For the purpose of my Honors 319 class, I have been asked to research comic books. I am aware how open ended that statement sounds, because it was given to me that open ended as well. After some time, I finally settled on researching Wonder Woman.
In class we have been discussing how the changes in social and cultural norms are represented within comic books, and how comic books can endorse certain social beliefs. For the purpose of my research, I will be looking at how wonder woman has changed with culture over time. In order to do this, I will be looking at character development over time, and as social and cultural norms shift. The specific characters I will be looking at are Etta Candy, Steve Trevor and Diana Prince herself. The time frames I will be analyzing include 1942, 1987, and 2016. I selected these time frames because I believe they cover a large shift in cultural views regarding feminism and equality. With the civil rights, and the second wave of women’s rights movements occurring in the 60s I hypothesize that there will be a change in the Wonder Woman comics from 1942 to 1987. More recently, there has been a new wave of feminism and equality within the #bodypositive , and#metoo movement as well as the #blacklivesmatter movement. Therefore I hypothesize a shift within the Wonder Woman comics between 1987 and 2016.
One of the most interesting shifts seen in my research has been within the character of Etta Candy. In 1942, Etta Candy is Wonder Woman’s sidekick. She is portrayed as a heavy set Caucasian female who often needs rescuing from dangerous situations. Characters constantly comment on her weight and unattractiveness, and although she does help aid Wonder Woman in some crime fighting encounters, she is often used more as the butt of a joke, or damsel in distress.
In the comics published in 1987 Etta Candy transforms. She is still portrayed as a Caucasian female; however, in the 1987 reboot she is no longer overweight, and has joined the air force as a lieutenant. She is no longer the damsel in distress that everyone makes fun of, and instead holds a position of power which is more significant than sorority member (as she was in the 1942 version of Wonder Woman). However, even in 1987 Steve Trevor is reluctant to take orders from her, and still treats her like she is fragile. Although the weight and rank change is one of the only difference seen in Etta Candy, it is a representation of a female in power that was not seen in the 1942 Wonder Woman comics. Historically thinking It also makes sense that she has lost weight. Even though times were progressive towards women’s rights and equality in 1987, weight management was still a large part of the feminine culture. However, upon the third wave of feminism in the 2000’s we see a shift to the idea that all women, no matter shape, size, race or orientation are all beautiful, strong, and capable of doing anything a man can do. We see this shift in the comics as well.
In the rebirth of wonder woman launched in 2016, Etta candy is the commander of the air force and runs the division with an iron fist. She is depicted as once more a heavier set individual however this time she is not Caucasian but African American. She is no longer the damsel in distress, or the laughing stock we saw in 1942. She is now the leader, and vision of power, that the modern day woman aspires to be. Not only does Steve Trevor obey her, but he looks to her for guidance and a similar case can be made for Wonder Woman herself. Etta has proven that you do not need to Diana Prince to be a Wonder Woman. This progression and character development of Etta Candy is only one of the fascinating examples of how the Wonder Woman comics have evolved with the ever changing societal expectations surrounding gender roles and equality.
