When Tumblr user Captain Milkshake’s daughter got an invite to a superhero-themed birthday party, she was thrilled. The six-year-old loves to read comics with her dad, so he set out to buy her the Ms. Marvel costume of her dreams.
However, he was bummed to find that no such costume existed. Not in stores, not online, not anywhere. He could find an inexplicably pink Spider Girl costume, but sadly nothing for a little girl wanting to dress up as the increasingly popular Ms. Marvel.
So Captain Milkshake did what anyone vying for a best-parent-ever award would do: He made her one.
In his open letter to Marvel Comics, Captain Milkshake breaks down the supplies he used, and their price. He then goes a step further, and breaks down the problems with sexism in the world of comic merchandising, asking “should the merch for all of Marvel toys be so male-centric?”
It’s a fair question. In the last year, Marvel has been called out for selling shirts for boys that say “I am a hero” while shirts for girls say “I need a hero,” and manufacturing a conspicuous lack of quality Black Widow toys.
While Captain Milkshake had fun going the handmade route this time, he hopes Marvel will start paying more attention to their audience of keen little girls (and women!) As he writes, “I believe this post could be the start of something good if even it gets the wheels turning a few degrees.”