out that this isn’t a gimmick or special one-off issue.

“This is not She-Thor. This is not Lady Thor. This is not Thorita,” explained comic writer Jason Aaron.

“This is Thor. This is the Thor of the Marvel Universe. But it’s unlike any Thor we’ve ever seen before.”

As well as a new Goddess of Thunder to impersonate, young girls now also have the opportunity to play chemist. Or paleontologist. Or astronomer.

Lego have announced a new play set called “Research Institute” that comes with three female scientists, each with their own lab.

The new additions to the Lego family come after the toy company came under fire for a lack of girl figures from a seven-year-old.

Charlotte Benjamin wrote an open letter to Lego to let them know how angry she was at not only the limited number of female characters but also their accessories.

“Today I went to the store and saw Legos in two sections - the pink (girls) and the blue (boys),” she wrote.

“All the girls did was sit at home, go to the beach and shop and they had no jobs but the boys went on adventures, worked, saved people…even swam with sharks.”

Clearly Charlotte was not in the minority as Dr. Ellen Kooijman proposed creating Lego sets that not only better represented women in the workplace, but that would serve as aspiration to young girls and boys.

“I have designed some professional female minifigures that also show that girls can become anything they want, including a paleontologist or an astronomer.”

“The motto of these Scientists is clear: explore the world and beyond!”

Unfortunately, the final designs for the female scientists have had a few cosmetic adjustments that slightly undermine the overarching theme of equality.

Despite being the same standard Lego size and shape, these women have had their waists painted in so each of them appears to have a perfect hourglass figure.

Also worrying is the general look of terror and ineptitude on two of their faces that sort of imply they maybe out of their depth.

However, we must take our wins where we can and a trio of female scientists is most definitely a step in the right direction.

Another sign that all is not totally lost for our young women is the reimagining of Disney princesses as real women.

Finnish artist Jirka Vinse Jonatan Väätäinen has recreated some of the most recognisable characters like Ariel, Jasmine and Pocahontas as beautiful but slightly more realistic women.

Gone are the comically large baby doll eyes, exaggerated breasts and tiny waists.

Instead 16-year-old mermaid Ariel actually looks her age, while Belle’s expression makes clear her thoughts on that misogynist oaf Gaston.

Princess Jasmine looks absolutely gorgeous, flashing a stomach that while not average is a sight more realistic than in her original incarnation.

And yes, the hair is still fierce – props to Esmeralda who will forevermore be our beauty icon.

What do you think of these fantasy women? Let us know over on Twitter.

[Man asks strangers to Photoshop images of his daughter after she passes away]