Qualifying Feminism: Empowerment and the Arts (Part I)

Gal Gadot in her 2017 film role as Wonder Woman.

"But it was within this busy, unorthodox household, where (William Moulton) Marston upheld a "hodgepodge of Aquarianism and psychology and feminism," that Wonder Woman began to take shape. Marston proudly claimed that his most famous creation was meant to be "psychological propaganda for the new type of woman who ... should rule the world." The superhero made her debut in December 1941, the same month the United States entered World War II. With her mandate to fight "evil, intolerance, destruction, injustice, suffering, and even sorrow, on behalf of democracy, freedom, justice, and equal rights for women," Wonder Woman not only battles Nazis but also aids (in the guise of her alter ego, Diana Prince) female department-store workers on strike over meager wages."

- Melissa Anderson from her Newsday book review of The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore. Inset left is a Wonder Woman comic book panel (possibly from the 1970s) featuring an explosive rant which begins: "Men! It was you who did this, with your weapons and your war, and your mad need for confrontation..."

"This perception shifted over the years, however, as demonstrated in December 2016 when the United Nations decided to drop the title of "honorary ambassador for the empowerment of women and girls" which it had given to the comic book character Wonder Woman a few months prior, in a ceremony attended by the actors who had portrayed her (Lynda Carter and Gal Gadot). The title was eliminated in response to a petition signed by 44,000 people which argued that Wonder Woman undermines female empowerment due to her costume, described as a "shimmery, thigh-baring bodysuit with an American flag motif and knee-high boots". The petition stated that "it is alarming that the United Nations would consider using a character with an overtly sexualised image at a time when the headline news in United States and the world is the objectification of women and girls"...

The debate continued with the release of Jenkins' 2017 film, Wonder Woman, which according to the BBC had "some thinking it's too feminist and others thinking it's not feminist enough". Kyle Killian found an inherent contradiction in the construction of Wonder Woman as "a warrior" whom, she states, is also highly sexualized. Killian thus suggests that these elements "should not be the focus of a kickass heroine—her beauty, bone structure, and sexiness—if she is to be a feminist icon..."

- Excerpt from the Wiki entry for Wonder Woman, the 2017 film directed by Patty Jenkins. Inset right, Wonder Woman and her controversial costume.

"Spartan women, of the citizenry class, enjoyed a status, power, and respect that was unknown in the rest of the classical world. The higher status of females in Spartan society started at birth; unlike Athens, Spartan girls were fed the same food as their brothers. Nor were they confined to their father's house and prevented from exercising or getting fresh air as in Athens, but exercised and even competed in sports. Most important, rather than being married off at the age of 12 or 13, Spartan law forbade the marriage of a girl until she was in her late teens or early 20s. The reasons for delaying marriage were to ensure the birth of healthy children, but the effect was to spare Spartan women the hazards and lasting health damage associated with pregnancy among adolescents. Spartan women, better fed from childhood and fit from exercise, stood a far better chance of reaching old age than their sisters in other Greek cities, where the median age for death was 34.6 years or roughly 10 years below that of men."

- Excerpt from the Wiki entry for the ancient Greek city of  Sparta. Note that, in the ancient world, the life span of a woman was shorter than that of her male counterpart. Inset left is a bust of Helen (Helénē) of Troy (or Sparta) by the artist Antonio Canova. She was that famous swan daughter of (Spartan) Leda and the god, Zeus.

"Girls with guns, big guns - what fun! Even the most pacifistic woman - and really, I am - experiences a certain vicarious release when, with a gun in each hand, a superwoman blows away a flock of her opponents, without so much as blinking her eyes. Hell, I have a hard time swatting a fly, but when I watch Kate Beckensale blast her way through a bevy of creeps, I get to share a certain heady sense of power...

So, you go Kate, and Charlize, and Carrie-Anne... and you go Milla, and Sigourney, and anybody I may have left out. There are no underdogs quite so "under" as women, so, when you shine, all of our repressed warrior instincts finally get to kick some ass!"

- Excerpt from my (2011) PMB post "The New Superheroines - Girls With Guns." Inset right is
Kate Beckinsale as the Vampire (and Death Dealer), Selene.

***

From 1987.

The word "superheroine" isn't even an official word according to my computer system's 2009 dictionary... (and maybe it isn't now, either, judging by the way it's being underlined in red as I write this post). But, considering that the comic book character, Wonder Woman, made her debut over 70 years ago (in December of 1941), and noting, too, the plethora of female warrior-types who've invigorated the film, television and comic book industries since that time, well, one would think the word would have surfaced in the English language by now.

But, as it happens, the official world transforms very, very slowly... and, in certain areas of the globe, almost not at all; and in regards to the subordination of the female gender, well, despite several "waves" of feminists - and thousands upon thousands of years spent pushing the world's population out of their (collective) wombs - women are still essentially the underdogs. The odd thing is, even when a woman is the boldest, most attractive, most ingenious person she can be, chances are she still fears she is never quite good enough and her accomplishments are trivial, often driving her to overcompensate for a deficiency she never really had. Inwardly, regardless of her accomplishments, she still feels as if she's treading water, or as if some undefinable force continues to hold her back or drag her down. This is not a delusion. Metaphorically, society - under the spell of a pervasive patriarchal zeitgeist - clipped her wings many ages ago. And this legacy - this insidious mutation - was genetically* passed down to her in such a way, that she needs no outside force to enslave her - the trappings of her prison exist at all times embedded within her own psychology.

So, the question becomes: how can a maimed bird fly?

The first Wonder Woman cover, January, 1942

"Flying," then, will be our operative word in this post, as it may have been when William Moulton Marston and his unconventional family - comprised of his wife, Sadie Elizabeth Holloway, his mistress, Olive Byrne (the niece of birth control activist Margaret Sanger), and two children by each of the women - sat down to create a superheroine who was designed to show the necessity of equality and advancement of women’s rights.  Marston, himself, heavily influenced by the British suffragist Emmeline Pankhurst, firmly believed that, not only would a woman someday be President of the United States, but, the world would be a better place in the hands of women instead of their male counterparts... which, at the time, was an almost anarchistic assumption.

Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman in the televison series, 1970s.

Not long after, at the end of 1941 - synchronistic with the bombing of Pearl Harbor and America's entry into an ongoing global war which would claim between 50 to 80 million human lives - the mythical Wonder Woman was born. She was an immediate success amongst both boys and girls, and (oddly enough) it wasn't until after Marston's death (in 1947)** when "DC Comics took the feminism out of Wonder Woman and created instead a timid and uninspiring female character" that her fame began to wane (source link). That is, until a second wave of feminists - 1960s, 1970s - embraced her as an icon and a new Wonder Woman took flight (above).

Wonder Woman, 2017, found here.

Today, the overriding feminist concern seems to be how politically correct a "feminist icon" (specifically Wonder Woman) dresses. And this is unfortunate. While Wonder Woman's (1970) star-spangled bathing suit was (admittedly) cheesy, even the new and improved version (above) is not, apparently, without its critics. Is Gal Gadot's costume too sexy? Does it expose too much skin? Does it in any way emphasize the beauty of her gender, thereby "objectifying" her?

Well, I don't know. The original Wonder Woman wore a skirt. Moreover, the "mythological" Amazons - who may have had a connection to the actual Greek women of Sparta - dressed in a variety of ways... sometimes in trousers, at other times in a costume similar to that of a male soldier (or Hoplite) (inset right). Then again, In examples of sculpture from the Hellenistic period, the Amazon is most often portrayed wearing a short, off-the-shoulder tunic which displays one bared breast (inset left, below). This may have implied the tradition - and/or inflammatory propaganda - that an Amazon warrior ** had one breast removed to better accommodate her arrow sheaf.

Hellenic Amazon sculpture.

The issue of a woman's breasts will emerge again in a later post in the series, but, for our present discussion, let's return to the idea of flight. And, it goes something like this: Never underestimate the psychological, transformative potential of a fictional superhero in modern culture. For many years, young men and boys were empowered by the likes of Superman, Batman, etc., but, as far back as ancient folk tales and religious parables the conception of male superiority - and female passivity - was enforced and reinforced. I mentioned my own feelings of empowerment from a novel I'm currently reading involving a female hero (here), and while the exhilaration evoked might be transitory, experienced continuously over the decades, it becomes an indelible force to be reckoned with.

Meanwhile, ask any little girl: would you like to be like Wonder Woman? I'll bet she does... (and not only for the leather bustier!).

Which is why I'm dismayed (and exhausted) by a feminist focus on trivialities such as "costume." It's just the sort of nit-picking that contributes to the "bitch" stereotype we're ideally trying to eradicate. But, the alarming fact is that the feminist movement - (see Feminism) - is and always has been rife with discord... each successive "wave" bringing more superficial divisions into the fray as opposed to the more desirable - from a strategic standpoint - amalgamation of forces. If one is called upon to qualify their understanding and/or experience of empowerment and emancipation, then the waters have become muddied, indeed.

Another problem is the error of complacency, the delusion that the so-called feminist agenda - which, seemingly, has yet to be determined - has already, for the most part, been fulfilled. Has it?

"According to 2014 Ipsos poll covering 15 developed countries, 53 percent of respondents identified as feminists, and 87% agreed that "women should be treated equally to men in all areas based on their competency, not their gender". However, only 55% of women agreed that they have 'full equality with men and the freedom to reach their full dreams and aspirations'.

Answer: No, it hasn't.

The feminist agenda will be fulfilled when - and only when - the term "feminist" becomes redundant (i.e., not necessary).

But, in a way, our superheroines force us to redefine feminism, which is generally misinterpreted as (merely) a social and political movement when, most importantly, it is also cultural. While "equal rights" makes for a good political slogan, the reality is, unless women and men are equally empowered, political achievements will always be at risk. This is illustrated by the current buffoon in the White House who makes a point of reminding us that our "rights" might be taken away at any given moment.

A true cultural zeitgeist, however, is not so easily removed.

The Chinese-American character, Jubilee, from the X-Men series.
First appearance: 1989.

"Empowerment," then, refers to inner strength and self-confidence. Nothing else is implied; neither age, race, gender, skin color, job description, sexual proclivity, political stance, physical dimensions or fashion sense. Consequently, an empowered woman cannot be reduced to a singular archetype. In other words, there can never be enough superheroines, and, in terms of feminism, there can never be enough "icons." **** And, globally, while billions of feminine voices remain suppressed - along with their untold tales - perhaps our goals should include a full-scale renaissance.

In the end, if feminism is to survive long enough to accomplish its mission, it will have to morph beyond the limits of a mere sociopolitical movement... here today, gone tomorrow... burdened with a stringent code of ethics which ultimately alienates the very people it was created to support. It must become a new cultural zeitgeist; a zeitgeist in which - along with its art - "political correctness" is never the overriding determinant. Ideally, (I think) we want to live in a world where both men and women can be perceived as who they really are (and what they actually do and/or potentially can do) as opposed to being forced or indoctrinated to conform to rigid roles predetermined by archaic standards.

Ultimately, then, our goal - as humans - is truth. And that, comrades, is the bottom line.

Grave stele of an
ancient Greek girl. (450-400 B.C.) 

* Regarding genetics, an interesting article recently came to my attention: We are multitudes - Women are chimeras, with genetic material from both their parents and children. Where does that leave individual identity? I've excerpted a bit below:

"Haig is quick to point out that these antagonisms are not an expression of feuding spouses, squabbling families or ongoing culture wars, but rather are playing out unconsciously through ‘genetic politics’. Nonetheless, there is a ready slippage between the interpretation of social behaviour and analyses of biological activity, and current research is ripe with hyperbole and bellicose metaphors.

If I am both my children and my mother, does that change who I am and the way I behave in the world?"

The operative question is: can "genetic material" be modified through "culture wars"?

** According to Nerdist, a movie about Marston is also in the works.

*** Regarding what may (possibly) be authentic Amazons, I found this interesting New Yorker article, from which the quote below was taken:

"The natural question, when you’re faced with a story like this, is: How true is it? In 'Amazons,' Mayor—a classicist, based at Stanford, who is by all accounts the world’s leading expert on ancient female fighters—argues that, even if it is not literally true in all its particulars, it is still broadly true. The evidence, she writes, points to the fact that there really were Amazons: in some archaeological digs in Eurasia, as many as thirty-seven per cent of the graves contain the bones and weapons of horsewomen who fought alongside men. (“Arrows, used for hunting and battle, are the most common weapons buried with women, but swords, daggers, spears, armor, shields, and sling stones are also found,” Mayor writes.) These were the women the Greeks encountered on their expeditions around the Black Sea; they inspired similar stories among travellers from ancient Persia, Egypt, China, and other places. In Greece, they were objects of romantic fascination. Their societies, in which both men and women were able to embody the martial virtues, provided a counterpoint to Greek society, in which only men could be valorous."

**** Regarding the inset superheroine images which appear here: first inset right image (above), we have Vixen (1981), who is "an African female superhero who has the ability to tap into Earth’s morphogenetic field that allows her to mimic the abilities of any animal, by simply focusing on its specific abilities and drawing them directly from the field. Using her Tantu Totem, a mystical totem said to be created by the African god Anansi the Spider, Vixen is able to control her powers."

Inset left (above) is the beautiful Jamaican superheroine Jet (1988) who "has the ability to fly, create blasts of heat and force, and generate an electromagnetic pulse; move and manipulate metal with magnetic fields; fire blasts of electricity; and see in other frequencies of the spectrum besides visible light, such as ultraviolet and infrared."

Inset, right (above) is the Korean-American superheroine Silk who (as Cindy Moon), is an unsung counterpart to Spiderman.

"Unlike Peter, who knows exactly how to use his powers she accidentally webs up her parents. She's taken in by Ezekiel Sims who trains her in her powers but then locks her in isolation for years. Moon escapes and becomes Silk."

Last (but not least), we have a woman warrior* from 2000: the Crimson Avenger (inset, right). "She possesses the powers of teleportation and intangibility. Her guns never miss, never run out of ammunition, and have no triggers. The bullets are capable of penetrating any substance, and can wound invulnerable heroes such as Superman and Power Girl, as well as crack the armored shell of Captain Atom."

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* Pardon the footnote-within-a-footnote, but I wanted to address two of our true warrior sisters, who are pushing the envelope in the field of sports, specifically boxing. Whether or not you're a sports fan, athletics is a part of our culture, and, not surprisingly, has a "glass ceiling" of its own.

Marlen Esparza via Vogue magazine.

"While male fighters can earn millions for a title bout, female professionals rarely make more than $10,000 for a title and often must fight abroad. There is hope in women’s boxing that the Olympics will draw attention, and advertising dollars, to the sport, but Esparza believes that broad acceptance of women fighters will take much longer. “We finally have some momentum,” she says, “but I don’t think women will be considered the main event, or get paid for boxing, in my generation. Maybe in my lifetime. We’re about 10 percent there.”

The quote (above) - and photo - comes from Vogue magazine, excerpted from a 2012 article about the Hispanic-American boxer Marlen Esparza.

The quote below is from African-American boxer (and the first American gold medalist in boxing) Claressa Maria Shields. Both it and the photo (inset left) are found in this (2016) ESPN article.

"I was angry for a lot of reasons when I was a child. I was molested and raped. But I channeled all the anger from that into boxing, and I think that's why I'm so successful at it. Boxing really helped with that. It calmed me down a lot and gave me discipline and structure."

In a sense, the cultural renaissance referred to in this post might already be in its earlier stages. Meaning, our time to push the envelope is now. Relevant to this footnote, however, is a film that (inadvertently) brought female boxing into the popular arena, that is: Million Dollar Baby (2004). It was directed by Clint Eastwood, featured Morgan Freeman, and introduced actress Hilary Swank in the starring role (inset left).

All in all, it was a tragic tale, which could easily have been interpreted as "cautionary." That is, the heroine is defeated and mutilated at the end of the film and begs for death. In other words, it was hardly a feminine empowerment parable. That being said, I just happened to come across two recent headlines that might interest us here: (from 2016) Hilary Swank says that after winning 2 Oscars she was still offered 5% of her male costar's pay; and (from 2018) Filmmaker Paul Haggis, known for Crash, Million Dollar Baby, accused of sexual assault.

The wheels go 'round and 'round... or do they?

***

Note: I have enough material for - at the very least - Part II in a potential "Empowerment" series... but, as all subsequent problems and challenges exist (see "Mountain" posts) I can't promise anything. If the post is created - my guess is during the first half of next month - this link will become active: Qualifying Feminism: Empowerment and the Arts (Part II).