The Costumes

A superhero’s costume defines them. Captain America is known for his iconic stars and stripes. The Winter Soldier is immediately recognized by his black mask and silver arm. While one aspect of a superhero’s suit is the cool factor, practicality is a very important component– as they are fighting the strongest villains in the universe. However, many of the female characters are depicted in incredibly sexual suits that are completely unrealistic. In no universe would it be realistic for a woman to be placed in a dangerous world-threatening situation and proceed to think to herself  “yes, a skin-tight leotard and heels are my best bet.”

Natasha Romanoff, also known by her superhero name as Black Widow, was the first female superhero brought into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She was introduced in 2010 in Iron Man 2 and was a part of the original Avengers team from 2012. In those eleven years Marvel has done her character absolutely no justice. From her very first appearance she was sexualized. Tony Stark (Iron Man) was seen looking at a picture of her posing sexually in lingerie during her first appearance. For the rest of the movie Nat wore a skin tight costume, with the zipper pulled down to expose her breasts, high heels, and her hair down. Now maybe it’s just me, but if I am showing up to a fight I might tie my hair up, wear shoes I could run in, and cover up a little better with some real protective armor. However, Marvel clearly did not have the same thought process as I did as they continued this trend of impractical costumes for women for years to come. The comparison between the costumes Black Widow wore with male directors vs a female director is truly showing.

In six out of seven of these suits, the zipper was pulled down. In six out of seven of these suits, Natasha’s hair was down. In all of these suits she wore heels. And in all of these suits women everywhere were disappointed. There was no need for Nat’s breasts to be exposed in her suits that were not intended as fashion statements but made for fighting. While there is a bit more cover in the Infinity War suit it is still unzipped! It’s difficult to wash your face with hair down let alone do the type of combat that Black Widow does. Any person with long hair can understand how inconvenient this styling is. Lastly, the heels, those damn heels. Some argue that the reason Black Widow wears heels is because the actress that plays her, Scarlet Johanssen, is very short. Now I cannot speak for every woman, but I would much rather see a short woman than one unrealistically fighting in heels. Now examine the suit she wears in the upcoming Black Widow film.

Black Widow is directed by a woman named Cate Shortland, and it shows. Finally, her breasts are not put on display. Her hair is tied back. Since the movie has not been released yet, and the title on the poster covers Nat’s feet, we cannot see her shoes. Regardless, this is already such a huge step.

Wanda Maximoff, known by her alias the Scarlet Witch, was introduced to the MCU in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Similar to Black Widow’s unnecessarily revealing suits, Wanda wore a low cut dress. Yes, I said a dress. Oh, and heels, multiple heavy necklaces, and her long hair down. Impractical you would think, well Marvel didn’t. In Avengers: Civil War and “Avengers: Infinity War” Wanda continued to wear her hair down and heels, but this time instead of a low cut dress she wore a low cut corset. Corsets are extremely restricting and uncomfortable which is why women got rid of them starting in 1914! Corsets are physically limiting enough to people just sitting down. Now imagine fighting a war in one– because that’s what the Scarlet Witch was doing. In an interview with Elle the actress who plays Wanda, Elizabeth Olsen, spoke on how uncomfortable she was with the corset. She particularly expressed her concern about the extreme amount of cleavage in the costume.

Gamora was introduced in The Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014. Even though she does hand-to-hand combat they dressed her in a revealing outfit leaving her vulnerable. By now you may be starting to see a pattern– her hair is down, breasts exposed, and little to no protective armor. She is the most skilled assassin in the galaxy, she deserves an appropriate suit for her position.