Is Tintin a girl? French philosopher says theory on comic book character was a 'thought experiment'

Philosopher criticises media for reporting 'fake news' but still says idea that Tintin is a girl could be argued

A still from Steven Spielberg's animated take on Tintin (Paramount Pictures)

The French philosopher who caused a stir by posting a theory where he claimed comic book character Tintin could have been a girl has now said it was an "experiment" and not intended for media coverage.

Vincent Cespedes cited various reasons for his belief that Tintin was in fact an androgynous girl in a post on Facebook, pointing out traits in the character that suggested femininity.

His post made headline news and was widely reported, including by The Independent. However he has since said that the theory was intended as a comment on the interpretation of art.

"They [the media] prefer to spread as if 'this philosopher is crazy, what the f*** and not mention fake news,' he told the Guardian.

"What I have learned is that the real media needs fake news to grow. The media needs fake news. Post-truth, journalists need false journalism to grow in this new world I call cyber-modernity... All is plural. You don't know if it's true or false - it is in the middle."

Cespedes did in fact write 'Fake News' in the left corner of the image posted with his thoughts but this was missed by the majority of the reports.

While saying that his essay was not intended as a joke or a hoax, but an "open door, to rethink Tintin with another point of view", Cespedes told the Guardian that the idea that Tintin is a girl could still be argued.

"Tintin is not a real person, Tintin is literature, art... If every child in this generation reads Tintin thinking it is a girl, in one generation Tintin becomes a girl," he said. "It is literacy, it relies on interpretation."

Regardless of whether Cespedes meant for the theory to be taken seriously, Benoir Peeters, a Tintin expert and visiting professor in graphic fiction and comic art at Lancaster University, said the idea has some weight to it.

"He [Herge] was so young when he created Tintin - in a few hours," he said. "At that time, he was inspired by Paul, his younger brother. "Officially Tintin is a young boy aged 17. But I believe that there is something neutral in the character. And that's why girls can read the book with the same pleasure as boys."

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