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Patty Jenkins Defends ‘Wonder Woman’ Against James Cameron’s Criticism as Sexist Interview Reemerges

The man who called "Wonder Woman" an "objectified icon" once said his main concern about the female lead in "Avatar" was: "She's gotta have tits."
Patty Jenkins James Cameron sexism
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Ah, the sweet smell of male entitlement no longer allowed to run rampant. Notorious blowhard James Cameron has put his foot in his mouth yet again while, you guessed it, explaining why his movies are better than everyone else’s. The director drew the ire of “Wonder Woman” lovers everywhere when he recently told The Guardian that Hollywood’s “self-congratulatory back-patting” over “’Wonder Woman’ has been so misguided.” He is also being called a sexist.

He continued: “She’s an objectified icon, and it’s just male Hollywood doing the same old thing! I’m not saying I didn’t like the movie but, to me, it’s a step backwards.” A valid point if it had come from a woman, and Cameron is likely parroting a criticism he read from some shrewd feminist film critic. But coming from the guy who once told Playboy his main concern about the female lead in “Avatar” was “She’s got to have tits,” it doesn’t sit well.

“Wonder Woman” director Patty Jenkins issued a thoughtful and measured response on Twitter: “James Cameron’s inability to understand what Wonder Woman is, or stands for, to women all over the world is unsurprising as, though, he is a great filmmaker, he is not a woman.” May her restraint be a lesson in grace for all of us.

Cameron did have some idea about how to write a strong female character, naturally using a character from his own movie, “Terminator 2″‘s Sarah Connor, as an example. He said Connor “was not a beauty icon. She was wrong, she was troubled, she was a terrible mother, and she earned the respect of the audience through pure grit.”

The Playboy interview, from 2009, quickly resurfaced on Twitter.”A big recalibration happens when we’re forced to deal with real women,” he said. “And there’s a certain geek population that would much rather deal with fantasy women than real women. Let’s face it: Real women are complicated. You can try your whole life and not understand them.”

Hey Cameron, here’s a hint: Try listening to some women for a change. You can start by watching their movies.

Patty Jenkins recently signed her contract for “Wonder Woman 2,” making her the highest-paid female director in Hollywood.

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