DC banning Harley Quinn from showing Batman performing oral sex on Catwoman sends a "pretty bleak" message about female sexuality

Salon.com

While Harley Quinn co-creator Justin Halpern's revelation to Variety -- that DC was afraid of ruining Batman's toy market -- "has caused any number of humorous reactions on social media and in the superhero sexual discourse, the underlying reason for erasing this scene is more upsetting," says Kylie Cheung. "Somehow, that toy marketing argument just doesn't wash. Harley Quinn is billed as a show for adults and even carries a TV-MA rating. Its adult content – rampant portrayals of murder, blood, other violence and racy humor – hasn't been a deterrent for selling toys of so-called 'heroes' so far. DC can attempt to make any excuse it wants, in this case, pretty explicitly discouraging men from going down on a woman if they have any dream of being a superhero. But Halpern's recollection of the exchange with DC reads pretty transparently as what it is, which is discomfort with female sexuality and pleasure, when it's not catered to the male gaze, or in service of male pleasure. In fact, if a powerful, macho superhero is supposedly the pinnacle of masculinity to which men must aspire, the message here is pretty bleak — that pleasing a female partner is somehow less masculine, and masculinity is defined only by being pleased. With male superheroes being defined by their refusal to give women head, it's no surprise supervillains are becoming more and more appealing."