I just watched Wonder Woman for the first time and I felt like she was the
first female character in a long time who would say something like this —
I'm going, mother.
I cannot stand by while innocent lives are lost.
If no one else will defend the world from Ares, then I must.
Now I'm not saying that there are no admirable women in cinema; there definitely are.
I'm saying that when it comes to recent blockbusters and superhero movies,
women are usually either supporting cast or not exactly role models.
Wonder Woman isn't perfect but she gets a lot right
which is why I want to talk about what her character does differently
from the common female tropes that men and women alike can learn from.
First off, from a character standpoint, we can't help
but like Diana because she is enthusiastic.
When she likes something she is vocal about it.
It's magical.
...they don't, uh—
[gasps] A baby.
It's wonderful. You should be very proud...
This might seem like a small thing but how many people do you know who truly have that kind of enthusiasm for life?
My guess is not a lot and it's because sometime around middle school, it becomes cool to be jaded and bored.
It becomes a sign that you are cooler than whatever is happening around you.
In fact one of the big blockbusters of our time, Twilight,
seems to have adopted this worldview while all the other enthusiastic
and fun characters can't seem to get enough of Bella's total boringness.
You're, uh, Isabela, right?
Just Bella.
Yeah. Hey. I'm Mike Newton.
Ah, nice to meet you.
She's got a great spike huh?
I'm Jessica, by the way. Hey, you're from Arizona, right?
Yeah.
So are you enjoying the rain?
What?
You're asking me about the weather?
Yeah, I... I guess I am.
Well, I don't really like the rain
Bella: Any cold wet thing, I don't really... Charlie: Don't buy it.
Once middle school ends, we are drawn to people who have a passion for life
who get excited by the little things, not those people who are too cool to care.
So if something is awesome, say so.
In fact, the more that you can start to see the world as awesome
the happier you're going to be and the more easily you'll connect to the people around you.
Second, Diana is a role model because she is an idealist.
I'm the man who can.
And once I finally destroy Ares, the German armies will be freed from his influence.
And they will be good men again and the world will be better.
But this isn't just an ideal that Diana is mindlessly reciting; she actually lives it.
She leaves her island and puts herself in harm's way in order to do what she thinks is right.
Not only that but she also pushes the other people around her
to live up to their own code.
Does this mean nothing? Where I come from, generals don't hide in their offices like cowards.
Diana: They fight alongside their soldiers; they die within the battlefield. Steve: That's enough.
You should be ashamed.
Diana inspires people to do what they know that they should.
And when people are around someone who makes them their best self,
they can't help but want more of that person which is why having high standards
is one of the most attractive traits that you can develop whether you're a man or a woman and we actually talked about this in our Jon and Dany
Game of Thrones breakdown if you want to check that out.
Going back to this though, Bella from Twilight on the other hand is obsessed
with getting Edward to give in to temptation.
It's like a drug to me. They're like my own personal brand of heroin.
And Bella doesn't tell Edward to do what he knows to be right.
She tells him to do what he knows he shouldn't do which constantly winds up getting herself and other people into needless selfish trouble.
Ow. Papercut.
Now Wonder Woman does put her comrades in harm's way
but it's not for selfish reasons; it's for the greater good.
And when it comes time to celebrate their victories,
she makes sure that everyone is appreciated and included
even if their contribution wasn't as great as hers.
Side note in these next clips. pay attention to Gal Gadot's eyes
in these scenes and throughout the entire Wonder Woman movie.
She does a fantastic job of smiling from her eyes which immediately opens people up.
I made other videos about this which I will link to in the description.
You did this.
We did.
Maybe you're better off without me, yeah?
No, Charlie. Who will sing for us?
Charlie: Yeah. Sameer: Oh, no. Please.
This type of recognition is an important point to pause on
because I sometimes see women interpret this to mean — take no credit,
diminish yourself, tell other people that they did it all and that your contribution was meager — that is not the goal.
You simply want to make victories about "us" and "we" instead of "I" and "me."
Acknowledge people for their role and the more specific that you can be, the better
because it shows that you're just not blowing smoke; that is the foundation
of a team and it's the hallmark of good leadership.
Third, Diana doesn't arbitrarily listen to authority; she questions the rules.
Here's what she says about scheduling your life according to time.
...because it tells time, when to eat, sleep, wake up, work...
You let this little thing tell you what to do.
And here's what she says when Steve tells her that she can't do something.
I cannot let you do this.
What I do is not up to you.
It's important to point out that authority isn't always bad.
Steve advising Diana not to murder someone at a dinner party was a fair stance.
After all, Diana was wrong about Ludendorff being Ares
and she could have jeopardized the entire peace treaty with that level of violence
so the point is that there are limitations and rules in life and they can do
quite a bit to protect you and other people but some rules hold you back.
The point is not to resist authority at every level just because, like a petulant teenager, but to question the rules and to question authority.
Understand the intention of the rules and make up your own mind based on your values.
It's not rejecting authority indiscriminately but
being thoughtful and selectively breaking the rules that makes a visionary leader.
Lastly, we have to address Diana's relationship with men
because by the end of the movie, she winds up the leader of a band of four men
who have all commented on how beautiful she is.
Oh, my goodness gracious. That's a work of art.
I'm Diana.
Where did you find her?
...can't even... to make her look less distracting.
Yet with the new specs, it's like she would be the most beautiful woman you've ever seen.
Now we already mentioned that Diana does a great job
of pushing these men to be their best and of acknowledging their successes
but I want to take a moment to comment on how she handles their advances.
For instance, when Sameer comes on to her, she calmly but firmly
rebuffs him with her body language and then makes it clear
that she knows what he wants and is not interested.
Hi, Diana. You can call me Sameer, please.
Sameer.
Uh, Sameer... I wouldn't do that if I were you.
I've heard that this can be a difficult line for women to walk.
Some women feel like it would be rude to say no and allow advances that they'd rather not receive.
Other women feel like they need to cut off all the warmth that they initially would represent to prevent this type of thing from happening in the first place.
And while I am no expert on this, it does seem like Diana's strategy
of being kind and warm initially firm with her body language and decisive in her rebuffs is a really good one
but I have no experience in dealing with that kind of stuff so take that advice with a large grain of salt.
On the other hand, when Diana does begin to develop feelings for Steve,
she doesn't simply play a passive role allowing things to happen around her.
In the beginning, she teases him about being uncomfortable sleeping next to her.
Diana: So you cannot sleep with me unless I marry you. Steve: Steve: I thou— I was.. I'll sleep with you if you want. I'll sleep with you right there.
Diana: It's not two-room. No, It's up to you. I'm just trying... Steve: Then fine. If you don't mind, I'll might as well now.
I've made my choice. Come sleep with me.
And as they grow closer, she holds lingering eye contact with Steve
before they finally share a room for the night.
It's subtle and maybe I'm reading too much into it but when I see Gal Gadot making those eyes,
I feel like I am seeing her character take responsibility for making things happen
between her and Steve which is not a common trope in movies.
The girl is always swept off her feet, surprised.
Even in Twilight where Bella's whole character revolves around the men that she is with, we hear her say things like this.
I'm asking you... to kiss me.
Jacob's thoughts are very loud.
I don't know what happened.
The point being that Bella refuses to take responsibility for making a decision.
She wants everyone to think, including herself, that she is just at the whim of raging hormones.
And that's kind of the entire arc of Twilight — Bella can't make a decision —
and even though it's subtle, I think that Gal Gadot's rendition of Wonder Woman
isn't just pulling that somehow-something-happened card.
She's making active choices about her love life.
In addition, she likes Steve Trevor not just because of his center because he's a magical prince but because of who he is.
And why do you want to go back?
I don't think "want" is the word.
My father told me once — he said, "When you see something wrong happening in the world, you can either do nothing or you can do something."
And I already tried nothing.
And through their relationship, Diana is inspired to shift her values
and make the ultimate choice in what she believes is right.
...they don't deserve our help.
It's not about "deserve." Maybe we don't but it's not about that; it's about what you believe.
They did not deserve your protection.
It's not about "deserve."
So in Wonder Woman, we get a female lead who makes strong decisions
and she's not always right but she is an agent of her own destiny
whether she's choosing to stand up to authority, run into battle,
or simply choosing who if anyone she wants to be with romantically.
And if you take one thing from this video let it be this —
rather than just letting things happen around you, make decisions and move.
In fact, if there is something that you have been putting off hoping that it would just happen for you, make the decision now.
Ask the person out. Tell your team you appreciate them.
Commit to one plan over another. Whatever it is, decide and do it.
Things won't always turn out as planned but in taking responsibility and ownership over your life,
you make yourself a leader and a magnetic personality to boot.
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