When The Force Awakens, 7th movie in the Star Wars franchise, came out in 2015, a notable character was missing from the movie's action figures, resulting in #WheresRey outrage in social media platforms. Likewise, Black Widow and Gamora from Marvel were also missing from retail shelves. Eventually, Hasbro and Disney released the heroine action figure after all the protests, which ended up selling better than the other characters other than the villain (villains always outsell the other characters).
The phenomenon was based on the view that boys would not play with female action figures. When Sony's emails got hacked, it became evident that lead actresses were being paid at least 20% less than their male counterparts. [This statistic mirrors the gender pay gap in the U.S. as reported by American Association of University Women (AAUW).] With more protagonists of successful franchises like Hunger Games, Twilight, and Divergent led by women, this disparity highlights a systemic problem in the world. Coupled with this is the fact that actresses peak at 34 while actors peak at 51, further limiting leading roles for women during their "prime" career.
The irony is that Amy Pascal was the Sony Studios boss at the time of the hack. She defended her actions, "I run a business. People want to work for less money, I'll pay them less money. I don't call them up and go, can I give you some more?" However, she did note that women should not settle for less, "People shouldn't be so grateful for jobs." As noted in reclaiming the cunt (part 5), sometimes women are our own worse enemies, or viewed differently, can serve as the catalysts to change.
Wonder Woman decimated box office records as the highest grossing movie directed by a woman on opening weekend, as well as biggest opening in June for superhero and for Warner Brothers with the best reviewed superhero film on Rotten Tomatoes. While most superhero films rely on 60% of their audiences being male, Wonder Woman's opening weekend comprised 52% women and 48% men. Of the top 100 grossing films of the last 10 years, 44% were directed by women; yet, there are 23.8 male directors for every female one.
Elektra and Catwoman were both directed by men and were flops. Patty Jenkins also directed Monster, which resulted in Charlize Theron winning an Oscar and was the last feature film she had directed. Although "Aileen Wuornos" was not a lovable character, the movie allowed audiences to see her vulnerable side and better understand the drivers to her actions. Similarly, she portrayed Wonder Woman as an independent and strong superhero, with a vulnerability represented by tears when she was not able to save innocent people in a town. In business, it is often said that tears are a sign of weakness, especially in a woman (a study notes that 41% of women vs. 9% of men have cried in the workplace). Tears could be from joy, frustration, anger or passion. Women generally feel worse after crying at work while men feel better.
I am guilty for having shed tears at work. Early on, it was primarily from frustration, and while I have learned to hold it in so as not to give my "power" away, I recently let it dribble (stone skipping (part 4)) from compassion. I found myself trickling tears while watching the movie today. I was proud that they were able to portray a female superhero with the balance of strength and vulnerability that makes for a great leader.
"Zeus created man to be strong and wise and compassionate...It's not about what you deserve. It's about what you believe, and I believe in love.
...I glimpsed the darkness that lives within their light. And I learned that inside every one of them, there will always be both. A choice each must make for themselves. Something no hero will ever defeat. And now I know, that only love can truly save the world."
~ Diana of Themyscira, Princess of the Amazons
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