A controversial comic book term has found itself inside an official dictionary. Gail Simone helped coin the term “fridging” when she created the Women in Refridgerators list back in 1999. The list gave examples of comic books doing bad things to women as a plot device to help motivate male lead characters. Whether it be deaths, kidnappings, rape, or other unsavory acts, comics aren’t the only medium guilty of abusing the tired trope. “Fridge” has become such a common term that Merriam-Webster Dictionary has added the word to its Slang & Trending section, and even credits Gail Simone for bringing it to the forefront.
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The Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of “fridge” says “to kill/harm a character (in a movie, show, etc.) to motivate another.” The longer meaning of “fridge” states, “To fridge a (usually female) character in a movie, television show, comic book, etc., is to kill them off or seriously harm/abuse/violate them in some way (as a writer) for the purposes of motivating or furthering the development of another (usually male) character. Fridging is considered, and widely criticized as, a storytelling cliché.”
Gail Simone responded on X (formerly Twitter) to being attributed in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. “So, @MerriamWebster has announced that ‘Fridging’ is officially a dictionary word, and they announced it on social media and credited me as the creator of the concept on their website. That is surprising and cool. Thank you, MW!” The official Merriam-Webster account replied, “Thank YOU!” and included an image of someone holding a large cooking knife with the word “Fridge” stamped in the middle of the image.
If you’re wondering why it’s borrowing the shortened name for refrigerator, it all dates back to 1994’s Green Lantern #54 by Ron Marz and Darryl Banks. The issue ended with new Green Lantern Kyle Rayner returning to his apartment to find that his girlfriend, Alexandra DeWitt, had been killed and stuffed inside their refrigerator by the villainous Major Force. It was a pretty traumatic moment, yet it perfectly illustrates how women were typically treated in superhero comics. Green Lantern #54 censored the actual panel of Kyle discovering Alexandra’s body, with unreleased art showing a more gruesome visual.
Comic book creators have picked up on the “fridging” term to use it in their actual scripts, revealing how it’s become a slang word and Merriam-Webster Dictionary-worthy. Shining a light on fridging has helped make it a less common occurrence, which is never a bad thing.
What do you think about “fridge” making its way into the Merriam-Webster Dictionary? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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