As an avid superhero fan, I was extremely excited when Mattel, Inc. released photos of its Wonder Woman Barbie for the upcoming “Batman v. Superman” movie. Although comic book Wonder Woman was drawn with defined muscles, the Wonder Woman Mattel has created has insect-like arms, devoid of any comic book strength. To make matters worse, Mattel had unveiled body-positive Barbies only a few weeks prior to announcing its version of Wonder Woman.

My hopes may have been high, but Wonder Woman, also known as Diana Prince, is a female superhero. She is fearlessly herself and divinely empowered; she stands up against injustices. In fact, her creator, William Moulton Marston, used Wonder Woman comics as political commentary against the oppression of females. Marston focused on Diana’s “emancipation from men” and used her to “show girls that they could do anything.”

But Mattel did not portray these intentions. Although she retained her Lasso of Truth, Wonder Woman has lost all of her muscle. Even the accompanying figures for Batman and Superman have distinct muscles*, perfectly matching both their on-screen and comic book counterparts. It’s upsetting that Mattel chose to slim-down a feminist icon while keeping her male counterparts the exact same.

Perhaps it’s a strange coincidence that Mattel also released body-positive Barbies only weeks before unveiling the Wonder Woman doll. Certainly, the body-positive Barbies are a step forward, offering seven different skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles. Also, all the dolls are called “Barbie,” showing no distinction between body types.

The new dolls, however, do not change the hypocrisy of Mattel for releasing dolls geared to helping young girls love their bodies while also slimming down Wonder Woman. Mattel has completely missed the point behind both Wonder Woman and its new body-positive dolls. Mattel preaches body positivity, but disregards Wonder Woman’s true body shape.

The fact is that Wonder Woman is an icon. She is what she is, and although I applaud Mattel for its strides toward body positivity, a Wonder Woman doll cannot be any more or any less than its comic book counterpart. Wonder Woman is a superhero, and that’s how she should be portrayed. She could rival the Flash and Superman easily, and that should be clear from the doll itself. Not only that, but creating a doll that’s horribly disproportionate, and calling it “Wonder Woman” goes against Mattel’s own body-positivity line. If Mattel was truly trying to be body-positive, it would keep Wonder Woman’s body the same and celebrate it the way it is, rather than molding it into something totally unrealistic for an Amazon warrior princess.

Body positivity is about celebrating one’s body the way it naturally is, and changes are only necessary if the individual feels that they are. Wonder Woman never had any qualms about her figure; she was proud of her strength. She serves as a model for young girls this way, proving that confidence is the only thing necessary to accept your body. The concept of body positivity is that all bodies are beautiful, not just one or two.

The fact is, Mattel has gone too far with its body-positive Barbies and its treatment of Wonder Woman. The company seems to have missed the notion that body positivity means all body types are accepted. Mattel can declare body positivity all it wants, but it can’t be truly body-positive if it still changes other characters’ doll body types.

Whether or not Mattel is able to succeed in truly understanding body positivity, though, is less important than how girls understand body positivity. Body positivity applies to all body types, all genders and all races. Mattel chose to edit an iconic woman’s body to fit societal standards, but you don’t have to adhere to its hypocrisy. As Wonder Woman said, “There’s nothing to it—all you have to do is have confidence in your own strength.”

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Kalea Miao at [email protected].