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Wonder Woman Makes it to the Big Time

Wonder Woman isn’t just for comic books anymore. And no matter what the UN says about it, this female superhero is making it to the big screen where she will be the ambassador for empowerment of women everywhere.

Sure, the United Nations can name cartoon characters as honorary ambassadors, but bringing a bustier-wearing woman to the stage sends the wrong message.

The U.N. recanted, bowing to protesters, but this won’t stop Wonder Woman from stepping from print to silver screen. She has been a suffragist, a sex symbol and a soldier since she first appeared in 1941, conceived by William Moulton Marston. Now, she’s going to be a movie star.

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Gal Gadot played Wonder Woman in Batman v. Superman and will carry off the role in her own film in June 2017. Godot is both a model and a soldier, 2004 Miss Israel who served in the Israel Defense Forces, as all Israeli’s are compelled to do.

Why can’t a woman be smart, strong and sexy? And if she isn’t covering up her physical assets, is that begging for objectification?

Plenty of male superheroes are flaunting their physical assets without anyone screaming about demeaning men. Why is there a different standard for our gal, Wonder Woman?

She was created as a hero to represent America’s position in World War Two: a patriot who wanted to protect the innocent. The original Wonder Woman had defensive weapons—bracelets that deflected bullets and the Lasso of Truth.

Isn’t that the kind of superhero we all should want? Not one who’s out to wreak havoc but is bent on keeping people safe.

Now Wonder Woman will get to tell her story to the world. The film won’t follow the comic book canon of the Amazonian princess.

Instead, the story takes place during World War I. When Steve inadvertently leads men to the Amazon’s island paradise, the women warriors face down guns with arrows.

They keep Wonder Woman true to her creator’s vision by making her more interested in peace than conflict. But, as history has proved time and again, sometimes the reality of peace comes at the high cost of war.

This writer is enthusiastic about seeing a female superhero take the tile role in a comic-book-inspired movie.

Sure, we can argue about clothing choices, but as Gadot was quick to point out in interviews, at least the outfit doesn’t hinder her movements. And it doesn’t expect her to run and fight wearing four-inch heels.

Isn’t it time we looked beyond the costume? What’s in the heart of a character? Is she wearing these clothes to distract her foes?

It’s more likely she pulled them on and forgot about them. That’s what I do. I’m not walking through my day thinking about how I look.

Real women have more important things on their minds.

And if this movie trailer is any indication, Wonder Woman doesn’t have any spare moments for thinking about how her body armor makes her appear too sexy to fight.

Do you think the costume makes (or breaks) the credibility of a superhero? Are you excited for Wonder Woman’s debut in her own motion picture?

6 thoughts on “Wonder Woman Makes it to the Big Time”

  1. No, her costume is not detracting, and she obviously can move very well in it. I am so looking forward to seeing this movie on the big screen. I am excited to see WW have her own movie.

  2. Her armour doesn’t appear to cover much, compared to, say, Batman’s. One hit to the femoral artery and she’s toast. (And who are these thigh-baring male superheroes of which you speak?) Plus her outfit looks cold, and she’ll be flashing her knickers whenever she bends slightly (assuming she can bend in that bustier), all of which seems less than totally practical.

    But hey, superheroes don’t have to be practical. Personally, what concerns me is the increasing correlation of strong & confident = sexy, as though you can’t be a strong, confident woman unless you’re showing off your body. But maybe that comes out of my experience: I’m sick of people assuming I’m oppressed/passive/ashamed of my body because it isn’t on display.

    1. Batman and Superman both wear form-fitting costumes that leave little to the imagination about their anatomy. Thor has bare thighs.
      But my point is that no one talks about how those costumes are demeaning or inappropriate.
      Do I show that much skin? Nope. I don’t think it sends the right message to men (who tend to be all about what they can see). But it isn’t the men complaining about the costume (obviously).
      I respect the viewpoint you are putting forward. I’ve been treated like an object plenty of times (and not just because of what I was wearing). But that is a problem with THOSE MEN. It took me many years to come to that realization.
      I think strong & confident women scare the heck out of men, but if they can think of them as “sexy” then suddenly it’s not so intimidating. Why does it matter what people “assume” about you? What’s important is that you know you are God’s daughter and that He expects you to dress like His representative (which means not focusing on the flesh because He’s all about spirituality).
      Thanks so much for commenting. I really hoped to start a conversation here. I find it sad that when there is SO MUCH about Wonder Woman’s ideals that is empowering, people choose to focus on what she’s wearing.

      1. I’ve not come across Thor before, outside Norse mythology. I notice male superheroes definitely go for form-fitting, but there still seems a difference between ‘tightly covered’ and ‘bare’.
        And you’re right, what matters is who I am, not what people assume about me. But what they assume about me is reflected in how they treat me.
        I think the focus on women’s clothes happens regardless of what they wear. Kamala Khan (Marvel) wears a superhero outfit customized from a burkini, and all anyone talks about is the burkini – not the young woman wearing it.
        I love the idea of WW’s lasso of Truth – she’d have plenty of work on her hands these days!

        1. So much about WW is admirable: the fact that she loves peace and desires to protect the innocent above all else.
          We will never be able to change the way people form their perceptions. Only they can do that.
          Thanks again for commenting. I always appreciate your insight.

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