An Analysis of the Cultural Dismissal of Wonder Woman
role of Wonder Woman as a figure of justice obscured by her sex , her gender , her feminism , and a perceived threat of sexuality , in contrast to the euphoric dominant sexuality of Superman ( 1978 ). The treatment and continued perception of this show has contributed a critical role in the lack of presence of Wonder Woman ’ s philosophy of justice in American culture . Since its conclusion , language about the series has not focused on the philosophy its lead character represented or the significance of how that philosophy was represented in a television format , obscuring how Wonder Woman ( 1975- 1979 ) played its own distinct , crucial role in the evolution of superhero adaptations .
This character ’ s cultural legacy continues to be impeded by misogynistic cultural mores , as society still contends with her costume�Lynda Carter also responded to the United Nations backlash that “ It ’ s the ultimate sexist thing to say that ’ s all you can see , when you think about Wonder Woman , all you can think about is a sex object ” ( Williams ) �and female superheroes are still headlines . Writers such as Berlatsky acknowledge that culturally , “ Wonder Woman the icon is just another female superhero with a few slightly unusual quirks ,” but contribute to the collective ignorance about her history by taking the television series for granted ( 215 ). As Emad writes , “ The symbol of Wonder Woman loses cultural capital in the broader imagined community where she�and the women ’ s movement�are perceived as a threat ” ( 968 ). And as Yockey writes , “ That the Equal Rights Amendment failed to be ratified only confirms the ongoing need to promote a combination of progressive feminist politics and Marston ’ s vision of matriarchal authority for all ” ( Yockey “ Wonder Woman ”). In a country governed by politics over protection , the suppression of Wonder Woman ’ s ideals has suppressed a philosophy that American culture would do well to cast fur-
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