The Wonder of Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman came out. I know, another superhero movie, right? We have a lot of them. Batman, since the 1980s, has had eight movies. And more are coming with him as a principle character.
For whatever actual or perceived flaws it has, Wonder Woman is a delightfully feminist work, and watching it is a feminist act. For one thing, it had the highest opening for a female director. $103.1 million in North America. Some other movie about light BDSM only made $85.2 million in 2015, and we all know that one is rife with problems. WW is also the first big blockbuster led by a woman. Patty Jenkins directed it, and 52% of the audience opening weekend were women. Excellent.
But Where’s the Feminism?
It’s no secret that the fanfare for the DC cinematic universe is less than stellar. Despite Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice taking in over $800 million, review aggregators don’t paint it on a favorable light. The latest offering, however, has a 93% rating on rottentomatoes.com and is certified fresh. It doesn’t take a leap of logic to figure out that it had to be good to give women a say in the future of cinema. But what is the point of this?
Since director Patty Jenkins shattered the glass ceiling of Hollywood by entering what has been, for decades, a boy’s club we now have a precedent. A precedent for things to come. But this precedent is only a part of the picture. Which brings me to a big question. “What the hell does this have to do with fitness?”
Well, everything. And nothing.
It’s about your money. You see, there are many of us fitness professionals (I use “professional” loosely) out there. Most, like me, are men. I have no clue what the statistics are, but there is a dearth of women in the industry. If you go to any well known conference often enough, the discrepancy is clear. And a lot of the consumers of what we have to offer are women.
That fact need not stop you from looking for ways to support both your ideology and the people behind them. In fact, there are lists dedicated to that sort of thing. And after that list of 62, here’s another list. The industry is full of bright, strong, and articulate women who want to help like minded people. And you have every right to that, so long as you know where to look.
Why Wonder Woman?
The last offerings for comic book flicks with powerful women at the forefront were dismal. Do you remember Elektra starring Jennifer Garner in the title role? I barely do. What about 2004’s Catwoman? Both of those were pretty terrible overall, with a 10% or less on rottentomatoes.com. Highly forgettable, poorly adapted, and swept under the rug of all the comic book based movies, it took Patty Jenkins to set the narrative right.
And it’s an important narrative. For young women and young men. For the arts, it’s good to know that everyone has an equal opportunity to bring their vision to life, no matter how small or how big it is. And in turn, you can support that vision with your cash. Even more important, the narrative needs to shift to show the younger folks that they can do whatever is theirs to do. With an equal footing. And to show that they can throw their support into things however they see fit.
So as it happens, you and I have a lot of power when it comes to our feminism. And the fact that 52% of the audience on opening weekend were women is a huge sign that we can support whoever we want how we want, in the best way possible. We can support women monetarily as consumers, as a feminist act. And indirectly providing food, lodging, or the ability to keep on doing what they do and are good at is a powerful and bold statement. And when the work is good, and there is a demand for it, there will be more of it. And the producers of the product will become real life heroes to the younger generation. The generation that will continue and better the process. So put your money where your mouth is. It can be the easiest and most powerful feminist act you can do today.
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