Wonder Woman is now a U.N. honorary ambassador, but not everyone's pleased
In 1975, actress Lynda Carter first brought Wonder Woman to American TV screens. This year, the superhero turns 75 and earns one more distinction as a United Nations honorary ambassador for the empowerment of women and girls.
The first all-American heroine had a lasting impact on both boys and girls, men and women, alike. Carter said on “CBS This Morning” that she thinks that’s because Wonder Woman was “never predatory” and is a symbol that “we are stronger together.”
“My character was for women and not against men,” Carter said Friday before heading to U.N. headquarters in New York City for the honorary ceremony. “The ‘she’ has become a ‘we.’ It is this community of ‘us,’ it is this strength that lives within us, that we can do anything… You can be thin or fat, beautiful or not, or young or old, you can wear a bikini or a burkini or whatever, and still be and have that within you.”
But not everyone is celebrating Wonder Woman’s new gig. Hundreds have signed an online petition against the appointment, arguing that the “overtly sexualized” character sends the wrong message about female empowerment:
“Although the original creators may have intended Wonder Woman to represent a strong and independent ‘warrior’ woman with a feminist message, the reality is that the character’s current iteration is that of a large breasted, white woman of impossible proportions, scantily clad in a shimmery, thigh-baring body suit with an American flag motif and knee high boots – the epitome of a ‘pin-up’ girl.”
“I think it’s ridiculous,” Carter responded. “I can say it’s bull because they’re nitpicking on something that has nothing to do with anything. It is a superhero, number one, and that gender – it has nothing to do with anything.”