Sex Roles (2014) 70:434–435 DOI 10.1007/s11199-014-0364-x

MEDIA REVIEW

Exploration of a Feminist Icon: Wonder Woman’s Influence on U.S. Media Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines. Directed by Kristy Guevara-Flanagan, Vaquera Films, 2013. 55 min. $295.00 (University price) Britney G. Brinkman & Allison Jedinak

Published online: 15 March 2014 # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014

Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines follows the trajectory of Wonder Woman from her beginnings (she was developed by a Psychologist to serve as a role model for women), to her time spent as a shop owner by day and ninja by night, to present day representations. In addition to examining this feminist icon who graced the cover of the first issue of Ms. Magazine (Levine 1972), the film scrutinizes media representations of powerful women, the presence and lack of superheroines in media in the United States, and the impact media has on girls and women. Although aspects of the themes in the film may apply internationally, much of the film (and this analysis) focuses on the implications for U.S. society. The film provides a historical perspective, which examines the journey of Wonder Woman (and other media figures) through the lens of cultural events happening in the USA and globally. This approach allows the viewer to consider the interplay of media and other social forces that shape people’s lives. One of these social forces examined in detail is the feminist movement. The film includes interviews with activists that many consider to be “superheroes” of the movement (including Gloria Steinem and Kathleen Hanna). The film also draws upon feminist and psychological research to examine the way that media impacts individuals and postulates that it is essential for girls to have female “superheroes” who they can look up to as role models. Interviews with children and adults who admire the Wonder Woman character provide an interesting insight into the ways in which individuals may integrate media icons into their life stories. The film examines the lack of superheroines throughout

B. G. Brinkman (*) : A. Jedinak Chatham University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA e-mail: [email protected]

various media types, yet this representation problem does not just apply to superheroes. A report from the Women’s Media Center (Klos 2013) found that women are underrepresented in all areas of media, with only 11 % of movie protagonists in 2012 being female. When women are represented, it is often in one-dimensional and objectified ways (Lamb and Brown 2006). The film attempts to unpack some of the problematic ways in which strong women (including Wonder Woman) are represented when they are present. The main characters from Thelma and Louise provide an excellent example of ways that strength in women is often represented through the use of violence and ultimately self-sacrifice. Gilpatric (2010) argues that this is a larger trend in media, whereby women who have physical power often are punished or ultimately sacrifice that power for the sake of others. Wonder Women! highlights how the story lines and plots for Wonder Woman shifted from rescuing others and saving the day to Wonder Woman being rescued. While the film pays some attention to the issue, more discussion could be had about the ways that “strong” women are frequently presented in a sexualized manner. Gill (2012), and other scholars, have argued that the sexualization of female empowerment has numerous negative consequences for girls and women who are exposed to such messages. In addition, the documentary discusses the idea of looking sexy as a way of gaining power; noting a longstanding tradition in media that women’s bodies are treated as objects. Wonder Women! displays drawings of Wonder Woman, demonstrating how the character has become more sexualized through the decades. Douglas (2010) expands on this idea by proposing that being sexy as a way of gaining power is in fact false empowerment. Douglas (2010) discusses this intersection of sexuality and power in various female characters in powerful roles, such as Xena: Warrior Princess and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, two characters who are also discussed in Wonder Women!

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Interestingly, the film also explores (to a lesser extent) the comic and entertainment industry by providing somewhat shocking statistics about the lack of representation of women in decision-making positions. During an interview in the film, Trina Robbins discusses her experience as the first female drawer of Wonder Woman (she started in 1986; the character debuted in 1941) and the sexism that she faced in the comic book industry. In this way, the film is able to explore multiple dimensions of untold stories and ways that girls and women are often underrepresented, both as media figures and those responsible for creating the media. Other recent media regarding the representation of women presents similar topics. For example, Miss Representation (Newsom 2011), a film on portrayals of women in the media, highlights the pervasiveness and frequency of hypersexualized images of women in the media. Similar to Wonder Women!, Miss Representation discusses how decisions are made in media, which are mostly by men, and how to begin to shift how women are represented in the media. What Wonder Women! provides is a unique assessment of the characterization of female superheroes. The exploration of the diversity of ways that Wonder Woman has been portrayed, as well as the examination of other images of women in the media, make the film an excellent supplement to media literacy components of courses in psychology and or women/gender studies. Examining media in a critical manner can reduce the persuasiveness of media messages (Bergsma and Carney 2008), many of which may be detrimental to viewers. Experts in the film point out the ways in which Wonder Woman’s character, powers, and role changes over time in comic books and how this often correlates with the way women are being perceived in the real world. For example, according to the movie, in 1968 Wonder Woman gives up her powers in order to stay in “man’s world” becoming Diana Prince and no longer holding the title “Wonder Woman.” The documentary argues that this move was accompanied by outcry from some feminists who felt the representation was a statement against the women’s movement and way to encourage women to not advocate for power in their own lives. This film is an excellent fit for a general university audience as it would draw interest from students and faculty engaged in women/gender studies, media studies, history, sociology, and psychology. The film is an excellent option for a college/community collaborative event and or/an event that is open to the community. The material is approachable enough for middle school aged students, but provides enough depth to be appropriate at the college/university level (including graduate students). The companion website provides numerous resources for publicizing the event as well as a discussion guide that can be used to facilitate a panel following the film. Curriculum guides are also available for middle school, high school, and college students, which assists instructors in integrating the film into existing courses.

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This documentary can be utilized in teaching of women’s studies and psychology courses, especially psychology courses which focus on the psychology of women or psychology of media. Instructors can utilize the film to spark dialogues about representations of women in the media, the movie can be used to examine representations of other groups, thus extending to a more intersectional approach and discussion. The film asks (and attempts to answer) the question, what makes a superheroine? While it provides numerous ways to approach this answer, it also fuels continued discussions during which students may be encouraged to explore themes related to socialization of gender and devaluation of the feminine. The supplementary material available on the film’s website provide ideas for creating assignments that students can do in response to the film. This documentary could be used in undergraduate Women’s Studies courses to discuss representation of female characters in comics, television, and movies. Reel Girls, a summer video camp, is presented in the film, and the classroom exercises highlighted in the film could be applied to undergraduate courses, such as, brainstorming how girls or boys or women or men are portrayed in the media. In addition, specifically identifying what is missing and creating media based on what students would like to see represented could serve as another example of a classroom exercise. Wonder Women! is an engaging and entertaining film, one that inspires the audience to consider the heroes in their own lives. This film raises awareness of how woman are portrayed in the media, both in comics and movies, which may impact the lens in which you view other media. Whether you are already a Wonder Woman fan, or just learning about the character, it is hard to walk away from this film without a feeling of amazement about how one character can do so much to impact girls and women in the United States. By the end, you may find yourself ready to organize a campaign to get Wonder Woman to the big screen!

References Bergsma, L. J., & Carney, M. E. (2008). Effectiveness of healthpromoting media literacy education: A systematic review. Health Education Research, 23, 522–542. doi:10.1093/her/cym084. Douglas, S. J. (2010). Enlightened sexism: The seductive message that feminism’s work is done. New York: Times Books. Gill, R. (2012). Media, empowerment and the ‘sexualization of culture’ debates. Sex Roles, 66, 736–745. doi:10.1007/s11199-011-0107-1. Gilpatric, K. (2010). Violent female action characters in contemporary American cinema. Sex Roles, 62, 734–746. doi:10.1007/s11199010-9757-7. Klos, D. M. (2013). The status of women in the US media. Washington, D.C.: Women’s Media Center. Lamb, S., & Brown, L. M. (2006). Packaging girlhood: Rescuing our daughters from marketers’schemes. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin. Levine, S. B. (Ed.). (1972). Ms magazine. Newsom, J. S. (Director). (2011). Miss representation [Film]. United States: Girls’ Club Entertainment.