filipfatalattractionrblog submitted:

When Symbiotes in Marvel bond with women, the results are usually….atrocious. Scream, Agony, Scorn and first She-Venom are horribly sexualized, something that cannot be said about Venom or Carnage. 

I’d dare to even say they break the theme symbiotes had going – Venom is twisted, evil reflection of Spider-Man and Carnage is the same for him. Yet all of these women could be described as “just like Venom, only sexy”. They pretty much look naked. There are, however, two notable exceptions, both hosts of the same symbiote, that I want to bring to the spotlight.

Patricia Robertson, the second She-Venom, was a host of artificially created clone of Venom symbiote and was notable in that she looked exactly to her male counterpart. Marvel Database mentions the artist would give her a more feminine look, but only occasionally, when the main measures taken to tell her and male Venom apart (coloring them with different sheen and having She-Venom’s tongue hang out more often) would not be sufficient. However, as she only meets Eddie Brock towards the end of her short-living series, for the most of the book she simply looks like him.

The symbiote clone would end up being absorbed by the original only to separate in 2012 and find a new host, Andrea Benton, who took codename Mania. She gets a look that, while still having some issues overall (Sonic the Hedgehog hair, for one) it does not look like painted on her skin, nor does it feature boobsocks. And thank heavens for tat, since she is still a teenager. It even visually reflects her personality – an angry teenage punk – just like Venom’s modern, militaristic look reflects Flash Thompson’s history in military.

I’m sure some would argue that Marvel universe symbiotes are supposed to look naked, therefore clearly visible boobs are obligatory when the host happens to have a pair… But why exactly would that be? It’s not like Venom or Carnage are fully anatomically correct either with their primary or secondary sex characteristics. 

Also, since symbiote tends to distort the host’s body, it’s highly suspicious how when bonded with a woman, it would make sure to always fill that thin feminine silhouette with big, round perky boobs and butt (and “sexy” posing, of course!).

And even if we agreed that “naked” look is the only right one, it is entirely possible to go about using nudity without sexualization through framing/posing/etc. 

It’s refreshing to see at least two takes on female Venom that deny double standard and either make the host equally monstrous as male counterpart or look more experimental.

~Ozzie

I think it says a lot about comics that when the symbiot suit joined with Eddie Brock, it immediately transformed to give him the monstrous mouth – but it’s taken a few iterations for  Marvel to be comfortable with the idea of having a female character with a symbiot suit express some individuality.

– wincenworks