Why "Wonder Woman" is a powerful display of female athleticism
I was one of many to recently watch the much raved-about, new DC Comics movie Wonder Woman. Super heroes have never been a part of my upbringing: I have never read any comics, or owned any action figures. However, growing up, I have begun to appreciate the motion pictures carefully crafted based on the comics - there is something kind of euphoric about going on adventures with these superheroes in worlds that have totally different laws, celebrating when they catch the 'bad guy', whilst also acknowledging their many human qualities.
Wonder Woman totally changed the game for me. I was more excited than ever to pay R300 for popcorn and to see this movie in 3D, primarily because the lead role - the superhero - was a woman, and the director is a woman. The lead role was not just any woman, but Gal Gadot - actress and model originally from Israel. She is so incredibly beautiful that I didn't care to hold my boyfriend's hand the entire movie because she might have temporarily made me question if I still liked boys.
Accurate depiction of me.
Sometimes the angry feminist in me comes out and wishes I could live on an island with no men, like Diana does. What makes these women on Themiscyra, the name of the island, so incredible is their ability to do exactly what men do and still manage to live autonomously, but within a kind of warrior-sisterhood. I know this is all imaginary and does not exist in the real world, but I thought an analysis of these women, Diana in particular, and their athleticism/badassyness would be fun to do.
1. Diana became a superhero by leaning on the strong women around her.
Ask a lot of female athletes nowadays about how they got to where they are and they will attribute a lot of their success to coaches, family, the gym etc. Whilst Diana went through training with her aunt, much of her success as a superhero stemmed from her initiative to push herself and become like her mother, who fought in many wars (and is also ridiculously attractive). She started training when she was young and was guided by her family on the island, and the result was a confident, strong (mentally and physically) woman who went on to kick ass in the real-life, more-human war in Europe. Point I'm trying to make: strong women make strong women.
(Taken from Pinterest)
2. She did not need to rely on any men to become a superhero.
Back to my point about the island and how I would like to go there sometimes because no men. Physical strength is commonly dominated by our male counterparts who often look down on women because, biologically, they will never meet their female match. Diana became strong mainly through her own determination and went on to absolutely annihilate much of the men in the movie. Sure, she is half-god and has superpowers, but the man of evil - General Ludendorff of Germany, main puppeteer of the World War ongoings - finds a concoction that also diminishes his human qualities. He develops super human strength, but not strong enough to beat Wonder Woman in an epic battle that sees the end of the war. Diana rebels against her male guides in this other world because she knows what she is capable of, although "she instinctively obeys a handsome meathead who has no skills apart from moderate decisiveness and pretty eyes" upon her first arrival in London (thank you for that amazing description, Zoe Williams of The Guardian). Essentially, it is thanks to Diana/Wonder Woman that the war of all wars ended.
3. Wonder Woman does not conform. To anything.
I noticed this when she first arrives in London and has to find something a lot more neutral to wear (personally I would not be opposed to wearing my cool superhero outfit in a metropolis such as London but whatevs). After each outfit she tries on, she asks: "How am I supposed to fight in this?" Although she settles on something to wear, she is evidently restricted and uncomfortable and inhibited in her movements. Throughout the fighting scenes, audiences see Diana dominating the war in her red and blue Wonder Woman outfit. She also does not conform to how a war should be fought - staying safe in the trenches etc. - and instead puts her strong foot forward and takes massive risks, unlike many of the other men. Of course, she can deflect any bullet that comes her way, but her actions are an example of a woman who cannot be stopped, and should instead be left to do things to the beat of her own drum. Referring back to Zoe Williams' brilliant article on the film, "an unbreakable female lead can be liberating to the violent misogynist tendency since the violence against her can get a lot more ultra, and nobody has to feel bad about it, because she’ll win."
I think the ideals portrayed by this female-led film can and should be adapted to real life, although it is already evident in so many spheres of the athletic world. Female athletes could potentially excel further with female coaches and mentors. A study done by Molstad and and Whitaker in 1987 showed that "female basketball players ranked female coaches as superior in the coaching qualities of relating well to others and understanding athletes’ feelings". Sport is not just about the sport and your ability in doing it, especially not as a coach. I hate that this is a stereotype now but women are more emotional than men in that they are more in touch with their emotions, and these emotions become intertwined in everything they do, including sport. So, surely a woman coaching a woman is likely to boost their morale and success?
