Wonder Woman can do just about anything, from fly an invisible jet to deflecting bullets with her wristbands, but she can no longer be an Ambassador for the United Nations. While the UN says that her stint as an Ambassador was meant to be short, it also comes in response to a petition asking that she be removed. Here is an excerpt from the petition. The bold is in the original.
At a time when issues such as gender parity in senior roles and the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse of women and girls is at the top of the United Nation’s agenda, including the “He for She” campaign, this appointment is more than surprising. It is alarming that the United Nations would consider using a character with an overtly sexualized image at a time when the headline news in United States and the world is the objectification of women and girls. The image that Wonder Woman projects (life-size cut outs of which have already appeared at UNHQ) is not culturally encompassing or sensitive -attributes the United Nations expects all its staff members to embody in the core value of respect for diversity.
To keep reading, click here: Why Wonder Woman Was the Best (If Flawed) Spokesperson for Women’s Rights
I love Wonder Woman, and Linda Carter was absolutely the best personification. However, it is undeniable that Wonder Woman is an overtly sexualized image. With the possible exception of Thor, no male superheroes display bare legs or cleavage. Furthermore, her creator was heavily into damsels in distress themes, and the original storylines veer closely in the direction of sadomasochistic. But Wonder Woman always prevailed, with a lasso that could force people to tell the truth — God, how we could use one in this “post-fact” era! — her patriotism (she worked for the military) and her Amazonian self-reliance. All this being said, the petitioners have a point. It’s one thing to idealize — to the point of placing her on a pedestal — a fictional character, while on the other hand continuing to accept as normal the victimization of women that continues to occur Worldwide. We need to do more to recognize the female leaders, role models and — yes — heroines among us and to strengthen our resistance to the real-life discrimination against women that continues all around us.
I found it interesting that the petitioners didn’t list themselves personally, only a generalized “concerned UN staffers.”