Emma Peel (Excerpts from “Emma Peel - feminist icon” by Elizabeth Eggleston)

Screen 9 of 9

The fact is that the sex within the show was ever-present, it was implied and it was manipulated but in such a new way that the women were the protagonists and the men were subdued.

The fetish恋物 — a strong sexual focus on one thing notion continued with Emma Peel throughout her three seasons, where she was frequently required to wear uncharacteristically skimpy outfits. The most infamous of these episodes was “A Touch Of Brimstone”, which was banned in the US for its explicit content. In this episode, Emma is drugged and dressed as the embodiment of sin and perversion. Her costume is tame by modern standards but it was extreme for its time and is rated the most popular Avengers episode of all time.

The corset束腰 — a stiff garment that squeezes the waist is an anachronism and at the time it would be the last thing a woman like Mrs Peel would allow herself to wear. In recent years the images of Emma in costume have become cult in their own right. Such costumes are looked upon as empowering and endlessly quoted on internet fan sites about female empowerment. It should be noted that, to modern women, the corset束腰 — a stiff garment that squeezes the waist is no longer a symbol of restraint by a dominant male culture. Therefore the image of Mrs Peel encased within a corset束腰 — a stiff garment that squeezes the waist has become a cult symbol of feminism and strength and is evidence of her continuing relevance and popularity.