What image could be more ubiquitous than the "Star Wars pose"? I call it that because the poster art for Star Wars featured perhaps the most recognizable example of the mighty He-Man with helpless damsel at his feet. Granted, Leia is hardly helpless, and this theme may be better called the "Conan pose". Yet, Princess Leia is at his feet, and there can be no denying who's the knight and who's the maiden.
Of course, Conan wins the prize for using the pose the most - I swear half the Conan paintings, whether for paperbacks, comics or magazines, featured this pose.
My favorite example is probably the poster art for National Lampoon's Vacation because it takes the well-worn imagery and turns it on its head by using it to represent an average middle class suburban family. Brilliant. Second place would have to go to the poster art for Army of Darkness, just because it takes the theme and exaggerates it more than other example out there. Indeed, Sam Raimi takes the "Star Wars pose" to the limit, and it's beautiful.
So, what's the sociological significance of this theme? Perhaps it's just another example of male dominance - the age-old chivalric hero saving the world for the beautiful princess. Perhaps, it's a subconscious symbol for oral sex (as I'm sure Freud would contend). Who knows? It's interesting to think about nonetheless. Here's some examples... (click to enlarge)
