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GIRL POWER?: 2017’S WONDER WOMAN AS A FEMINIST TEXT AND ICON IN AN ERA OF POST-FEMINIST MEDIA

by Rachel Richardson

Institution:	California State University – San Bernardino
Department:	Communication Studies
Degree:	MAin Communication Studies
Year:	2022
Keywords:	feminism; post-feminism; Wonder Woman; film; discourse; Communication; Critical and Cultural Studies; Mass Communication; Social and Behavioral Sciences; Social Influence and Political Communication
Posted:	3/25/2025
Record ID:	2250483
Full text PDF:	https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/1445 https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/context/etd/article/2632/viewcontent/auto_convert.pdf

Abstract

Media, including film, have the incredible potential to influence viewers and disrupt or contribute to dominant ideologies. In an era of post-feminist media where women are seemingly empowered under the guise of ‘girl power,’ there continues to be very limited social, financial, and professional options for women and girls. The same can be said for film when female characters appear to be in control of their own lives and bodies, though they are pressured into making the ‘correct’ choices. The 2017 film rendition of Wonder Womandirected by Patty Jenkins intended to change that. This textual analysis of the film identified feminist and post-feminist themes within the text. This is followed by a critical discourse analysis rooted in feminist theory that examines viewers’ reviews of the film.