In between kicking ass and saving the world, Wonder Woman finds time to shave her armpits - and the revelation has outraged some of her fans.
On Twitter, many have questioned why actress Gal Gadot has perfectly smooth pits in the film’s new trailer, despite the fact that Wonder Woman is supposed to have had no previous contact with regular humans (or their beauty standards).
Some have also pointed out that her armpits appear to be a lighter skin tone than the rest of her body, leading many to suggest they’ve been “digitally bleached” or “altered”.
Commenting on the new trailer, body positivity advocate and HuffPost UK blogger Kirsty Baines said she’s disappointed by Wonder Woman’s new look.
“Although I am thrilled that a gorgeous, fierce, strong and independent woman is taking the lead on our screens, in my opinion the Photoshopped armpit saga has pushed feminism a couple of steps backward rather than forward,” she said.
“I mean, she is this beautiful empowered female, yet there is still the underlying message that we have to attain to societal standards of beauty. It gives us the idea that it doesn’t matter if we are too busy (in Wonder Woman’s case, saving the world), armpit hair is unattractive and therefore it must be removed.”
She added that it sends the message that women’s bodies are not okay as they are and “we must change them to fit the ideal”.
“Hair is one of the most natural things in the world, yet the stigma behind women having it anywhere on the body apart from our heads is immense,” she said.
“Only when we start portraying women’s bodies exactly as they are in their natural state, hair or no hair, will it remove our shame and help us to accept and celebrate ourselves as we are.”
However, others on Twitter have said the state of Wonder Woman’s armpits is not what we should be focussing on.
Philosophy student Laura De, from Belgium, knows the stigma that’s attached to having armpit hair all too well. Last year, she starred in a series of photos designed to open up discussion about female body hair but found herself at the centre of cruel trolling.
Commenting on Wonder Woman’s new look, she said that her “shaved and bleached” armpits are a result of “patriarchal norms”, but we shouldn’t just focus on the character’s appearance.
“People don’t talk about the personality of the female character in the movie, but they criticise her body,” she said. “That’s a real problem.”
DC has yet to comment on the backlash.
What do you think about Wonder Woman’s armpits? Leave a comment below or tweet us @HuffPoLifestyle.
