The "Is Wonder Woman A Feminist?" Debate Is Settled

It goes without saying that DC's upcoming Wonder Woman movie is long overdue and sorely needed now more than ever. The superhero has been fighting injustice for literal decades now, becoming a symbol of female strength for generations of young women. But if you've ever really wondered if, in fact, Woman Woman is a feminist, there's an answer straight from the source, Gal Gadot herself.

In a recent cover story with Entertainment Weekly, Gadot shared that Wonder Woman is "of course" a feminist. "I think people have a misconception about what feminism is," she told the magazine. The actor continued,

"People think hairy armpits and women who burn bras and hate men. That’s not it. For me, feminism is all about equality and freedom and [women] choosing what we want to do. If it’s salaries, then we get paid equal to men. It’s not men vs. women or women vs. men."

She also went on to talk about how Wonder Woman's obliviousness to the barriers of patriarchy is meant to point out the incredulousness of sexism. "It was important to me that my character would never come and preach about how men should treat women," Gadot said. "Or how women should perceive themselves. It was more about playing oblivious to society’s rules. ‘What do you mean women can’t go into the Parliament? Why?'”

The fish-out-of-water approach is certainly an amusing way for Wonder Woman to point out the societal flaws in 1918 London (and most likely 2017 America). After all, it fits in with Diana's backstory and upbringing: If you were the amazonian princess of a girl-power universe like Themyscira, then you'd definitely be baffled by a world where women are treated so subservient. And the way Gadot is presenting it, it feels as though her take on the classic character is about showing that women can be equal in power to men. Technically, this particularly wonderful woman is slated to be much more powerful than the men around her, being somewhat recruited to stop a war. But hey, you understand what I'm talking about, right?

Wonder Woman doesn't hit theaters until June 2, so you won't be able to see the icon in action for a little while. Expectations are painfully high since the success of this film could mean more female-fronted films, and the ironic truth is that female-fronted films like this usually don't get the same care and promotion as their male counterparts. But I'm optimistic that Gadot will bring a fresh (and maybe even funny) feminist element to Wonder Woman, hopefully managing to empower another yet another wave of girls.