Lynda Carter, the original Wonder Woman, gave her side of the Wonder Woman story in a revealing interview with Tim Teeman for The Daily Beast. Wonder Woman is a confusing feminist icon; she's a warrior, which is admirable, but she's also a sex symbol, which confuses her identity. How do we reconcile Wonder Woman's power with the fact that she's a icon of female objectification?
Carter doesn't think it's that complicated: Wonder Woman wears what she wears. Why should it matter?
"Oh, so objectifying, like Superman with a sock in his pocket. They don’t worry about objectifying men. Because she looks like a woman, is that objectifying? Oh my God," Carter replied when Teeman asked about the nature of Wonder Woman's outfit. "‘She looks like a woman,’ holy cat... I would not say it was objectifying."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
She added that, most importantly, Wonder Woman didn't act like an object. "I did not play her as sexy. It was never a come-hither look. Gal Gadot never played come hither. I never played predatory. She is what she is," Carter said of the Marvel superhero.
That said, Carter as Wonder Woman put up with a lot: Carter shared that, during her time on the show, one member of the crew drilled a hole in her dressing room so he could spy on her naked. Carter also shared with The Daily Beast that she had her own #MeToo story, and that her abuser was already facing repercussions.
"He’s already being done in. There’s no advantage in piling on again," she said. At the time, she didn't share her story with colleagues or someone on set because, in her words, "No one's going to believe you."
Carter has always been a vocal advocate for Wonder Woman. When Jenkins' movie first came out, Carter responded to criticism from director James Woods, who called the superhero "an objectified icon."
"STOP dissing [Wonder Woman]: You poor soul. Perhaps you do not understand the character. I most certainly do. Like all women--we are more than the sum of our parts. Your thuggish jabs at a brilliant director, Patty Jenkins, are ill advised," Carter wrote.
The lesson: Lynda Carter is not to be messed with.
Read These Stories Next: