Less Than Wonderful

[rachel_edidin]

Forgot to post last night when I put the column up, but there's a new Inside Out - part three of four in my Wonder Woman series - up. It's the closest I've come to actually articulating my thoughts on the whole Playboy mess, so...

Comments

[davidwynne]

Read this earlier, and really liked it because it's nice and concise. You cover all of the counter-arguments very effectively, and make a good, clear case for your position. There can't be any "you're just objecting to the sexy!" or "but WW is supposed to be portrayed that way!" arguments after reading that.

[rachel_edidin]

Thank you!

[davidwynne]

sadly true

[a3ron]

As a lingo-outsider, I must say that 'smex' overwhelmingly suggests to me a shortened version of 'Tex-Mex' (but maybe I'm just hungry).

[rachel_edidin]

Hah!
No, it's internet-speak for somewhat tawdry, over-the-top, marketed at teens sexiness or sexual content.

[mechmuertos]

While I agree with you on an emotional level that a certain amount of "pimping" of Wonderwoman is being done, she is a "property" after all. I think when Batman is selling Diet Coke that this is indeed selling out the brooding-white-male-millionaire movement. Fictional characters such as this, especially comic book/serialized radio and televison characters, really cannot be criticized when they are selling something that the character themselves might not want to relate themselves too. Its simply how we view those fictional characters, putting them up on pedestals saying that they represent this...or that. I love Diana Prince and I love the various incarnations of Wonderwoman. There is strength and sexiness combined for a very formidable icon, but at the same time she could be stooped forward, bossom filling the screen selling Hostess Cupcakes and there is not much that we can do.