The Image of Woman in the Movie Wonder Woman Essay Example

“This war is a great big mess. And there’s not a whole lot you and I can do about that. We can get back to London and try to get men who can” said Steve Trevor. “I am the man who can.” said Diana also known as Wonder Woman. John Stuart Mills essay on the Subjection of Women which was published in 1869, highlights the unfair treatment of women. In 2017, Wonder Woman was created which highlights Mill’s points on the unfair treatment of women.  Wonder Woman, gave women a voice. Wonder Woman and Mill’s work displayed the strict gender roles that men and women are placed into. This movie allowed women to have a new self-confidence that they can be different and that women do not have to follow societal norms. 

There are many similarities of societal beliefs on how women should act in the Wonder Woman film and John Stuart Mills essay on The Subjection of Women. Mill states that men and women should not be imprisoned in their own fixed social position in which they are born, but they should be given opportunities to develop their talents and pursue their desires as long as it does not pose a threat to other people (Mill, 10). The gender roles that are placed on society expect woman to be submissive and the male to be dominant. In history and even in the twenty-first century, women who are not housewives or mothers are often frowned upon. People who do not fit into the certain role are sanctioned in ways that produces a lack of confidence in the people who wish to be different. While examining the Wonder Woman film, gender roles and sanctions are relevant. Diana who is Wonder Woman, lives with other woman known as Amazons. Growing up, Diana was kept from reaching her potential. However, she fights her way through the punishments inflicted upon her due to her wish to pursue her desires.

Throughout the film, people will begin to see that her potential is much more than what the Amazons expected it to be. However, not all woman or people are given the opportunity to pursue their own interests. In the United States, Americans have been taught to perform certain roles. These roles have become natural with the belief that men should be strong and women should appear more nurturing. When Diana is going through her chance to reach her potential, she seems uncomfortable and wary. When she finally reaches her potential, she is shocked. In the United States this potential to be something greater than people expect a female to be is starting to become more popular. However, women in different countries can relate more to the lack of confidence to branch out and try something new. 

While watching Wonder Woman, an important aspect of the movie is that Diana has only been accustomed to women. She was never given the opportunity to see a man. This has kept her blind from the different roles that men and women have in the world. More specifically when she first arrives in London, she experiences men gawking at her. She is shocked to learn that London has a political system in which women are not allowed to vote and that it was not normal for woman to attend meetings that men would partake in. However, when Diana experiences this culture shock of how there are certain gender roles in this new place, she does not take them to heart. She keeps fighting and does not let anyone discourage her. Diana proves to the English men that she is smart, and she is a tough woman. In Mill’s essay, he states that “the popular idea of women’s nature differs in different countries, according to how women have been shaped by the opinions and social circumstances of the country in question” (Mill, 39). 

John Stuart Mill’s essay on the Subjection of Women and the film Wonder Woman have similar aspects regarding the gender roles that society places on men and women. Both of these works highlight the ways that women are placed into unfair roles that do not allow women to pursue a higher potential.