Look, I know some of you are going to get really emotional about this because Garfield is your “comfort comic” or whatever, but sometimes our childhood media deserves a little critical analysis. So I re-read a bunch of strips and… yeah. We need to talk.

Here are 25 reasons Garfield is kind of a misogyny factory.

1. There Are Basically No Female Characters.

The Garfield universe is a boys’ club: Garfield, Jon, Odie. Where are the women? Exactly.

2. When Women Do Appear, They’re Usually Date Props.

Jon’s girlfriends exist almost exclusively as narrative devices for his humiliation. Charming.

3. Liz the Veterinarian Is the “Straight Woman.”

Liz exists to react to Jon’s antics rather than having any real inner life. She’s basically the comic strip equivalent of an eye-roll.

4. Garfield Treats Jon’s Dating Life Like a Joke.

The entire premise is that male loneliness is funny and women are unattainable judges of male worth.

5. Female Cats Are Rarely Central Characters.

You would think in a comic about cats, there might be more than one that matters.

6. Garfield’s Attitude Toward Women Is Pure Dismissiveness.

Any romantic storyline gets flattened into sarcasm and contempt.

7. Liz Is Literally a Vet Who Dates Her Patient’s Owner.

HR departments everywhere are screaming.

8. Women Exist Mostly Off-Screen.

Jon’s mom, grandma, etc. appear briefly and vanish. Domestic labor, anyone?

9. Jon’s Desperation Is Played for Laughs.

Which reinforces the idea that women are gatekeepers of male dignity.

10. Garfield Polices Jon’s Masculinity.

Whenever Jon tries to be romantic or emotional, Garfield mocks him. Toxic masculinity in orange fur.

11. Emotional Expression Is Ridiculed.

The strip repeatedly equates vulnerability with weakness.

12. Women Rarely Drive the Plot.

Nearly every storyline revolves around Garfield’s appetite or Jon’s incompetence.

13. Liz Is the Only Professional Woman… and She’s Still Reduced to a Love Interest.

14. Female Perspective? Nonexistent.

We never see the story from Liz’s point of view.

15. Jon Treats Dating Like a Transaction.

Dinner, flowers, awkward attempts at impressing women—classic sitcom courtship tropes.

16. Garfield’s Commentary Reinforces It.

His inner monologue constantly frames women as adversaries.

17. Women Rarely Interact With Each Other.

The Garfield strip spectacularly fails the Bechdel Test.

18. Jon’s Loneliness Is Central.

But women’s experiences are totally irrelevant.

19. Domestic Space Is Masculinized.

The house is a chaos zone run by two incompetent men and a sarcastic cat.

20. Emotional Labor Is Invisible.

Liz somehow tolerates Jon’s nonsense forever.

21. Female Authority Is Undermined.

Even Liz’s medical expertise is usually a setup for jokes.

22. Garfield’s Entire Personality Is Dominance.

He dominates food, space, and Jon himself.

23. Odie’s Simplicity Is Masculine Innocence.

But women in the strip are always portrayed as evaluators.

24. The Humor Comes From Male Failure Around Women.

Which makes women abstract symbols rather than characters.

25. It Reflects the 1970s Cultural Norms It Came From.

And yes, some of those norms deserve questioning.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4160879&forum_id=2#49730097)