The adoration of iconic characters that have played longstanding, prominent roles in popular culture can sometimes make it hard to examine the problematic ways in which they have been portrayed. Wonder Woman is one such character; when she was created, she was intended to be a symbol of female strength and empowerment, demonstrating that women are just as capable as men, even in the super-powered comic universe. However, being featured in media orchestrated by men in almost all aspects, her original purpose was undermined and degraded by sexualized and distorted depictions. The objectification of women that has persisted in comic books and corresponding films or television shows was challenged by the portrayal of Wonder Woman in the 2017 film about the superhero, which presented the influential character through a female gaze and resulted in a more relevant rendition.
Throughout history there have been many ways in which women have been constricted by a patriarchal society, and that issue persists even now. As Timo Jütten defines it, sexual objectification is a “wide variety of practices and institutions which participate in the construction of women as sex objects” (27). One of the main consequences of the prominence of objectification within society today is that women’s looks are now tied to their worth. If they are not seen as desirable they are ridiculed and looked down upon, and that societal pressure has made trends like plastic surgery and dieting widespread, whereas men don’t face nearly as much scrutiny over their appearance. Objectification runs so deep in society, especially the media, that it is incredibly difficult to escape from, and the effects are tremendously damaging. Jütten believes that objectification “limits their [womens’] opportunities for self-presentation and therefore their autonomous agency and equal social status”, since we are constantly surrounded by this viewpoint and pushed into predetermined stereotypes that influence what people expect from women (35). Although it is an unfortunately deep rooted issue, there is progress being made that is starting to have an impact on the effect and prominence of objectification in the media.
Wonder Woman’s physical appearance reflects the problematic ways in which her character was objectified in the past, and how it has been and can continue to be modified through a feminist lens to be more progressive. One of the prominent differences between the old portrayal of Wonder Woman and the new version, is her physique. In the comics, Wonder Woman was drawn to the beauty standard of thinness and maintaining an hourglass shape, up until around the 80s. From then on she was drawn significantly more muscular, comparable to her male counterparts. Although there have been very few official films and TV shows with real actresses playing Wonder Woman, the ones that do exist followed this trend as well. The Wonder Woman TV series that aired from 1975-1979 starred Lynda Carter, who, despite having a miniscule amount of muscle mass, landed the role of a super-strong demi-god who can bend swords and lift cars. This contradictory portrayal emphasizes the importance that was placed on making sure that Wonder Woman was viewed as attractive according to the beauty standards of the time, even if it meant sacrificing the realisticness and integrity of her character representation. Conversely, once Gal Gadot was cast for Wonder Woman (2017), she began building muscle half a year before the shooting, doing “two hours [of] gym work, two hours [of] fight choreography”, and two hours of horseback riding a day (Gucci). This ensured that in the movie, Wonder Woman actually looked more like she had the strength to perform amazing acts such as leaping three stories high and busting through concrete. The movie didn’t shy away from creating a more accurate and realistic depiction of the character, even if it deviated from societal beauty standards. This more authentic approach is also apparent in the fight scenes featured in the film. A very prominent controversy over the portrayal of female superheroes in comics books has been their poses and the sexual ways in which they are drawn, even when they are not doing inherently sexual things. In many comic book fight scenes the female superheroes are drawn in poses that it would seem ridiculous to portray a man in, like the poses are meant to enhance their appeal rather than belonging in combat. The fight scenes in Wonder Woman (2017) are effective and focus more on the action and strength being displayed instead of the hero maintaining an attractive appearance. This is further emphasized by the extensive training that Gal Gadot and the other actresses playing the Amazons went through in order to make the combat feel more genuine.
Perhaps the most recognizable part of Wonder Woman, her costume also had some revisions for the 2017 film. Wonder Woman’s original costume is ineffective and revealing compared to those of many male superheroes. While male superheroes also wear skin-tight costumes and “bear enhanced signifiers of gendered physicality”, Miriam Kent believes that the men’s outfits enhance their muscles and masculinity in order to be seen as inspirational and strong, while the womens’ exposed bodies are objectified and serve the purpose of sex appeal (69). Wonder Woman’s outfit is essentially a strapless unitard that reveals a lot of skin, which seems counterintuitive when the purpose is to be worn during combat. While the movie did not change these aspects, as I imagine they expected outcry over substantial adjustments of such a long-standing design, they were able to get away with changing more minor details, such as the material and the bottom half. In the film, her costume is not constructed of thin, figure-hugging spandex, but an armor-like material, providing more protection and practicality. The unitard portion of the costume was also modified to look more like a skirt for more functionality and modesty. The visual representation of Wonder Woman has had many flaws in the past, due to the differences in the ways that men and women are portrayed through media and a lens influenced by sexism. However, the new movie makes changes to the physical presentation of the character that more accurately lines up with the way that male superheroes are portrayed, and eliminates some of the problematic aspects.
Wonder Woman’s appearance was not the only detail that the 2017 movie made more relevant. Her personality is portrayed to be consistent with her traits of compassion and a strong moral compass, it’s not altered to be more callous or indifferent in order for her to appear stronger and ‘more manly’, which has a history of tending to happen with strong female characters in media. Anastasya Lavenia explains that this phenomenon arose from controversy over the portrayal of female characters in Hollywood as weak and one-dimensional, with their personality or storyline often revolving around a man. In order to amend this, many female characters, especially those in action or superhero movies such as Natasha Romanoff in the Avengers franchise, “speak like men, dress like men, and fight “like a man””, to make them seem stronger (Levinia). However, this reinforces the stereotype of masculinity being associated with strength, while traits like “showing kindness and being vulnerable” are perceived as weak since they are often affiliated with femininity (Levinia). The 2017 Wonder Woman film defies this poor representation of strong female characters by showcasing the compassion and kindness Wonder Woman has been known to possess in the comics. One of the main topics in the movie is how much she cares for the lives of humans, even though she herself is not one. This is a point of contention between her and Ares, the antagonist of the film, in the final battle scene, and while he views it as making her weak, it actually inspires her to push herself and defeat him. Those ‘feminine’ qualities are displayed throughout the movie as Wonder Woman uses her powers to help people, and even when she isn’t using her powers she is caring and merciful, but those aspects never take away from her strength.
While the portrayal of Wonder Woman on-screen is important, the representation behind the screen and the presence of the female gaze has a significant impact on the relevance of the film as well. The director, Patty Jenkins, became one of the first female directors of a hit superhero film. During a podcast interview with Marc Maron, she explained that when she was first hired, she felt like they intended to use her as a “beard”, using her gender to seem inclusive, when in reality “it was their story and their vision” and they weren’t interested in “doing things in a different point of view” or using her experience as a woman and as a fan of Wonder Woman to shape the film (00:50:59). This is significant because while the perceived audience for comic books and the characters within them used to be “heterosexual men”, specifically male teenagers, that is no longer the case (Kent 70). The characters were created to be perceived by men, so the male characters were meant to be related to by the audience, while the purpose of the female characters was to be objectified and capture the sexual interest of the readers. Due to their difference in purpose, the men and women in comic books and corresponding shows and films were portrayed very differently. Now that the audience of these franchises has evolved and is more diverse across age, race, and gender, the characters and their portrayals should represent that and take it into account. Having a female director fulfills that need and allows the female gaze to be highlighted. Another important role behind the scenes that affected how women were portrayed in the film was the costume designer, Lindy Hemming. As mentioned earlier, Wonder Woman’s costume received an update, and the Amazons’ outfits did as well. They contained pieces of armor and while still theatrical, were much more effective compared to the Amazon outfits created later on by Michael Wilkinson for the Justice League movie. Although Hemmings had already designed and produced Amazonian outfits, Wilkinson decided to make his own, and made them much smaller, exposing the majority of their torsos and constructing the outfits out of a leather material rather than metallic armor. These changes emphasize the difference between the male and female gaze, because Hemmings created the outfits with the role of the Amazons as warriors in mind, but Wilkinson seemed to have made his designs viewing their purpose as being attractive. This representation of women on-screen that reflects the views and experiences of real women is beneficial since it helps other people who don’t see the world through that lens understand what it’s like. Having more women making decisions about what is portrayed in films fights against womens’ “gaze colonized by ‘another’”, with ‘another’ in this case representing society, specifically men, and allows them to have “self-determination over representation” of women in media (French 10). This intentional selection of the people contributing to the film and their different perspectives impacted heavily on the changes made to make it more inclusive. Wonder Woman is a movie about a woman, so women should have significant input on the way that it is made, which should have been done with the comics, and with other traditionally underrepresented groups as well. Since those who live with the experience that a character is supposed to have know the most about it and how it should be portrayed, it is only natural that they should be involved in the making of that work. Showcasing the female gaze reduces the perpetuation of stereotypes that is common in Hollywood and allows women to have more control over the way they are perceived in society.
Some may choose to overlook the sexist aspects of Wonder Woman’s portrayal, since she has always been a progressive and powerful female figure, especially when compared to some of the few other women occupying prominent roles in comics or action films. I do agree that Wonder woman is unique in how she is a rare important female character in the DC universe that isn’t a derivative of another, more popular male superhero or villain, like She-hulk, supergirl, or batwoman. However, including original, important, female characters should be the bare minimum, and having one powerful female superhero is not enough to increase inclusivity. Many may also believe that since Wonder Woman’s character was created out of the belief that women are equal to men, and there was input from women on her design and story, she couldn’t be objectified in a problematic way. While she was created with the purpose of uplifting women in mind, the ways in which she was presented by men contradicted that objective. Her story was altered and developed primarily by men, her body has been historically drawn by men, and presented through their own gaze to fit what they wanted from the character, not necessarily staying true to the actual ideals that supposedly caused her creation.
The images and ideas that we are exposed to through media impact the way that we view the world. If we are always looking through the lens of only one group of people, and not a variety of perspectives, we prevent further understanding of those around us. Media is supposed to reflect and portray what’s happening in society, but if that portrayal is skewed, it can lead to distorted views in the observers as well, enforcing harmful stereotypes that can be internalized. In order to prevent this from happening further and remedy the effects, we need to start promoting more diverse perspectives being presented in books and films and other media that is widely consumed. Not only can we support new works, but we can also begin to recreate and alter past works in order to be more relevant to the different viewpoints that are present in today’s world.
Annotated Bibliography
French, Lisa. “WOMEN IN THE DIRECTOR’S CHAIR: THE ‘FEMALE GAZE’ IN DOCUMENTARY FILM.” Female Authorship and the Documentary Image: Theory, Practice and Aesthetics, edited by Boel Ulfsdotter and Anna Backman Rogers, Edinburgh University Press, 2018, pp. 9–21. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctt1tqxt8w.7. Accessed 20 Nov. 2022.
Lisa French examines documentaries directed by women, and what aspects of the films tend to be common with female directors. She acknowledges that the aspects she points out may not be present in all films with female directors, and may occur in the work of male directors, but they are primarily associated with female directors, and are a result or related to their gender identity and their place in society.
Although this article focuses specifically on documentaries and the world viewed through the female gaze, the defined importance can still be applied to other film genres such as action and superhero movies, which includes Wonder Woman (2017), and even more broadly applied to other pieces of media as well. I will use this information to support my argument that having more women involved in the production of Wonder Woman contributed to the success of the remake and the relevance that it achieved.
Gucci, F. (2017, June 6). Gal Gadot says training for ‘wonder woman’ was harder than training for the Israeli Army. Business Insider. Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://www.businessinsider.com/gal-gadots-training-for-wonder-woman-2017-6
This article describes the training regimen and preparation Gal Gadot went through in order to prepare for her role as Wonder Woman in the 2017 film.
I will use this article to provide evidence that although muscular women don’t necessarily fit the beauty standard yet, it was essential for a realistic portrayal of a superhero that the actor look strong, and the film didn’t shy away from that, regardless of societal views.
Jütten, Timo. “Sexual Objectification.” Ethics, vol. 127, no. 1, 2016, pp. 27–49. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26540990. Accessed 8 Nov. 2022.
In his article, Jütten asserts the harm associated with objectification, opposing a past definition of the concept that he views as incorrect due to not placing enough importance on the societal impacts and sources of objectification. Jütten argues that objectification must be viewed and defined in a broad context; how it affects society’s view of women as a whole, and how they are affected by it.
In my essay I will use this article to define objectification and identify the consequences, which will support my argument of why the past portrayal of Wonder Woman needed to be remade, and why the 2017 Wonder Woman movie is a much more relevant work than the original source material from DC comics.
Kent, Miriam. “With Great Power Comes Great Frustration?: Configurations of Hero(Ine)Ism in Marvel Films.” Women in Marvel Films, Edinburgh University Press, 2021, pp. 68–92. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctv1hm8hmv.8. Accessed 17 Nov. 2022.
In chapter three of her book Women in Marvel Films, Kent examines common ways in which female superheroes are depicted in films, specifically those associated with Marvel. She explores the ways in which these depictions differ from those of male superheroes, and analyzes the patriarchal influence behind those choices and the impact that they have.
I will use Kent’s findings to support my argument regarding the physical portrayal of Wonder Woman in the past and in the 2017 film, specifically the sections about superhero costumes and how female heroes have been tailored to the perceived audience of the comic books they originated in. Although Kent focuses on Marvel characters specifically, her observations can be applied to heroes from other franchises as well, such as Wonder Woman.
Lavenia, Anastasya. (2022, February 23). The paradox of strong female characters. CXO Media. Retrieved November 20, 2022, from https://www.cxomedia.id/art-and-culture/20220222152006-24-173856/the-paradox-of-strong-female-characters.
This article examines the similarities between portrayals of strong female characters in films, specifically action films, and how those similarities are problematic and actually reinforce societal stereotypes about women.
I am using this article to display the difference between pitfalls in the way that female superheroes have been portrayed in similar movies and how the 2017 Wonder Woman film avoided those stereotypes.
Maron, Marc, host. “Episode 1187- Patty Jenkins.” WTF with Marc Maron, episode 1187, Midroll, 28 December 2020, https://www.happyscribe.com/public/wtf-with-marc-maron/episode-1187-patty-jenkins.
Accessed 22 Nov. 2022.
In this podcast episode, Marc Maron interviewed Patty Jenkins, the director of Wonder Woman (2017). She talked about her experience as a female director and being part of an underrepresented group in the film industry.
I will use quotes and information from this interview to support my argument about the female gaze and its impact on the Wonder Woman film.
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