How Diana Subverts an Age Old Trope PDF

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Hailey Rueden Engl1102 Prof.Goodwin 9/18/19

How Diana Subverts an Age Old Trope. In many films in the science-fiction genre there lies a troubling trope with deeply misogynistic roots. This trope can be coined by the term “Born Sexy Yesterday” (popculturedetective, 2017) and it is a romantic trope with the parameters of an unequal partnership between a man and a woman. This inequity comes from many aspects of life, such as romance, sex or societal norms. The women in this trope are heavily reliant on the approval and guidance of the male protagonist, leaving her vulnerable to his every whim without her knowledge. This trope frequently focuses on the female protagonist’s sex appeal, she is someone who has the mind of a child-open and vulnerable- and the body of a fully mature sexual woman. While many movies rely on this trope to flesh out a romantic relationship plot, the 2017 rendition of Wonder Woman is very careful not to fall into its allure. The writers of Wonder Woman make calculated decisions about Diana’s characterization to make her multidimensional, this event is significant because it makes Diana a character with complexity and pathos instead of just being eye-candy. Often writers will use the female protagonist’s sex appeal as a cheap joke at her expense. The joke might come from a scene such as the woman undressing in front of men, completely unaware of social rules towards female nudity (popculturedetective, 2017). This may seem harmless, but it shows the deep inequity of the relationship between the men and women in this trope. Such a scene happens in Wonder Woman, but it plays out quite differently. The scene starts

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Hailey Rueden Engl1102 Prof.Goodwin 9/18/19

with Diana needing clothes to fit in with the women around her, innocent enough. Her and Steve go to a boutique where she meets Steve’s secretary and is aided in finding the perfect outfit. When the first outfit is presented Diana tries to get undressed there in the middle of the store, the beginnings of many a tired writer’s scenes but something is different this time. This time: Steve stops her (Patty Jenkins "Wonder Woman" 2017). Steve not letting her undress is important because it clarifies how he sees her as an equal and not just a cheap joke. Normally the men in these films will turn around and make comments on her body or worse will watch and not inform her on when it’s appropriate to strip naked. But Steve very quickly springs into action and refuses to let her undress out in the middle of the store. Although this might seem like a small gesture, it points to a standard that many men in fiction fail to reach not taking advantage of the women in their lives even when doing so is easier than doing the right thing. The writers of Wonder Woman were very careful in writing this scene because, without Steve’s actions, this could have been used as fuel to frame Diana as nothing but a premature mind trapped in a sexually mature body who needs Steve’s help in realizing her sex appeal. Another element of a poorly written female character is her lack of autonomy, whereby she is reliant on the men in her life to learn about matters such as love or sex (popculturedetective, 2017). One way Diana asserts her autonomy in the film is in the boat scene. In this scene, she tells Steve that she understands sex and pleasure as well as how she doesn’t believe men are the end all be all for pleasure (Patty Jenkins "Wonder Woman" 2017). This scene-while humorous-

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Hailey Rueden Engl1102 Prof.Goodwin 9/18/19

plays a key role in establishing Diana as someone who has lived her own rich and fulfilling life. As stated before, this trope thrives on an inexperienced woman needing a man to show her the world, but this quote alone helps Diana and the movie as a whole subvert the Born Sexy Yesterday trope. Diana is still her person with or without Steve, she has her own opinions on sexuality and is not afraid to voice them. Her opinions are pivotal in keeping her from becoming yet another example of poorly written females because she is not reliant on Steve to navigate this world. Her well fleshed out backstory and her independent thoughts make her a well-rounded and dynamic character, which in turn diverges her from the trope. The framing of a scene, especially for women, is incredibly important to how we view a character’s actions. Backtracking to the boutique scene discussed earlier, while Diana was trying on outfits she attempts to test out one of the outfits. In this scene, she ends up ripping the dress because she needed to see if she could fight in it (Patty Jenkins "Wonder Woman" 2017). Yes, this moment is supposed to be funny. But screenwriter Allan Heimberg and director Patty Jenkins utilized both the time this movie takes place and the carefully crafted personality of Diana to make deeper social commentary on gender roles during World War 1. During the time this movie takes place in society at large is a fierce defendant of the idea that women belong solely in the domestic world. That as a woman your job is to make sure the house is clean; the kids are fed and that your husband has the perfect place to rest his feet up after a long day entrenched in politics and work. This sort of social stratification can be symbolized by the very tight and

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Hailey Rueden Engl1102 Prof.Goodwin 9/18/19

constricting dress Diana is wearing and subsequently rips in the scene. Her life at home has made her accustomed to being an active participant in the politics of day to day life, not as someone destined to stand still and look pretty. This scene, therefore, is framed not to show her naïveté but to show her understanding of the world many women are shut out from. This distinction is significant because Born Sexy Yesterday characters are used more so to reassure men’s status as the breadwinner and overall dominate force in a relationship, not as social commentary. They are ultimately used to reinstate age-old gender roles not question their validity. The last trait of a woman who has been written off within the Born Sexy Yesterday trope is that she is ultimately enamored with the male protagonist’s take on reality. The writers once again do not fall into this trap. At the end of the movie, A grieving Diana refuses to kill Dr.Poison because she learns that it’s not about what humanity deserves rather than what they need (Patty Jenkins "Wonder Woman" 2017). Unlike many a poorly written female character, Diana comes into this new world and is not infatuated by what she sees. She has valid critics and wishes to make a change where she sees fit. Not only does she see the world around her for what it is, but she also synthesizes this information and shapes values for herself that she sticks by without any male lead validating them for her. Normally the man is the female character’s only in on the world she is introduced to, she is nothing but a sponge for his every whim and qualm. Diana does come to this world with Steve as her in, but she quickly branches off from him. She is not dependent on him ultimately for moral guidance. She is more than a sexy vehicle for Steve to put his ideas into

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Hailey Rueden Engl1102 Prof.Goodwin 9/18/19

action, this gives Diana complexity by way of a character arch. She begins the movie as wide eyed and idyllic, then moves through a phase of cynicism and comes out with a realistic view of the world she has found herself in. The female characters that fall under the Born Sexy Yesterday trope are not given the luxury of personal growth like Diana is. The writers of Wonder Woman did their best to make Diana multidimensional by reinforcing her autonomy both sexually and morally. Diana diverges from the female characters that fall under the Born Sexy Yesterday trope because she is ultimately written as a complicated and emotionally driven person rather than just a vessel of Steve’s ideas. The time this movie was released as well as the director being a woman most likely played a large role in Diana’s characterization. These days there is an increased call for properly written female characters and director Patty Jenkins knew exactly how to do so. Diana, in turn, becomes a beautifully complicated character that resonated with women everywhere upon the movie’s release.

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Hailey Rueden Engl1102 Prof.Goodwin 9/18/19

Works Cited

Jenkins, Patty, director. Wonder Woman. Warner Home Video, 2017. Pop Culture Detective. Born Sexy Yesterday. YouTube, YouTube, 27 Apr. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=0thpEyEwi80....