POSTSCRIPTS TO PARADISE: WONDER WOMAN AND THE COMPLEXITIES OF FEMINIST ICONOGRAPHY by Kathleen Schindler A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Wilkes Honors College in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences with a Concentration in American Studies Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University Jupiter, Florida May 2008 POSTSCRIPTS TO PARADISE: WONDER WOMAN AND THE COMPLEXITIES OF FEMINIST ICONOGRAPHY by Kathleen Schindler This thesis was prepared under the direction of the candidate‘s thesis advisor, Dr. Christopher Strain, and has been approved by the members of her supervisory committee. It was submitted to the faculty of The Honors College and was accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences. SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE: ____________________________ Dr. Christopher Strain ____________________________ Dr. Daniel White ______________________________ Dean, Wilkes Honors College ____________ Date ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to all of the professors who have aided in the creation of this thesis. Thank you, Dr. Strain for all of the time and effort you put in reading this thesis, and for recognizing when I made up words. Thank you, Dr. White for being my second reader and for providing me with new analytical perspectives on media. Thank you, Dr. Njambi, for inspiring this thesis. I would also like to thank all of the family and friends who have made this thesis possible. To late nights with the ladies, coffee dates at Starbucks, and bad television programs. Natalie, thank you for the paper. Jaime, thank you for the provocative materials. Laura, thank you for being awake when I need you to do everything that I cannot. Mommy, thank you for always being my mommy. Computer, thank you for being reliable. Andrea, thanks for fighting with Word with me, for falling in love with the cheese man, and for being such a great friend. Joel, you are the best friend and proofreader ever. Without all of you, this work would not exist. iii ABSTRACT Author: Kathleen Schindler Title: Postscripts to Paradise: Wonder Woman and the Complexities of Feminist Iconography Institution: Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University Thesis Advisor: Dr. Christopher Strain Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences Concentration: American Studies Year: 2008 Since her creation in 1941, cultural critics have cited Wonder Woman as an emblem of femininity. In 1972, the American mainstream feminist movement – through Ms. magazine – officially accepted the character as a representation of feminism. When writers at Ms. criticized changes in the character, in which she abandoned her costume and superpowers, they neglected to consider Wonder Woman‘s history as American World War II propaganda. In doing so, they allowed the re-vamped 1973 version of the character, and her subsequent incarnations, to ignore the duality of her existence as both a feminist icon and a reinforcement of dominant American ideologies. iv Table of Contents List of Illustrations ............................................................................................................. vi Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Wonder Woman‘s Significance as Historical Artifact .................................................... 3 Wonder Woman‘s Potential to Create History ............................................................... 5 Chapter 2: Wonder Woman and Ms. Merge ...................................................................... 10 A Brief History of Ms. .................................................................................................. 13 Chapter 3: Ms. Misinterprets Wonder Woman .................................................................. 19 Wonder Woman: 1968-1973......................................................................................... 21 Chapter 4: Wonder Woman Reacts to Ms. ........................................................................ 29 Nubia: Wonder Woman‘s Black Sister ......................................................................... 34 Chapter 5: Wonder Woman‘s Present Predicament......................................................... 40 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 44 Works Cited ...................................................................................................................... 46 v List of Illustrations Figure 1: Wonder Woman‘s mother reinforces Marston‘s psychological theory of emotional normalcy. ........................................................................................................... 4 Figure 2: Wonder Woman sells war bonds. ...................................................................... 11 Figure 3: The cover of Ms. issue #1. ................................................................................. 15 Figure 4:Wonder Woman shows her violent side. ............................................................ 16 Figure 5: Racist images of minorities were common in early Wonder Woman comics. 20 Figure 6: Wonder Woman was often found in bondage. .................................................. 21 Figure 7: Wonder Women tries on clothes in issue #1. .................................................... 22 Figure 8: Wonder Woman tries on clothes in issue #182. ................................................ 23 Figure 9: Diana stays up late thinking about Tim. ............................................................ 24 Figure 10: Chinese communists search for traitors........................................................... 25 Figure 11: Women of color point out the diverse interests of women. ............................. 27 Figure 12: Queen Hippolyta gives in to her "yearnings" and begins to create her children. ........................................................................................................................................... 33 Figure 13: Wonder Woman is attacked by indistinguishable, savage black men on Slaughter Island. ............................................................................................................... 35 Figure 14: Feminists become violent against innocent men when threatened with the prospect of losing their leaders. ........................................................................................ 38 Figure 15: Wonder Woman comics make repeated reference to the character's status as a feminist. ............................................................................................................................ 40 vi Chapter 1: Introduction The banner ―Wonder Woman for President‖ graces the cover of Ms. magazine‘s first issue, dated July 1972. The comic book character, clad in her iconic red bustier, star-spangled panties, golden tiara, and red and white go-go boots, runs towards the viewer with a concerned expression on her face. She is enlarged, with legs that span several miles. To the right of her is a small town full of tiny, ecstatic figures reaching up towards the gigantic woman. There are two rows of buildings containing stores, houses, a water tower, and a church. Running between the rows of buildings is a white street lined with trees and sidewalks; on the street are cars and cheerful people. Her magical glowing lasso is tied to her waist and attached to an improvised scale hanging from her right hand. Resting on the scale is a small town. Falling directly below her left hand is a crushed fighter plane with figures parachuting out of it. To her left is a fiery wasteland complete with guns, tanks, aircrafts, and explosions. Tiny men with conical hats appear to be going about their daily business while a few small, straw-roofed huts burn down behind them. It is the Vietnam War. The words ―Peace and Justice in ‘72‖ are emblazoned across a billboard in the lower left-hand corner of the page. For the women of the feminist publication Ms. magazine, Wonder Woman represented an idealized image of American liberation. In 1972, feminist activists Joanne Edgar and Gloria Steinem published similar articles for Ms. detailing the importance of Wonder Woman as a symbol of American feminist liberation. In both articles, the author began by recalling stories of her childhood experiences with the character and her comics. Edgar detailed the devaluation of the character in her neighborhood comic book trade while Steinem recollected hiding in trees guiltily reading about Wonder Woman‘s 1 adventures. Although both women felt ashamed by their interest in the character, their long-lasting interest in her and her comics attests to her far-reaching impact. Thus, when Steinem and Edgars, along with the rest of the workers at Ms., chose to assign the Wonder Woman as a liberating icon for women, soldiers, and Vietnamese, they called upon their nostalgia for the liberationist narrative of 1940s Wonder Woman comics. Over the passage of time, however, an idealized image of the superhero solidified in the authors‘ minds. As a result, Wonder Woman was not the strong heroine that Edgar and Steinem remembered her to be. Although she was a feminist of sorts, the character frequently promoted racially charged, patriarchal institutions and ideologies that counteracted her feminist message. In particular, her status as American World War