“I don’t think you can truly understand the power of representation until you experience it where it has never been before.” This was my Facebook status last night, after – you guessed it – coming home from the new Wonder Woman movie. There has already been a lot of talk about this movie from many different perspectives.
Was it feminist enough? Was its’ feminism intersectional, or was there too much focus on white, able-bodied women? Did Chris Pine really get to save the day, or was Gal Gadot the true hero?
I have opinions about all of this. In particular, I found it appalling that the women of color in Themyscira didn’t speak for the first several minutes of the film, while the white women had plenty to say. None of the Amazons seemed to have any disabilities, though there was some variety in body shapes and ages. In short, the movie could have gone further than it went. But….
I bawled like a baby through the “No Man’s Land” scene. And here’s why: I have waited 46 years to see a woman truly be there hero on screen. Female super heroes are always part of a cast of men, and usually do very little, or just enough to justify having their characters around.
And yeah, I know, Xena Warrior Princess was a kick-butt woman, but I never did get into that show, so I didn’t get to have that experience in the 90’s. I cried because a woman was making everything possible for the other (male) soldiers on the battlefield, I cried because she wanted to protect the people, the animals, and the planet and she took a :not on my watch: approach to ALL of it. And I cried because she alone was the hero of that scene. She didn’t do it in her underwear and high heels (sorry Linda Carter) and she wasn’t wearing gratuitous make-up. Her hair stayed pretty perfect though, which was kind of annoying.
Throughout the film, Diana never stayed silent when there was something to say, she interrupted the interrupters and talked back to the man-splainers. She was the woman that many of us wish we could be, strive to be, would love to be. Plus she can basically fly, which – let’s face it – would be awesome.
The idea of representation is simple – when we see people like us in film, TV, media, government, or even in professions or roles of power, we accept that it is possible for us to fill these same roles. So when little girls see Wonder Woman being the hero, they know that they too can be powerful and make a difference. When children of color see black astronauts, they know it is possible for them to also go to space some day.
When Krista Ferguson wears her insulin pump during the Miss America pageant, little girls with Type 1 Diabetes know that they are beautiful. When Neil Patrick Harris speaks about his husband and children, young queer boys know that they can be open about who they are and be accepted. I could go on, but you get the idea.
The thing is, I already know that I am a bad-ass who GETS THINGS DONE. I know that not much can stand in my way when I make up my mind. And yet, there was something about seeing Wonder Woman listen to the men around her say that it cannot be done and then watching her do it anyway, that would have brought me to my knees had I been standing. It wasn’t that she killed the bad guys, it was that she didn’t let the naysayers stop her from doing what she knew needed to be done.
I read a post on social media that said something along the lines of “no wonder men feel so powerful, I saw ONE movie with a female lead hero, and I am ready to take on the entire world.” Boys and men see themselves in roles of power all of the time (especially white, straight, able-bodied boys and men). It is my hope that Wonder Woman will be the first of many heroes that girls and women can see themselves in. Personally, I not only saw myself in Wonder Woman, but I felt seen by the existence of her character. There was a validation of who I am in Diana that is hard to put into words.
I still can’t fly, but I will say that I feel even more empowered than I was before seeing this film. If each of us can bring just a little bit more of Wonder Woman into our daily lives, just think about what we can accomplish!!
Recent Comments