Superhero movies command the attention of audiences everywhere.
They are action-packed and filled to the brim with dazzling special effects as our favorite heroes save the universe from certain destruction.
What’s not to love?
Perhaps the way female superheroes are portrayed.
There are many critics who have voiced the opinion that the new Wonder Woman costume and the costumes of other beloved female superheroes have been overly sexualized. The costumes paint the women in these roles as sexual beings rather than women with the power to save the world.
But I don’t see why we can’t have the best of both worlds.
There’s no reason why sexuality and power must be separate entities.
It should be possible to advocate for pride in our sexuality as well as pride in our abilities.
I’ve noticed women with a certain degree of power face multitudes of criticism when even the slightest whispers of a sexual presence arise.
Powerful women should not have to hide their sexuality, because it is part of what makes them human.
The expectations society has for powerful women are unrealistic.
They are placed on a pedestal of virtue and chastity with a hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil outlook.
But when these powerful women show a little skin or reveal themselves to be sexual beings, their pedestals are taken away from them, and they are shamed.
Sex isn’t shameful. And neither is power.
A woman should not have to sacrifice one for the other and neither should a female superhero.
I think it is encouraging to young women to see female superheroes displaying their sexuality, without shame, while also saving the world.
It shouldn’t matter if Wonder Woman wears a Wonderbra.
She has confidence in both her abilities and her sexuality, and that is something to be admired.
These female superheroes have the potential to be role models for young women. They can teach sex-positive values and trigger a social reform in which sex is no longer something shameful or unattainable for powerful women.
DC and Marvel have brought these women to life who have lived only within the pages of comic books for so long, fighting crime, saving the world and just generally looking amazing.
And they have brought them to life on the silver screen by endowing them with all the qualities that were originally given to them in the pages of their books.
The sexy costumes they wear are only a part of who these women are as a whole, but their sexy costumes are closely tied to their superpowers and their world-saving abilities, which places the female superhero in a sex-positive position, bringing power and sex together in a positive and shameless fashion.
johnstra@indiana.edu
