I recently saw the movie “Wonder Woman,” and may I just say: Wow. It was amazing and everything I hoped it would be considering the outpouring of positive reviews. The film hasn’t gotten very much promotion, leading some to accuse DC Comics of setting up a glass cliff for the character and the movie’s female director, but it has defied the odds to open with success and critical acclaim. It’s a hugely empowering and groundbreaking movie for women that everyone should go see. This article/review is somewhat a response to “‘Wonder Woman’ Doesn’t Deserve To Be Called A Feminist Movie,” but only as much as it can be considered a response to any criticism the movie is facing. These are some of the reasons I have so much respect for this movie:

Warning for some spoilers ahead

Recently, a video by Pop Culture Detective has become fairly popular for identifying a common trope in media and calling it “Born Sexy Yesterday.” Essentially, the video says that a lot of male-centered sci-fi and fantasy stories feature a very innocent woman who has never been exposed to the world. She, knowing nothing of society and humans, falls in love with the fairly ordinary protagonist because he has a basic understanding of how the world works and can teach her about love, sex, and relationships. She’s basically a child in the body of a sexy woman who has no previous experience to compare this man to. She’s terrifyingly powerless in her relationship with the protagonist, and their love story is more a sick power trip than romance.

Now, the reason I mention this video is that “Wonder Woman” openly defies this trope that it could have so easily fallen into. The reality of Diana (Wonder Woman) is that she has not been exposed to the real world and has never met a man, let alone had a relationship with one. However, the creators of this movie refused to let her lose power in her relationship with her romantic interest, Steve. When they first meet, she saves his life, not the other way around, establishing her power in their relationship. Women who were “Born Sexy Yesterday” often take off their clothes in front of the protagonist because they don’t understand social norms. This provides a convenient time for the audience and protagonist to leer at her while she’s vulnerable. In “Wonder Woman,” it’s Steve who stands naked and vulnerable in front of Diana, and the situation is more comedic than sexual. (I'm still laughing at the fact that he could have easily just sat back down in the water rather than just stand there.) When Steve asks Diana about sex, she matter-of-factly states that she’s read “all 12 volumes of Cleo's treatises on body and pleasure” which concluded that a man isn’t necessary for pleasure. She knows enough about sex that she's not going to let a man try to teach her. She owns her sexuality completely, and Steve doesn't control it.

In fact, Diana is not at all sexualized by the movie. Sure, her outfit is skimpy, but since when is that overtly sexual? The film provides ample explanation as to why she feels comfortable in those clothes, and the costume she wears while fighting even serves as an image of freedom and empowerment because the movie is set during World War I and people keep trying to get her to cover up to be more “decent”. She’s not hypersexualized — that would require her being put in compromising situations, positions, or clothing just for the sexual pleasure of the audience. Sure, she’s definitely catcalled and objectified in the movie, but the film portrays those men who do it negatively, enforcing the idea that Diana should dress and act however she wants without people commenting. (Although, a lot of the catcalling happens when she’s dressed conservatively, pointing out accurately that gross men will sexualize you no matter what you wear.) Diana is never treated with much respect by most men in the movie, but it wouldn’t really be set in the early 20^th century if she was. Instead, she serves as a great role model for girls by never trying to prove herself to people who don’t accept her as their equal. She does what is right and gives people respect when they deserve it, ignoring the haters. Many people are frequently impressed with her intelligence and strength, but she never fights to get their validation. She fights for her own convictions rather than for any man. She remains Steve’s equal (maybe even his commander in some fighting situations), and she never follows his orders if she doesn’t truly believe in them. They learn to accept each other and each other’s beliefs and worlds by the conclusion of the movie. “Wonder Woman” could not have been more timely as the “Born Sexy Yesterday” video was released just over a month ago. This movie defies anti-feminist tropes to empower women instead.

Another reason “Wonder Woman” is timely is that it emphasizes the importance of caring. Towards the end of the movie, as Diana realizes how flawed mankind is, she’s ready to give up on them. Ares asks her to help him destroy humans, but she declines… Without much conviction. It seems as though she knows what Ares is doing is wrong but she can’t figure out why because she hates humans, too, at this point. The only way she can win against Ares is to tap into her passion — she has to accept that she hates humans because she loves them. They destroy each other, but they also love each other. That’s what makes the destroying each other part so painful. Rather than being shamed for being passionate and angry and irrational, Diana is a hero because she’s emotional. That’s a feminist message if I’ve ever heard one. And, in this time in which people are becoming apathetic because of discouraging politics, it’s a powerful message to stay strong and passionate about what we love.

The movie wasn’t without its flaws. The Greek mythology aspect was warped into a weirdly Christian bastardization (#wheresathena #athenadeservesbetter), the accents were inconsistent and sometimes just bad (even if watching a toddler struggle to maintain an “Amazonian accent” was strangely endearing), the plot twists were a little predictable, and I agree with my friend who said she found herself wanting a lot more development of the only female villain, Doctor Poison (who had a cool villain name without a cool villain battle or a cool villain backstory that explained her scars). That being said, this movie completely brought out every part of Wonder Woman that makes her so empowering while adding even more strength to her character. Just last year Wonder Woman was called “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” when the UN tried to make her an honorary ambassador, and this movie reacts to that criticism by making her a more practical and strength-based character with little connection to America who is portrayed by an Israeli actress.