A Little Bit of Wonder
Everybody’s talking about Wonder Woman these days. And my gosh, am I glad for it. ‘Bout time we got caught up in the awesomeness of a female superhero.
But when I finally went to see it this week, I was still a bit trepidatious. I mean, would it really live up to the hype? Or would it come across as a story filtered through a male fantasy?
Thankfully, it was the former. And hello, shout out to a woman director as well. (More, please.)
It had humor and heart and some awesome fighting. And it made me look at Wonder Woman herself in a new light. Granted, I didn’t know much about the comic book superhero to start with. I haven’t seen the older movie or even Batman vs. Superman. I only knew she wore a ridiculous outfit, which was, fortunately, toned down in this version, becoming more like functional armor and less like a swimsuit. (Glory, hallelujah.)
In fact, everything is toned down, the story and characters treated with a sophisticated subtlety that I loved. And Diana is revealed to be a multi-dimensional human being. (A multi-dimensional woman in an action movie. Imagine that!)
She’s neither objectified nor masculinized, which were my two main fears. Far too often, a female character is either a sex object or “just one of the boys.” Not so here. Throughout the movie, you can see Diana’s more feminine traits and how her compassion and kindness are part of her strength instead of detracting from it. And yes, she’s certainly beautiful, but her fighting style isn’t the hyper-sexualized style commonly seen in action movies. No slinking or sashaying in sight. This lady ain’t no simple eye candy. She fights with strength while also utilizing her agility, like a gymnast.
And while being raised on a remote island with only women has created some real world naiveté, Diana is also shown to be highly intelligent, fluent in multiple languages, and able to connect with people. And when people (*cough* men *cough*) try to tell her something she knows isn’t true, she trusts herself. This is a woman who is confident in her abilities and will stop at nothing to protect others.
That, y’all, is someone we should all aspire to emulate. Today, and every day, I’ll be embracing a little bit of wonder.