Philosopher claims Tintin’s a girl

Vincent Cespedes (right) cites 2 incidents that he believes accidentally manifest Tintin’s gender inclinations. One, when a villain smashes his fist on the wall in The Temple of the Sun, Tintin said “sorry” Second, “stereotypically feminine” attitude to

That is the conclusion French philosopher Vincent Cespedes drew after recently rifling through the adventures of the courageous Belgian reporter – “an androgynous redhead with blue eyes”.

In a lengthy Facebook post, Cespedes explains why he theorised on the gender of Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi’s creation. Speaking to this correspondent, Cespedes — also a painter, pianist and composer — said, “There is a mystery about Tintin’s gender and sexuality and a lot of enthusiasm about the character himself.”

“Over the years, the character created by Remi (who sketched the 24 comic albums under pen name Herge) has become something like an enigma.

Interestingly, Tintin enthusiasts question why there are not a lot of women around him or why his physical attributes are not exactly of a girl’s but that of a teenager’s.”

He feels there are few clues in Tintin’s physical appearance and mannerisms, all pointing towards Tintin being a woman.

“It was like a private joke for Herge and his friends,” he says. “You don’t have proof that he is not a girl. It is a comic character and you can never really prove he is a boy either. You never see his penis; you never see any hair on his face or chest.”

Vincent goes on to add that Tintin being a girl can explain a lot of strange things. “He could have been disguised as a boy to allow him/her to travel without fear of the misogyny of other cultures, modesty, manners, or the stupidity of prejudices”.

Vincent says, “Tintin’s relationship with and unfailing support of Captain Haddock was an unfamiliar equation between men.”