WORDS BY MEL EVANS. RAVEN & SNOW
W
ho’da
thunk a
lady clad
in leather
could
be the
saviour
of 2017?
This
could be
a f lippant statement to make so
early in the piece, but in a time
when we’re searching for a woman
to lead us to greatness (because
Julia isn’t running Australia any-
more and Hillary, well, it’s still
too raw to talk about), Won d e r
Wom an’s Diana Prince, played by
Gal Gadot, has become a kickass
antidote to the rather humdrum
pop culture conversation normally
surrounding superhero movies.
Aside from the awesomeness of
the film itself – attested to by all
of your friends who have seen it,
whether you asked them or not –
the commercial success has now
provided the f lint to spark game-
changing conversation.
A lot of our affection is down
to our pre-existing love of super-
hero movies, but it’s important to
talk about the positive f low-on
effect that occurs when a super-
hero f lick helmed by a female is
just as popular as one starring a
male. ‘While there are the other
kinds of lessons – like normalising
female heroes – the true win is
disproving the assumption that
for a film to make money, a big-
name male star needs to headline,’
says University of Melbourne
Social and Political Sciences
lecturer Lauren Rosewarne.
And make money it certainly
has. Won d e r Wom an is already the
fifth-highest-grossing release of
2017, the top-grossing female-
directed live action film, and onceit passes the $745 million mark
it’ll become the most successful
DC film that doesn’t feature an
appearance by Batman. It’s enough
to show that if Won d e r Wom an –
directed by Patty Jenkins – can
smash the cinematic glass ceiling,
then maybe us mere mortals can,
too. Even more important, says
RMIT Media and Communication
lecturer Dr Glen Donnar, ‘the
discussion around the film seems
to centre on how feminist the film
is, not whether it is.’
Still, when it comes to said
money-making ability, we need
to make sure we’re not lessening
the effect of Diana’s power by
trivialising the whole shebang.
For instance, the big advertising
campaigns tied to the lead-up of
this release – PinkBerry Power
Berry Frozen Yogurt, Think Thin
protein bars, makeup – showed us
it seems as though we would only
embrace the film if its associated
products were feminine, or would
make us thinner. Did Batman sell
motor oil? It’s easy for us to just
accept the gender stereotypes put
in front of us, isn’t it?
Once the movie came out,
though, it showed that consumers
were ready to put a female front-
and-centre in an action f lick. And
this is the main message we should
embrace. From Gadot to Robin
Wright’s truly epic turn as Claire
Underwood in House of Cards
(and, coincidentally, as Diana’s
aunt in Won d e r Wom an) and just
about every woman in Game of
Thrones right now, we’re gaining
a crew of strong-willed women
to inspire us further than the
normal representation.
‘What has been telling is how
female voices have dominated
written commentary on the film,’
says Dr Donnar. ‘Esteemed f ilm
critics who happen to be women
have described small epiphanies
they have had while watching the
film, moved to tears in watchingDiana’s celebrated power and in
recognising the importance of
increased female representation
in popular culture.’
However, Rosewarne warns us
not to put all our trust in the idea
that the film holds all the answers
to gender inequality.
‘Having a female superhero is
great,’ she begins. ‘[But] she is still
a stereotypically attractive woman
with all the markers of femininity
... assuming that things change for
ordinary women is ridiculous.’
Gal Gadot’s representation of
Wonder Woman is feminine, sure,
but she’s strong, stronger than the
men in this movie, and that is often
the takeaway when referring to her
physicality. This is a character that
was created in 1941 as a strong
feminist icon and, ignoring the
’70s TV version that swayed from
the original message, for many this
movie has come at a time when we
really need the personal belief we
can be kickass, protect ourselves
and solve our own problems.
‘In the era of Trump, we are
looking for escapism, perhaps more
so than ever before, but we’re also
looking for new role models,’ says
Rosewarne. ‘Ideally women role
models to replace the one we were
supposed to have sitting in the
White House.’
Perhaps this gross political
oversight has spawned a generation
of wonder women who are a little
more engaged and enlightened to
take matters into their own hands
and take control of their invisible
jets (and, you know, their destinies).
No doubt we’ll soon see more
female-directed and female-led
blockbuster films, and even more
positive, empowering and diverse
representations of female power.
Frankly, it’s about time. #‘We can
be kickass
and solve
our own
problems’
COSMOPOLITAN SEPTEMBER 2017 97