Ok, so for those of you who may not be aware, the term "Women in Refrigerators" is used to describe a female character who was killed or had their lives otherwise ruined in order to advance the character and fuel the stories for a big male character. The first woman on that list is technically Gwen Stacy.  The character who first brought about the term, however, was Alex Dewitt, girlfriend of Green Lantern Kyle Rayner. When she was killed, her body was actually jammed into a refrigerator, thus the term.  
What I'm asking, is Barbara Gordon technically one of them? Her name is on their list. Her picture is on their wall. But is she one of them? Barbara Gordon was the original Batgirl, until she was shot and paralyzed by the Joker in order to break her father,  Commissioner Gordon. Now, normally the woman becomes the victim to strengthen the character of the leading character, aka Batman, but since Commissioner Gordon is still pretty big, I don't think that really matters. The reason I ask this is because after she was forced to give up her identity as Batgirl, she then went on to make a name for herself as Oracle, helper to Batman, his family, and many others throughout Gotham City. The Joker may have derailed her life for a moment, bt she managed to pick up the pieces and get back on a new track. It can be argued that, despite paralysis, her life wasn't really ruined because she was able to recover. The women in refrigerators all had their lives ruined. Does Barbara still belong on that list?

Of course she does.  She was shot because of her connection to Batman & the Law.  It wasn't some random shooting.  It crippled her for life.  She's not only in the fridge, but she's chilling in the ice cube tray.

In the Killing Joke she was, after that, she wasn't, as DC used the incident to develop and improve Babs' character, not just the rivalry between Bruce and the Joker.

" I would say no. She never was. It really did not push Batman to his goal or even Commissioner Gordon. I would put forth that she is only still around today because she became Oracle. a much more intresting charecter then Batgirl. "

"She's not only in the fridge, but she's chilling in the ice cube tray. "

" @KenTheProfile said:

" I would say no. She never was. It really did not push Batman to his goal or even Commissioner Gordon. I would put forth that she is only still around today because she became Oracle. a much more intresting charecter then Batgirl. "

But it was her connection to not only Batman, but to James that resulted in this happening. She (other than Alex Dewitt) is the very definition of a WIR. I like her better as Oracle, but that still doesn't take away from the fact that she is a WIR.  
 
@xerox-kitty said:

"She's not only in the fridge, but she's chilling in the ice cube tray. "

Nicely put.  "

" @The Dark Huntress said:

" @KenTheProfile said:

" I would say no. She never was. It really did not push Batman to his goal or even Commissioner Gordon. I would put forth that she is only still around today because she became Oracle. a much more intresting charecter then Batgirl. "

But it was her connection to not only Batman, but to James that resulted in this happening. She (other than Alex Dewitt) is the very definition of a WIR. I like her better as Oracle, but that still doesn't take away from the fact that she is a WIR.  
 
@xerox-kitty said:

"She's not only in the fridge, but she's chilling in the ice cube tray. "

Nicely put.  "

See now, sorry but I have to disagree, she WAS the very definition. Alan Moore is a pretty big mysoginist, it's evident in most of his works, particularly the Killing Joke.  Once that was done with though, Barbara has shown to be more than capable as a person and as a hero, moreso than when she had the ability to walk. Her crippling may have been gratuitious and pointless originally, but it has served a purpose to her character now, far more than it did Batman's or the Joker's. WIR involves the abuse of a female character in order to strengthen the story of male characters. This was the case, but it's not anymore.  "

The fact that she "isn't anymore" doesn't mean she should be removed from the WiR list.  She's included on the list because of what happened...   
 
She's well & truly in the refrigerator & drinking all your milkshake!

@FadeToBlackBolt said:

"See now, sorry but I have to disagree, she WAS the very definition. Alan Moore is a pretty big mysoginist, it's evident in most of his works, particularly the Killing Joke.  Once that was done with though, Barbara has shown to be more than capable as a person and as a hero, moreso than when she had the ability to walk. Her crippling may have been gratuitious and pointless originally, but it has served a purpose to her character now, far more than it did Batman's or the Joker's. WIR involves the abuse of a female character in order to strengthen the story of male characters. This was the case, but it's not anymore.  "

Wow, I get your point but my real problem with this is your thoughts on Alan Moore. he is not a mysoginist. In fact  he is a feminist. when you consider that many of his works have a female hero. also just because he shows women getting hurt means nothing. From Hell is a complete bashing of victorian additudes on woman. and his work the Lost Girls is more proof, no mysoginist would ever write a work on the sexual awaking of young woman. I don't mean to jump on you but it 's this kind of that makes me mad. to many people use the word mysoginist for persons who are not. Sam Peckinpah, Sergio Leone, have been called this there not.  But lets talk about real mysoginist people like David Hume, Nietzche, and Tom Cruise 

"

@FadeToBlackBolt said:

"See now, sorry but I have to disagree, she WAS the very definition. Alan Moore is a pretty big mysoginist, it's evident in most of his works, particularly the Killing Joke.  Once that was done with though, Barbara has shown to be more than capable as a person and as a hero, moreso than when she had the ability to walk. Her crippling may have been gratuitious and pointless originally, but it has served a purpose to her character now, far more than it did Batman's or the Joker's. WIR involves the abuse of a female character in order to strengthen the story of male characters. This was the case, but it's not anymore.  "

Wow, I get your point but my real problem with this is your thoughts on Alan Moore. he is not a mysoginist. In fact  he is a feminist. when you consider that many of his works have a female hero. also just because he shows women getting hurt means nothing. From Hell is a complete bashing of victorian additudes on woman. and his work the Lost Girls is more proof, no mysoginist would ever write a work on the sexual awaking of young woman. I don't mean to jump on you but it 's this kind of that makes me mad. to many people use the word mysoginist for persons who are not. Sam Peckinpah, Sergio Leone, have been called this there not.  But lets talk about real mysoginist people like David Hume, Nietzche, and Tom Cruise 

"

"His work on Watchmen and the Killing Joke is seriously mysoginistic. The only female characters are either sexually depraved and mentally weak (Silk Spectre I), basically there as eye candy and to serve as a link to humanity for a male character and jumping from one sexual partner to another (Silk Spectre II), or brutalised and objectified in the most repugnant way possible (Barbara Gordon). He may not be a mysoginist, but those works are mysoginistic. "

" @FadeToBlackBolt said:

"His work on Watchmen and the Killing Joke is seriously mysoginistic. The only female characters are either sexually depraved and mentally weak (Silk Spectre I), basically there as eye candy and to serve as a link to humanity for a male character and jumping from one sexual partner to another (Silk Spectre II), or brutalised and objectified in the most repugnant way possible (Barbara Gordon). He may not be a mysoginist, but those works are mysoginistic. "

To be fair, you're citing two examples, one of which Aztek has already pointed out that Moore didn't actually want to write.  That leaves the Watchmen.  So one series in his prolific career doesn't mean that he's a misogynist.  This thread has strayed into a debate about Alan Moore's work.  Not about Barbarba Gorgon.  As both Aztek & I have pointed out.  The fact that Barbara has overcome the fact that she's been crippled does not mean that she comes off the WiR list.  Once you're on the list, you stay there.  The ladies don't come off the list because their life improved.  Otherwise we'd lose count of the amount of resurrected ladies who bounce off & back on the list. "

" It isn't that their lives were permanetly ruined and they never recovered, but because they had to go through the trauma in the first place "