The Division Of Gender Roles In Wonder Woman

The movie constructs a strict binary between gender roles through its setting and costumes. Wonder Woman’s independence supplies her with a liminal status between the constraints of the binary as an assertion that extreme perspectives should not act alone as guiding principles.

For most of civilized society, social structure gendered settings which provided separate spaces for each gender to fulfill the duties prescribed. In these labels, the different settings tied to power dynamics that supported the patriarchal formation of society by indicating settings such as city halls, business meetings, and other “public” settings as masculine (Vinncent). The settings “marked” for women included the spaces for domesticity including the home, the kitchen, and the nursery. The construction of separate spaces comes alive in settings depicted in Wonder Woman. The first—and most obvious—of theses “unmarked” and “marked” settings includes the existence of the outer world and Themyscira or Paradise Island. Themyscira is the haven for the Amazonian women who sought refuge after mistreatment and enslavement of womankind during the times of Ancient Greece and Rome. Much like the kitchen in traditional gender settings, isolation to this island occurred since they remained unwelcomed and undervalued in the public settings with the men. The Amazonian women retreated into their own “private spheres” but in a larger manner.

The island as seen in figure 1 is full of life in its vegetation and inhabitants. The beauty in its waters and in the forests creates an allusion to Mother Earth who was once worshiped by the world to improve crop fertilization and sustain life (Pappalardo). On this island, the Amazonian women experience their own fertilization and growth as they escape the ruling male dominance (Stanley). They construct a society based on female empowerment and without the destruction associated with the patriarchy, but this utopia does not last forever. Like Mother Earth in the fall harvest, Themyscira experiences its own “harvesting” as men—more specifically German soldiers and Steve Turner, the American Pilot—invade the island destroying the peace and killing some of the inhabitants. Despite being away from the mankind until this invasion, the Amazonian women still enact the characteristics associated with the outer world’s ideal womanhood—nurturing, interdependence, and subordination (Vinncent). By having the vectors of the Amazonian women facing one another suggests their interconnection much like the social groups women formed in “civilized” society as support systems. No woman stands allow indicating the need to be near one which suggests dependence on one another. Some of the other Amazonian women towards the front of the group have vectors focusing on Diana—the only child on the island. Even though these women are at a market and should be focusing on the exchange of goods—capitalism—their focus is Diana as she moves through the crowd. Each woman acts as though a concerned mother and follows her child with her eyes. It seems instinctual to care for Diana which implies that gender roles are naturally occurring and are not dependent on the opposite sex in order to develop. The creation of these literal separate spheres alongside the Mother Earth imagery and continued gendering of woman solidified their own subordinate status for womenkind despite the utopia they were able to create leaving Diana—Wonder Woman—torn between the two settings and the two gender norms.

While Themyscira represents nature and Mother Earth, the masculine setting takes the form of cities and war zones. As seen in figures 3 through 6, the colors shift to a monochromatic scheme of greys or blues. Forests devasted by chemicals and battles replace the green pastures and crystal waters belonging to Themyscira. The industrial setting of London matches the public spheres and ideology attached to the masculine stereotypes as men should be the “breadwinners” and do the physical labor (Stanley). The periods of industrialization brought on increased city life and less interdependence which reflects the stoic nature of masculinity. Figure 3 depicts this shift in society as the men and women move around Steve and Diana and the automobiles without regards for them. While this constructs a different feeling than Themyscira, there is a sense of superiority that comes through because of the industrialization and technology. Technology has a similar role in society as women because technology and women share the need to be owned and “guided.” Technology needs a conductor or mechanic in order to function properly; women were viewed as property or unable to handle large concepts such as finances or politics. Men fulfill the “needs” these two areas need which explains the reasoning for having masculinity represented in city life. This elevation in ego also comes through as Steve guides Diana in figure 3. She becomes distracted by the sights around her and her minimal exposure to technology causes her to endanger herself requiring her “big, strong” male guide to lead her through his domain.

This feeling of superiority from knowledge of the masculine settings also comes through in scenes involving war such as figure 5 and 6. These two scenes focus on the male-centered areas where men assert masculinity through the combat discussions and the duty to protect inferior beings—women, children, and the uncivilized. Starting in figure 5, the use of vectors from most of the military leaders in the room on Diana supports the notion that this society does not think women can handle “dark” conversations about things such as war. The men cease talking and simply stare in shock. The darkness of the room symbolizes the darkness of the discussion—war—which further insinuates the transition into man’s domain as even Diana is included in the shadows. Their reaction to Diana’s presence represents the rejection of a woman stepping outside of her assigned gender role and their prolonged staring tries to remind her of her place. The men stare until she corrects herself when Steve “rescues” her by escorting her out of the room. The stare acts as a look from the disapproving patriarch to the subordinate daughter which enacts the male dominance unfamiliar to Diana.

Then, in figure 6, Steve and Diana reach the front lines, he continually moves her or orients her to the surrounding events or people. Soldiers populated the trenches and the women who are in the trenches are those who sought refuge from the German advisories. The duty to “protect” led Steve and Diana into the fight about No Man’s Land. The term asserts its masculinity by using the word “man,” but the combination of “no” and “man” sets up a space of liminality. Traditionally, men would be the only individuals in the trenches with the acceptation of war nurses or refugees. The trenches were dirty and populated by the injured, the dead, or those still fighting. The death of the forest and the grey coloring plays again into the idea of Mother Nature as the war destroyed the nature insinuating an absence of nurturing and care—lack of women and femininity in this setting. The greys and lack of color match the coloring of the city which ties the two settings together as a set of masculine spaces. By having Diana in these spaces, especially the war zone, a case of women in masculine settings begins forming. Once Diana reaches No Man’s Land a shift occurs in the coloring as the clouds part showering her with light and new colors. The color and naturally bright lighting reflect on the scenery in Themyscira and marks the scene to say a woman is here. The back lighting in this specific scene alludes to the art usually depicting angels or saviors which breaks the gendering of this setting as the only person able to penetrate the dangerous battle zone is no man, but a woman. While angels still fight the womanly ideal, this assertion away from letting the men “protect” her initiates the argument of inclusivity of both genders as powerful in different settings. Diana’s strong morality pushes her to reject the gendering of the setting and her role there to help advance the British and American Troops.

Similar to setting, the clothes and costumes involved in these different settings attempt to construct the gender roles to match their prescribed roles in each setting. The attempts help with the objectification of women into submissive roles but Diana thwarts them with her independence and liminality. Starting in figures 1, young Diana is dressed in a gold dress which fits the norms of a young girl in both worlds. The color does not appear on any of the other Amazonian woman nor does the fabric. These two indicators mark Diana as different from her fellow Amazonians for a few reasons. The first being her godly status. Diana grows up thinking her mother molded her from clay while the truth is that Diana is the daughter of Zeus. Gold is often associated with royalty and Gods. By having Diana originally introduced in this Godly color foreshadows her status as a God before it is a possibility for Diana. The style of dress is conservative as the hem goes past the knee and with a higher collar. While the dress fits her age, it is extremely different from the other Amazonian women. The women in figure 1 are dressed in long skirts with slits to allow movement. The fabrics are cloth and leather. Unlike Diana, the Amazonian women practice fighting and other more masculine tasks which creates a hierarchy within the women like that of the gender binary in the outer world. The women who practice the more masculine tasks such as fighting or decision-making dress in gladiator-like outfits. These women exercise their empowered femininity as masculine dominance over Diana as she is in the traditional female outfit. But the clothes are not as restricting as they aim to be, Diana wields her own independence to earn her way into the masculine female warrior outfit as she fights for her right to train in battle.

In juxtaposing the two types of Amazonian clothes, there is a clear shift in Diana’s development and gender expression. Once Diana earns her gladiator gear, she still interacts with feminine tropes as the outfit includes accents on her womanly figure. As seen in figure 2, the tight fighting leather-glade outfit is very similar to the outfits various female superheroes wear. The tightness and curvatures of the outfit objectify the female body and adds a sense of sexuality as her costume leaves little to the imagination concerning Diana’s body (Marcus, Noveck and Stanley). Despites its exposing design and overtly feminine figure, Diana still plays into the masculine dynamic as she inserts herself into the conversations and situations, she desires to be apart of. In figure 2, Diana argues with her mother over the decision to help Steve or not. Diana stands out as all vectors point at her including her mother, the queen, who turns her back to the camera in order to assert her rank over her daughter. All the women surrounding Diana face the light or are highlighted by it which reinforces the allusion of Mother Earth and to the Heavenly. A shadow casted over Diana marks her as separate from her Amazonian women. Much like the change in color scheme from Themyscira to London, this shadow acts as the masculine marker on Diana as she acts to hold the types of conversations stereotypical of a male. In this moment, Diana enlists and calls for others to join her. She wants to protect those who cannot protect themselves which falls into the duty that belongs to the masculine identity. Even within this women-based society with the feminine tropes pushed on to her, Diana finds a way to step outside of her assigned role which suggests that even in utopia calls for diversity in roles and representation.

As Diana transitions into the outer world, her ability to move between gender roles complicates as the outer world has stricter limitations (Stanley). Diana arrives to London in her Wonder Woman uniform under a large cloak as seen in figure 3. Steve and his secretary both force Diana to keep her cloak on because her outfit is scandalous for this setting (Yockey). Now these uniforms symbolized numerous ideologies over the years since her introduction to the world in 1941 including patriotism and feminism. In 1970s this uniform consisted of hot pants and a corset and modern-day renditions changed the outfit to match modern styles (Noveck). All of her costumes—including the traditional silhouette used in the movie—played with the idea of femininity and masculinity. This rendition maintained the corset and skirt as homages to the original hero and to represent the femininity cultivated in Themyscira. The Amazon Women from Paradise island praised the femininity as a source of power and beauty which explains as the original intentions behind the costume (Stanley). This femininity—similar to the costume—is striking and shocking since the ideology of the woman who wears them plays with the culture in the outer world (Kilkenny). The cloak in this scenario represents the squandering of Wonder Woman’s femininity. Steve and the norms of the outer world cover Diana up even further through her costume as “Diana Prince” shown in figures 4 and 5.

Wonder Woman trades in her gladiator armor for the heavy and layered female fashion of the early 20th century. Her hem goes down to her ankle with a skirt that is not ideal for combat. This outfit covers every part of exposed skin she once showed playing into the purity theme included in feminine ideals the outer world promotes. Men desired women who were pure and “untainted” and that desire led women to covering up their bodies in layers and long sleeves (Vinncent). As Diana covers up, the strong arm of dominance rears its head because, just like on the island, someone decides what Diana wears and does. While on Themyscira, the dominance took the form of the hierarchy established by her mother. In London, the dominance came from Steve as he dictates her clothing choice, her behavior, and where she is allowed to go. Figure 5 shows the physical disarming of Diana into the prescribed feminine ideal. She no longer wears her armor and she forfeited her sword and shield to the ruling force which in this case is both the patriarchy represented by Steve and the womanliness represented by Steve’s secretary. Both help transition Diana into the “modern” woman but despite their efforts Diana manages to assert her own independence to defy the constriction placed on her. Her masculine new world clothes represent this defiance as her clothes have masculine silhouettes (Noveck). The jacket creates broad shoulders, the hat hides her long hair, and the layering of the skirt under the jacket muddles the feminine figure apparent in Wonder Woman’s armor. When looking at figure 5, Wonder Woman almost blends in amongst the male military leaders, but the men still recognize her.

The recognizing of Diana as female in figure 5 and her removing of the cloak in figure 6 is Diana’s assertion to bring together her two worlds. In Themyscira, Diana did not experience limitations due to her gender and she did not need to hide her femininity or empowerment in order to be have access to her rights. Even in this new setting, Diana does not see the need to hide her true self which is why Diana does not change completely when this overtly masculine space. She disrobes when on the fronts lines to assert her femininity because the problem she witnessed called for it (Yockey). Diana witnessed refugees crying and unnecessary fighting and took action leading to the image in figure 6. She stepped on to No Man’s Land as a woman warrior, not as a solider and not as a modern woman. Her heavenly sky opening behind her and the baring of her Wonder Woman garment making her a savior—a woman savior. Diana initiates a strike that took courage, bravery, and skill because of her “womanly” disposition in being compassionate and opposed to unnecessary strife. Both of those traits belong to the traditional female stereotype and are two reasons women are usually looked down upon for until this instance. She inspires the men around her and allows them to make the impossible possible. By exercising her femininity through her values and morals, Wonder Woman demonstrates the needs for femininity in masculine spheres and masculinity in feminine spheres (Yockey).

Gender roles created a divide between men and women that the movie Wonder Woman conveys through the setting and costuming. By creating spaces and indicators representing the contradictory roles, the director, Patty Jenkins, provides Wonder Woman with opportunity to blend ideals each setting, or piece of clothing embodies. As an icon, Wonder Woman always has rejected the limitations and restrictions that acted against her. This movie combines that motivation with the empowerment from the most recent feminism movement to push for ambiguity. When on Paradise Island, Diana integrates femininity and masculinity as she participates in the utopia as she fights for her right to train amongst the Amazons and argues to fulfill her destiny. When in London, Diana attempts to enact femininity for society but does not let the gender roles prevent her from achieving the goals she has. In fact, she uses her “womanliness” to demonstrate to others around her the reason to have balance in perspective. The Amazonian women mastered the art of empowerment but their fear of submission between male and female from previous experiences pushed them further into submission. They became scared to assert their independence in that outer world which forfeited them to a stagnate position. The outer world society restricted themselves to one or the other, male or female, which limited their ability recognize solutions or find motivations. Diana muddles the spheres and the norms which allows for the winning of the war. Both of these situations come together to prove that we need to include the values associated with either gender in order to achieve utopia. We need to be both compassionate, logical, strong, and kind in order achieve peace and a stronger society.