issue 22 // volume 40

Under the Feminist Microscope:
No need to wonder, women are wonderful

arts // 7

» A look at ‘Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines’

  

* Julia Siedlanowska
| Staff Writer

onder Women: The

Untold Story of American
Superheroines is a documentary
that chronicles the journey of
famed superheroine Wonder

Kristy Guevara-Flanagan takes a
fresh perspective on a character
that is often under scrutiny by
feminists and non-feminists
alike, and explores female
characters in the action genre.

Wonder Woman was
created in 1941 by psychologist
William Moulton Marston,
who had some very interesting
ideas about the character. He
thought that women should
have a superhero of their own,
and that Wonder Woman was
“a psychological propaganda
for the type of woman that
would soon rule the world,”
Jennifer K. Stuller, author of Ink
Stained Amazons and Cinematic
Warriors, said in the film.

In the documentary, Stuller
states that Marston predicted

: that in 100 years we would be

: living in a matriarchy. These

: are some pretty feminist ideas

: coming from the creator of a

: comic book character that has

: received so much criticism for

: being what some might consider
: a sex-symbol created by men.

: The only problem is there are

: a lot more factors that go into
Woman from her creation in the : the making ofa female or
: : than the initial creator might
1940s to the present day. Director : have control over. The film sets
Wonder Woman into a timeline
: of world history that helps us

: understand how she was shaped
: by war, the feminist movement,
: and censors.

With the very first images

of Wonder Woman, we are

: seeing a strong female character
: who knows how to take care of

: herself and others. She comes

: from an all-female land called

: Paradise Island and is quite

: amazonian. An American pilot

: crashes near the island and tells
: the women of the horrible war

: going on in the “Man's World.”

: During real-life World War I],

: Wonder Woman's character was
: depicted fighting the Nazis. She
: rescues the pilot, Steve Trevor,

: who is to be her primary love

: interest.

But after the war, the comic

: took a different turn. With
: women no longer needed in the :
: workforce, the 1950s brought

: pressure for women to return

: to the household. A book by

: Fredric Wertham, Seduction

: of the Innocent, accused comic

: books of being a bad influence

: on children. Wertham also

: had a problem with Wonder

: Woman, the largely female cast,
: and images of the superheroine
: saving other women, which

: he claimed was promoting

: lesbianism. With this

: Movement came a voluntary

: code of ethics from the comic

: book industry and a reform of

: Wonder Woman. She began

: to be depicted “daintily” in the

: arms of her love, rather than

: the other way around as she had
: previously been portrayed.

At this time, many women

in comics were shown bound
: and needing to be rescued from
: being killed or raped.

“Girls actually need

superheroes much more than

: boys when you come right

: down to it because go per

: cent of violence in the world

: is against females,” Gloria

: Steinem, a feminist, journalist,

: and political activist, said inthe :
: film.

This fact, contrasted with

the images of these victimized
: women, gives a stark connection :
: between how females are

: portrayed in the media and how
: they are treated in reality. The

: film gives a very positive view

: of Wonder Woman and her

: effects on the girls who grew up
: watching her. One speaker in

: the film makes the point that

: the women were in chains in

: order to be rescued by the hero,
: while Wonder Woman was in

: chains in order to break out of

: them and save herself.

Lynda Carter, who played

Wonder Woman in the 1975

: TV series, recalled in the film

: someone saying to her before

: she got the role, “Ifyou get this,
: youre going to have a lot of

: women hating you.”

Why is it that women are

always set up to go against

: each other? Carter said she

: consciously worked to portray
: Wonder Woman asa character
: that was for the community of
: women.

“Not against men, but for

the community of women,” said
: Carter in the film.

This documentary gives us

: an image of how much progress
: these types of characters have
: given us. It can’t be said that

any strong female character is8Y

: good one regardless of her other
: traits, but it is upon the bones

: of each imperfect character

: that the foundations of so many
: strong women were built. We

: will always need our icons and

: each will serve to help us define
: ourselves.

Although Wonder Woman

: has been redefined by history,

: she has inspired women to

: create films that honour her

: creator’s original intentions and
: offer an examination of where

: we stand today. As criticism

: grows, the people in power

: will no longer be able to use

: the excuse that “ticket sales”

: won't support a heroine. With

: characters like Katniss Everdeen
: in The Hunger Games, female

: superheroines are making huge
: strides.

Guevara-Flanagan’s

: documentary is a fascinating
: look at women through

: comics and action movies. It
: is available on Netflix and is
: definitely worth watching.

 

Let your nerd flag fly at Anime Evolution’s J-Fest 2014

Brittney MacDonald
Senior Columnist

Aw": who has attended
one of Vancouver’s many
local conventions knows that
such events are ridiculously
addictive. Enjoying your
favourite TV show, movie, or
game just seems so much better
when you have about 100 other
people equally as crazy as you
are about it. Unfortunately,

in the off-season from about
December to March, there’s
nothing for a convention-goer
to look forward to!

Enter J-Fest, a one-day
celebration of Japanese arts and
culture put together by Anime
Evolution, which will also hold
a three-day convention in June.
J-Fest acts like a preview for
the larger conventions held
in the spring and summer,
and features events such as
anime screenings, a costume

tournaments.

Held at Nikkei National
Museum and Cultural Centre in
Burnaby, the event had roughly
800 people in attendance,

: despite a huge downpour of

: rain. It began with a taiko

: drum performance on the main
: stage, which was followed bya

: Japanese dance demonstration
: and koto (Japanese string

: instrument) concert.

At the very centre of the

museum was a maid café/

: host club. Drawing from a

: uniquely Japanese form of

: entertainment, guests were

: served tea and cake while a

: server in a yukata (Japanese

: cultural robe) entertained them
: with jokes, stories, music, and

: impressions.

The highlight of the event

was the many cosplayers who

: attended. Decked out in mostly
: handmade costumes of various
: characters from both American
: and Asian TV shows and games,
: they provided a colourful

: backdrop that even the locals

: seemed to enjoy as they came

: out and began to take pictures.
contest, kanji lessons, and game :

Despite the weather, J-Fest

: proved to be an exciting preview
: of what is to come at this year’s

: conventions: a welcoming, fun

: celebration of nerdism, diverse

: culture, and cartoons!

      

~—~

Jennifer Eccleston and Amanda Lott as Akali and Teemo from League of Legends // By Brittney MacDonald