Wonder Woman Has Been Blazing a Progressive Trail for 85 Years
1wwShe’s the bravest and strongest person around. She’s smart and selfless. And, at 85 years old, she still turns heads.Wonder Woman is more than a comic book heroine. As part of the DC Comics Trinity, along with Batman and Superman, she’s been empowering women longer than many of her fans have been alive.Wonder Woman, who turns 85 this year, has also spawned consistent controversy because despite her immense power, her most famous look is that of a 1940s pinup girl. While the Batman and Superman of the ‘40s fought crime in head-to-toe tights, Wonder Woman had the physique of Jean Harlow crammed into what was essentially a one-piece bathing suit. No matter how powerful her muscles or intellect, the portrayal can be easily interpreted as sexist. In one particularly prominent example of this, Wonder Woman was appointed as an unofficial UN ambassador in 2016. Although given the role as a reward for her consistent empowerment of women, she was quickly removed after widespread backlash, much of it focused on her sexy look. There’s also considerable gossip surrounding the unconventional lifestyle of creator William Moulton Marston, a man who has been labeled both progressive and exploitative. At the heart of those conflicting takes is his polyamorous relationship with a wife and mistress, both of whom bore his children. Marston was an outspoken proponent of female leadership, and he was clear that Wonder Woman was meant to inspire his audience. Yet, according to news reports, he held personal ideas about gender that many consider problematic today. There are those who say Marston was misunderstood, but he did make controversial statements about women enjoying submission, and he frequently depicted his comic book heroine in bondage. So, the question remains: Is Wonder Woman an embodiment of feminine power or a kinked-up representation designed for the male gaze? (Wikimedia Commons) As a man, I am ill-equipped to decide whether the empowering aspects of the character outweigh the problems, but one thing is certain. Eighty-five years is a long time to retain relevance in American popular culture. From that standpoint, Wonder Woman is a role model. For nearly a century, she and her alter ego (Diana Prince) have gone toe to toe with Batman and Superman, and she was turning heads long before several prominent male heroes were born. For instance, she predates Spider-Man and Iron Man by two decades. This longevity seems particularly important at a time when comic-based material is more influential than ever. Comics are no longer something reserved for 10-year-olds with down time. They have inspired so many movies and television shows that critics often mention superhero fatigue. While Wonder Woman is no solution to that problem, it’s at least nice to have a woman in the conversation. It’s also important to note that, while female heroes have received more clout in the 21st century, nobody had heard of Captain Marvel, Black Widow, Supergirl, Storm, Jessica Jones or the Scarlet Witch when Wonder Woman appeared in 1941. What’s more, the Wonder Woman origin story is one of an Amazon princess who emerges from a man-free society to solve problems created by a patriarchal world. Imperfect or not, she applied constant pressure to the glass ceiling of a male-centric medium.Wonder Woman’s longevity has also allowed her considerable influence in mediums outside of comics. She first appeared on screen in a 1972 episode of The Brady Kids cartoon. A year later, Wonder Woman was featured as a lead character on the long-running Super Friends cartoon series. In 1974, actress Cathy Lee Crosby brought the famous Amazon to live-action in a TV movie. About a year later, Lynda Carter delivered a character-defining reading in the TV movie The New Original Wonder Woman, and she would portray the character for three seasons in a spinoff TV series, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. Carter’s take remains a favorite of Gen Xers. More recently, the Amazon princess was played by Gal Gadot in a series of films set in the D.C. Extended Universe. Gadot debuted her Wonder Woman in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and she helmed solo films in 2017 and 2020.Gadot has seemingly ditched Wonder Woman’s trademark tiara and lasso, but the character marches on. James Gunn has confirmed that a new Wonder Woman movie is in the works and that it will have ties to his Superman and Supergirlprojects. In short, Wonder Woman may be 85, but she’s not about to retire. In 1976, historian and academic Laurel Thatcher Ulrich famously wrote that “well-behaved women seldom make history.” Sadly, this has proven true, but – as demonstrated – Wonder Woman has never been particularly well-behaved. Rather, she seems content to spur uncomfortable conversations about gender representations and American society, all while saving the day again … and again … and again. As a society, we might be better off because of this. Author Bio:Forrest Hartman is the chief film critic for Highbrow Magazine and a university professor. For Highbrow Magazine
