Appropriate icon is appropriate.

[cosmicbiscuit.livejournal.com]

So, after getting righteously pissed off at what Marvel thinks makes for good chick Halloween costumes, I decided I would make an attempt at designing a Girl!Cap that would actually adhere to both 40s fashion and the general Cap "mindset". I have the clothing for a "fight" uniform, and a "poster" uniform (because you know the uniform Stephanie goes out to kick ass in would be more practical than the one that sells war bonds) all drawn up, but the problem is... I obviously need a body to put them on. So, that's where I'm asking for assistance. Of the assorted classifications of female athlete (gymnast, swimmer, track runner, builder, etc.), which sort of body "shape" do you think would work best?

ETA: Thanks for the advice, guys (and I totally mean that. :D). I think I have a general idea of how I'm going to run with this, I just need to do a little more research and get some references together. If everything goes well and I don't hit any delays, expect work for shredding critique either Sunday or Monday.

Comments

[marinarusalka.livejournal.com]

My first reaction was "gymnast," but now I'm thinking tennis player. The modern power players like the Williams sisters or the young Navratilova, not the wome players of Steve's time.

Tennis player have to run fast, hit hard, have really fast reflexes, and be able to deal with small projectiles coming at them with great speed. Seem like pretty good super-soldier skills to me. :-)

[cosmicbiscuit.livejournal.com]

I automatically thought gymnast as well, then I was like "No, maybe more built for speed. No, strength. No... ah, fuck it, I'll ask for help." It's amazing how there are so many different strengths, and so many different disciplines, and all of them have different body shapes. It makes the whole "peak of human perfection" thing a lot more annoying to deal with.

[valtyr]

Well... I guess, what athlete is Steve built like? A female one of those. Female bodybuilders might be worth a look, as the Serum does seem to produce a heavily muscled result.

[seanchai.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Id definitely go for something more muscular than the gymnast body type; female gymnasts in particular tend to be quite slender. Given how big he is, I'd tend to assume that Stephanie Rogers would also be fairly tall and broad shouldered, with well defined muscles. Think Wonder Woman... well, mostly because thinking of Wonder Woman is fun, but also because she's what I'd imagine Steve would be built like if he were a woman.

Also, this is an awesome idea, and I fully support it. There should be more super-heroines in practical costumes.

[cosmicbiscuit.livejournal.com]

Part of the problem with "think like Wonder Woman" is that there's rarely a consistency between artists. So I guess to go the Wondy route, it would make sense to ask which artist you think represents her "proper" shape best. I'm rather fond of Nicola Scott's take on her, myself.

And yes, practical costumes are love. Practicality vs. public expectation was pretty much the whole reason why I figured there'd be two costumes for a female Cap, rather than the one male Cap uses all the time (though I imagine once unfrozen, the practical one would be used a lot more, both because the show one would probably be a museum piece, and because social mores have changed).

[otherhazards.livejournal.com]

Roller-derby girl.
Or, of the ones you mentioned, a builder who didn't over-emphasize particular muscle groups over others. The thing with Steve is, his musculature and reflexes were originally intended for a slighter frame. So he's basically a hot rod: stock-built, and souped up later.
As Stephanie, that could translate to equal shoulders and hips width, but probably wouldn't give her bigger shoulders -than- hips. The bones to spread the muscles across would be too narrow.
If all else fails, try Rosie the Riveter. In 1940, that -was- what a strong woman was supposed to look like.

[muccamukk]

Rosie approves of this plan.

[dieewigenacht.livejournal.com]

Uhmmm...I think Rosie is sexy.

[otherhazards.livejournal.com]

Nice goggles.

[practical-puss.livejournal.com]

I keep forgetting how sexy Rosie is. Rawr.

[tsukinofaerii.livejournal.com]

Call me weird (it's okay, many people do), but I would tend to think of Stephanie's build as a "where did we start? Now where did we go?" sort of thing.

(Typing as I think here:) Stephanie is Irish stock. We're talking hardy bones. Wide (child bearing *sigh*) hips, wide shoulders, strong thighs, solid arms. Probably lots of curves, simply because of the way her body is. Even pre-serum when she was frail, it she still would have had that same sort of basic structure. The serum would have taken that and made it packed with muscle, but it wouldn't (I think) have altered the basic frame. Even assuming that it was modified for the height of female perfection (more emphasis on speed/maneuverability/flexibility, less on raw power), she would have developed some serious definition. She probably lost a cup size in the chest, though, now that I think about it--less body fat, smaller breasts. (Do you hear me Marvel? Muscular women do not usually tend towards a DDD! [shakes fist])

And now, thanks to thinking these things, I am imagining fighter jets with a Cap pinup girl painted on them. (sighs at herself)

[yummysubculture.livejournal.com]

pissed off at what Marvel thinks makes for good chick Halloween costumes
My friends and I are, too! We've decided to be homemade, jeans and t-shirts, female but not skanky versions of superheroes in protest. Which has resulted in my spending the day in a chemical haze after fabric painting my Cap costume all day.

To answer your question, my fume-addled mind thinks she should be built like a mixed martial artist.
(Or Rosie. I like that idea as well.)

[otherhazards.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'll ask it.
Who ELSE around here has been making a plainclothes/superhero costume from scratch? Because you're right, that really needs to happen more...

[marinarusalka.livejournal.com]

I haven't actually started knitting it yet, but I'm working on putting together a design for a Captain America sweater.

[shadowalker.livejournal.com]

I've made my own movie!verse Tony costume, including a home soldered and welded arc reaktor and repulsor gauntlets, which I wore to a con recently.

[garrideb.livejournal.com]

I'm going as the Scarlet Witch this year, if I can finish sewing in time. And I was Tony last year.