Lynda Carter, known for her portrayal of Wonder Woman for the television series of the same name that ran for 1975 until 1979 has offered her opinion on the United Nation’s decision to remove the comic book character as an ambassador for female empowerment.
During a Q& A Carter expressed her thoughts about how Wonder Woman should be viewed saying:
“What I find interesting is that they didn’t look at the larger picture. I agree that the issue of gender equality is much larger than any character is, and I understand that a comic book character should not be representative of something that is that important. I agree with that. What I disagree with is this idea about Wonder Woman. She’s an iconic defender, she’s archetypal. It’s the ultimate sexist thing to say that’s all you can see, when you think about Wonder Woman, all you can think about is a sex object.”
Carter also criticized the focus on Wonder Woman’s attire as well as the notion that she is not representative of a diverse culture stating:
“Yeah, so? Superman had a skintight outfit that showed every little ripple, didn’t he? Doesn’t he have a great big bulge in his crotch? Hello! So why don’t they complain about that? And who says Wonder Woman is “white”? I’m half-Mexican. Gal Gadot is Israeli. The character is an Amazonian princess, not “American.” They’re trying to put her in a box, and she’s not in a box.”
The United Nations campaign launched on the 75th anniversary of Wonder Woman's first appearance in a comic book in 1941. When the United Nations announced the end of the Wonder Woman campaign, a spokesperson said that the campaign had merely run its course, and that the end had nothing to do with the uproar. Wonder Woman was created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston, along with his wife and co-creator Elizabeth Holloway Marston, and artist H. G. Peter. Arguably the most popular female comic-book superhero of all time, a feature solo film featuring Gal Gadot in the titular role is scheduled to hit theatres in 2017. Gadot has also recently criticized the removal of Wonder Woman as an ambassador and defended the character as a role model for women.