Wonder Woman as a UN ambassador? Yes, Wonder Woman was made an “Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls” by the United Nations this week. Not Lynda Carter or any of the other actresses who’ve portrayed the character, but the fictional character herself. Many people are reacting with a SMDH to the move. (That’s Shake My Damn Head, if you need to know.) Because as well-intentioned as the choice is — there are lots of problems.
A petition is circulating to reverse the appointment. It’s authored by UN staff who think the Wonder Woman choice devalues the institution. Th petition is aimed at UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Here are 5 reasons why the objectors find Wonder Woman inappropriate:
- Wonder Woman is a fictional character at a time when girls and women need real role models, of whom there are plenty.
- Wonder Woman is a commercial property, owned by DC Comics, so the UN is essentially both renting and promoting her.
- Wonder Woman is an overtly sexualized, a “large-breasted, white woman of impossible proportions, scantily clad in a shimmery, thigh-baring body suit…knee high boots –the epitome of a ‘pin-up’ girl.”
- Wonder Woman is too American — that’s specifically a “thigh-baring body suit with an American flag motif.”
- Wonder Woman is not “culturally encompassing or sensitive.”
