When she starred in the movie pilot of Wonder Woman, she transformed the idea of women in television from domestic housewives to literal superheroes. Diana Price, Wonder Woman's alter ego, was as smart as Wonder Woman was as strong. She rejected the original pitch of making Diana more of the helpless damsel-in-distress archetype, and actively emphasized how smart both of them were. She also can be credited with pioneering shows with female leads, as they benefitted from her positive representation of a powerful smart female superhero.
But of course, female success in the 70's was not taken very well. Prominent men in both comic book fields and even medical fields tried to diagnose her as a man-hating lesbian. This was simply because she was breaking stereotypes on how women "should" act. She was simply succeeding in a world that wasn't prepared for her success. However, prominent feminists of both then and now use Wonder Woman and her various portrayers as symbols. They view her as a powerful woman who had to fight her way to the top, which is a metaphor that a lot of women can relate to.
This is so cool because Wonder Woman came out in 2017, and we can see how it's similar and different. The 2017 movie did what Carter didn't want, which was make Diana seem naive and not as smart compared to her male counterparts. It's striking to see how we have gone backwards in some respects. But men are still the same when rating female superhero movies, as seen with Captain Marvel. Many men call her a man-hater or say the movie hates men, disrespects them, etc.. A great look at the past and the future.
ReplyDeleteWow this was an interesting article. Although I did not know it, it is not surprising that this movie was not well received among many populations. It is interesting to see how the media reflects and can push certain social issues.
ReplyDeleteI like this article still connects to events that took place not too long ago after the release of the 2017 Wonder Woman. It's interesting to see how both movies received the same criticism about how Diana was portrayed.
ReplyDeleteThis was such an interesting post! From where we stand now the original Wonder Woman is often seen as another example of women being forced to behave (and dress) in a certain way for the male eye but it's incredibly interesting to see that back then this version of Wonder Woman was progressive and controversial.
ReplyDeleteYou present an interesting fact which contributed to the Women's Movement. Lynda Carter was indeed a prime example of a woman challenging social norms and gender roles. I think it would be more interesting if you could mention the societal reaction to the "first Wonder Woman" and how that transformed or facilitated the Women's Movement
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