Wonder Woman

I never thought I'd be saying this, but apparently it is fashion week at the Athletic Women Blog (not by choice or plan, mind you). Today's post is the result of DC Comics' announcement this week that it is giving Wonder Woman a makeover (see right). Reaction to this news, much of it negative, isn't hard to find, naturally. But the timing and the nature of the makeover have also led some to speculate about what might be planned for the forthcoming movie.

I have mixed feelings about the new look myself. The desire to update her look, to do away with the bustier and star-spangled panties, I completely understand. But to my mind this overreaches. The "urban" look for starters. Is there no room left for the simply mythic?

And the jacket. Well, that just has to go. In an effort, I can only guess, to de-sexualize Wonder Woman, they now have her covered too much. Muscle represents power, not masculine power but power alone, and Wonder Woman should be allowed to flex hers once in a while too.



Enough of my opining, though. What do you think of the new look? Leave a comment or a vote.

Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, perhaps best known for Bronson (which, alas, I haven't seen), wants to make Wonder Woman and isn't shy about saying so. And after reading his Movieline interview, I'm inclined to think that he might be the person for the job. He obviously has a passion for it, no small plus. Moreover, his take on how to approach the movie is different, fascinating—and most important, respectful of the character and what she stands for (and against).

Refn's movie, it seems likely, would be very different from the typical Hollywood slant on female heroes; these tantalizing snippets from his interview, for instance:

At the same time there is [something subliminal], because the real origin of Wonder Woman is: What if women were more powerful than men? What would the world be like? That’s a subliminal theme.

The whole idea of a woman who is basically more powerful than any man — and who will always be that, and comes from a society of women who are more powerful than men — is an interesting theme that I think can be very contemporary.

I do hope someone at Warner Bros. is paying attention.

I don't know how you feel about a 5'2" Wonder Woman, but Jennifer Love Hewitt, through her publicized entreaty, does lend credence to reporting of late: "I'm fighting so hard. I think Warner Bros. is getting ready to make Wonder Woman and I really want to play Wonder Woman."

Thus we may conclude that something is indeed afoot.

The next (and hopefully final) round of Wonder Woman casting rumors is sure to start soon. We'll have those here, that is, the ones worth commenting on anyway.

A poll is in the works too—consider it the "Official Unofficial Who should be Wonder Woman? Poll"—and suggestions for candidates are now being accepted, so feel free to leave a comment or write in with your nominations. So far there are only two: the first, my nominee, is no surprise, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe. The second, Amelia Cooke, is by request.

It is most likely still a long way off, but the news is exciting nonetheless—a live-action Wonder Woman film is finally on its way to theaters!

John Conyers, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and husband to Monica Conyers, reveals a hitherto unknown clause in the Constitution (I swear, you can't make this stuff up anymore):



Ignorance, arrogance, corruption—the baleful tripod on which our republic now totters. Alas, if only Wonder Woman were here to clean out our festering capital:

As a rule I don't pay much attention to the photoshopped creations of fanboys. More often than not they look horribly disarranged, as should be expected. This work by "LEEE777" is a striking exception, however. It has a naturalness to it (as long as you don't look too close, that is). Moreover, it captures the essence of Wonder Woman, she standing strong after what was no doubt a great ruckus.

But the credit, I suspect, goes mostly to the star of this digital embellishment. We talked before about Jodi Lyn O'Keefe; her name comes up often when the subject is a live-action Wonder Woman film. Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos seem to have destined O'Keefe to play the mighty Amazon, so ideally suited is she for that role.

We are told that soon we can expect (fingers crossed!) to finally learn of definite plans for a Wonder Woman film. Rumors will fly once the casting frenzy starts, most awful to imagine being true. But Jodi Lyn O'Keefe should not be overlooked, for she is among a select few qualified to assume the mantle of Wonder Woman.

My little contribution to a "Best of '09" series by Women Talk Sports bloggers is a selection of favorites from this blog. I don't expect you'll find a particular mood or theme, less so a standard of quality, but rather, I hope, a few morsels that provoke reflection or simply entertain:

The story of Tina Lockwood

A Kind of Grace

Super shenanigans

Esther Williams

A lesson from the past

Athlete or sex symbol? A false dichotomy

A Wonder Woman of color?

Aneta Florczyk: setting records, inspiring women

Female Muscle: a little schooling for its detractors

Ruminating on the big fight

DC shakeup. The ugly paradox

The Body Issue

Advancing women's sports: largely a bootstrap process

Bridgett "Baby Doll" Riley and her art of violence


Happy New Year!


More "Best of '09" from other WTS bloggers:

Best of '09: Forming a community, WomenTalkSports.com

The "Best" of 2009 and the State of Girls & Women in Sports

Best of '09: A Fresh Meat’s Perspective

Best of '09 – A Year for Women in Wake

2009 Salute to Women in Sports

Victories and Failures in Women's Sports in 2009, or #FTW and #FAIL (Hot or Not for us old-timers)

Best of 2009: The Humble Emergence of Tanisha Wright

Best of the Best of 2009

Methinks I'm overdue to post something frivolous (but with a nub all the same). Enjoy!—

DC shakeup. No, not that DC. I refer here to DC Comics, which now has a new name—DC Entertainment—and a new president. This overhaul by parent company Warner Bros. bodes well for a forthcoming Wonder Woman film. Another sign that things are looking up for the Amazon: she now has her own forum at Comic Book Resources.

The ugly paradox. Caster Semenya's story, though regrettable, has at least given rise to worthwhile, occasionally enlightened, media commentary. Among the best I've seen is "Women in sports: The ugly paradox," a piece that throws into relief what is the nub of the story, and the bane of all female athletes: "They say the Semenya case shows that an old, ugly paradox is alive and well in women's sport: The same giant quadriceps and bulky shoulders that can clinch championships make athletes look 'unfeminine' in the eyes of the world. And that can be a difficult reality for many women."

Nasty as it was, Serena's tantrum at the US Open isn't as troubling as what she says about her arms in an interview for People: "I think they're too muscular. They're too thick," tennis champion Serena Williams said of her ripped arms in an Aug. 27 interview with People Magazine. "I know that toned arms are in now. Look at Michelle Obama. ... I'm like, 'keep wearing strapless dresses!' But I don't like mine."

Serena's is merely a representative case. The problem is in fact societal. That Serena sees her muscular physique as something better shunned isn't unusual. But when one of the world's most accomplished female athletes, ever, says as much in public, the fallacy is perpetuated—given life anew to burden the next generation of female athletes.

Sad it is to think that Serena apparently cannot reconcile her muscles with the women's fineries she sells on HSN; the same muscles, to continue the paradox theme, that helped make her a famous athlete, famous enough to have her own line of merchandise to peddle on a shopping network.

Virtually everyone knows that Lynda Carter played Wonder Woman; she made her fame with the role. But the voice that many associate with the character belongs to Shannon Farnon, the actress who supplied Wonder Woman's voice for the Super Friends animated television series of the 1970s and early 1980s. Recently, Toon Zone News snagged an interview with Shannon, and it makes for some interesting reading.

A sample of Shannon's work, from 1977, in which Wonder Woman once again saves the day:

If you frequent this blog you know that I'm not enthralled with politics, my view of it instead being rather cynical. And for its full-time practitioners, I have little regard. (I set the bar low, and they seldom disappoint me.)

Now, however, there is someone we can vote for with a clean conscience: Wonder Woman. (If only this were the real thing.)

Be sure to vote for Wonder Woman this Friday. In the meantime, you can show your support on Facebook and Twitter.

And thank goodness she is, for it would be a shame if Hollywood's most athletic actress ruled out the possibility of playing our most formidable heroine.

Everything about Jessica Biel—her bearing, her physique, her athleticism—exudes superheroine aura. The fit is seamless; to picture her as Wonder Woman requires no effort at all.

Does the idea of an African-American actress playing Wonder Woman make you uneasy? I know it does (as here, scroll down for comments) many traditionalists; i.e., those who would view negatively any deviation from the established image, a position that isn't altogether ungraspable. Wonder Woman, much like Superman, is a symbol of strength, only more vital than him, for women have had few such symbols. Any impulse to reinvent Wonder Woman should concern all who care about her, or Amazon feminism in general.

Yet I differ with my fellow traditionalists (and I do consider myself one). The essence of Wonder Woman is what must be preserved; the strength, the goodness, the majesty—these are the indispensable qualities; the rest, mere gloss without them.

It would, however, be foolish to say that her iconic image isn't important. Someone who captures both image and essence would be the logical, admittedly ideal choice (why I consider Jodi Lyn O'Keefe a good bet).

That said, there are undoubtedly black actresses capable of filling the role masterfully; and a tall, athletic black actress would make a much better Wonder Woman than a scrawny white one—and knowing Hollywood's track record, the latter is a very real possibility.

Not long ago I panned Beyoncé when she expressed desire to play Wonder Woman. But it wasn't her ethnicity that put me off; rather it was her foppish take on the role; exactly the sort of thing we don't need.

And still my mind is open. How about yours?

Wonder Woman (Olivia Munn) lends sage advice on keeping safe at work:

A live-action Wonder Woman movie may finally be on the way, though with so many false starts and ill-founded rumors in the past we shouldn't get too excited just yet. But if things are as they appear, soon it will be time to post a "Who should be Wonder Woman?" poll. I have already put forth a few suggestions—e.g., Jodi Lyn O'Keefe; of course, I'm not the only one to have noticed that she is uniquely suited for the part—but now it is time for your suggestions.

Have someone in mind to play the Amazon? Want her listed in the poll? Post a comment here, or send in your suggestion by email.

This news merits first mention, though doing so perhaps betrays a self-involved disposition on my part. I'm pleased to announce that this blog is now part of the Women Talk Sports Network. I didn't even have to beg; they let me join despite my inferior biology. This new network is both fun and useful—one-stop surfing for all things related to female athletes and women's sports. Be sure to bookmark it!

Brittney Griner continues to astonish the basketball world. Only two games away from a Texas state championship, she will lead her Nimitz Cougars in a Class 5A semifinal game tonight.

I also have Wonder Woman news. First, the DVD release this week of the animated movie (available on amazon.com). Second, this little tidbit, but I doubt it means anything, much as I like Eliza Dushku.

Speaking of Eliza, have you seen this commercial?