Wonder Woman - Skimpy or Sensible?

Wonder Woman - Skimpy or Sensible?

With Wonder Woman's cinematic debut only around the corner, fans have begun to wonder as to what material her costume might draw from. Here I attempt to evaluate and draw verdict on how Diana, and the Amazon race, could and should be represented on the silver screen.

Editorial Opinion
By GoldenMan - Jan 21, 2014 02:01 PM EST
Filed Under: Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman; the iconic heroine and figurehead for women in comic books. Part of an ancient race of warrior females given immortality by the Greek gods, Diana of Themyscira has powers and abilities beyond a man's wildest dreams which, coupled with a strong sense of ideals and looks worthy of a goddess, has caused her to stand the test of time and become one of the most iconic female figures in pop culture.



So why is it her presence in modern day media is so sparse?

Aside from Lynda Carter's show of the 70's, there have been NO live-action portrayals of the Amazon princess that do her justice, as the less said about the failed ABC network pilot the better.

Until now.

Gal Gadot, a name we are all sure to become all too familiar with (for better or for worse) over the coming years, was cast as Wonder Woman late last year. Whilst there were large amounts of both outrage and indifference on her casting, many questioned what her invention of the character might bring to our screens via the costume department.

There has been a long debate for as long as I can remember on CBM, arguing whether Wonder Woman's costume needs updating, whether it should stick to the original designs and/or whether her costume is too revealing and impractical for a cinematic portrayal.

To my mind, there seem to be two major opinions on the matter.

1. 'Wonder Woman's costume should stay true to her source material'

2. 'Wonder Woman's costume should be made more practical and modern'

But which one is right?



The first argument states that Wonder Woman's look should be true to source material, but this hinges on one factor…

What is regarded as the definitive source material?




Do we seek reference from Diana's classic Silver Age look:



Perhaps from more modern interpretations:



Or from more extreme 'practical' renditions:




Sadly, this is where it really boils down to: OPINION.

At the end of the day, all fans are going to hold different views about how their favorite characters should be portrayed. So let me offer up my ideas.


In regards to the Amazonian attire, for whilst agree Wonder Woman shouldn't be overly sexualised, I don't feel an overly armored look would justify her on screen. As much as she represents many values of feminism and equality, she is smoking hot.

This is where I refer back to my point about source material, for whilst there are endless depictions of Wonder Woman in comics around the planet, there is one element of her background that can provide concrete evidence: Greek culture and mythology. Being left isolated on an island from the Greek era, elements of clothing and armor are going to stay the same due to the absence of any outside interference.



Despite inaccurate depictions in modern films like '300', if WB/DC do their homework, they would find that the ancient greek battle armor for men would traditionally be along the lines of a breast and back plate, a helmet (often plumed), shin guards (greaves) and forearm bracers and sandals or boots, as well as a leather or clothen skirt (sometimes depicted as the bottom of their tunic), with additional equipment such as a sword, dagger and shield. The most relevant depiction of this armor can be found in the film 'Troy'.





In this fashion, it would not be too obscure to imagine that the Amazon's battle armor would be of a similar style, so I believe that Wonder Woman's on screen costume should fall mid-way between that of the traditional male armor and her comic depictions, as it would fill the necessary criteria of being historically accurate and practical, yet still retaining the classic themes and colors that make her costume so identifiable and iconic.







Thanks for reading guys, don't forget to comment with your own ideas and feedback!

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NovaCorpsFan
NovaCorpsFan - 1/21/2014, 2:45 PM
Lovely article here, mate. Never read a WW book but I like the idea you're presenting of practicality and historically accurate but still relevant to source material. Nice job, man, thumbs up!
Nomadic1
Nomadic1 - 1/21/2014, 2:59 PM
IMO, change the coloring a bit on the last pic and I think you have a winner.
Klone
Klone - 1/21/2014, 3:12 PM
The costume is only wrong when it has a thong or when too much cleavage is exposed. Otherwise it's fine.

-Arms
-Legs
-Shoulders

What is slutty about that?
Klone
Klone - 1/21/2014, 3:13 PM
I can't take the skirt seriously. Ever. On warrior men or women.
Klone
Klone - 1/21/2014, 3:15 PM
In artwork where the tits aren't made overly big, there is not over exaggerated amount of cleavage and the leotard is not a thong, WW looks fine. Besides, people who saying young girls can't look up to a woman to exposes her four limbs (stupid logic) might as well disregard the female Olympic athletes that inspire hundreds.
aresww3
aresww3 - 1/21/2014, 3:50 PM
i like skirt or leotard
Lhornbk
Lhornbk - 1/21/2014, 8:02 PM
I prefer the classic uniform, but as I stated in other comments, I could live with the skirt.
feedonatreefrog
feedonatreefrog - 1/21/2014, 8:32 PM
Have her make her debut in battle armor.

Later have a more classic costume, without cleavage, etc.
staypuffed
staypuffed - 1/21/2014, 8:57 PM
I've always hated WW's outfit. Seriously. There's no way a warrior OR a princess would wear a skimpy, red, blue and gold outfit.
Klone
Klone - 1/22/2014, 3:56 AM
@stay

How is it skimpy though? If it isn't a thong or the cleavage is kept to a minimum, it's fine. Besides, WW is from an entirely different culture. It makes sense for her to wear something unorthodox.
A1Diana
A1Diana - 3/6/2016, 4:05 PM
@Klone - (of clothes) short and revealing.
Skimpy definition
synonyms:revealing, short, low, low-cut; More
providing or consisting of less than is needed; meager.
"my knowledge of music is extremely skimpy"
synonyms: meager, scanty, sketchy, limited, paltry, deficient, sparse
"my information is rather skimpy"
She has had her skimpy outfit since the 50s where there was a entire different culture and it was for male viewers to watch. On a man her outfit would look silly. Superman is all covered so is Batman,The flash, The joker and many more so why can't she be provided with an out fit that is not beach wear? I have always loved wonder woman even as a little kid, but I has always thought "why is Diana's outfit so skimpy and supermans so conservative ?" The same goes with Harley in the new 52 her outfit got skimpy.
Klone
Klone - 1/22/2014, 4:47 AM
By the way, the art you posted of Ed Benes is a blatant oversexualisation of the character so don't put too much stock into that. A shame, Pre New 52 Benes could draw a good WW. The problem was that he always oversexualised the character.





Not very subtle.
Alphadog
Alphadog - 1/22/2014, 6:57 AM
From Themyscira to when she arrives in Man's World give her a battle armor inspired by her classic costume. From there on give her a modern suit in the vein of the Jim Lee redesign pre New 52. It's unpratical for her to be wearing the armor or her clasic suit while fighting, jumping from buildings. She should wear the modern suit not only to be better accepted into every society but also because it's more pratical. Don't simply make it a suit made out of western clothes, make it a collection of multiple societies in the world. She represents equality in the world and she should wear something from everywhere.
Alphadog
Alphadog - 1/22/2014, 7:00 AM
Also, Melissa Peregrym to play her. She's got the acting and the physical atributes necessary for Diana.
Klone
Klone - 1/22/2014, 8:10 AM
@Alpha

I disagree with her wearing some sort of costume that a cluster [frick] of every culture on Earth. Did you get my email?
Alphadog
Alphadog - 1/22/2014, 9:04 AM
MartianAbominationClone Yeah I did. I haven't responded because I only saw it today. I'm going to send you a one in a few minutes but I think that it would be easier to discuss if you joined Skype.
Alphadog
Alphadog - 1/22/2014, 9:05 AM
I meant that I'm going send you a response in a few minutes.
GhostBoy
GhostBoy - 1/22/2014, 6:46 PM
I don't like the skirt much, but I won't complain if it is there. I also don't believe that it would be very easy to fight while showing cleavage without suffering some kind of wardrobe malfunction. Not saying it can't be done, but the way some artists draw her is just blatant oversexualisation. She is also going to need to have her hair either: cut, tied up or be wearing a helmet because hair goes [frick]in everywhere.
Dedpool
Dedpool - 1/23/2014, 10:57 AM
That last pic is the way to go!!!
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