Isabella :love10: I love everything you've said!
(Also, with Tom Hardy, this was him in 2011 for Warrior:
So while he, Christian, and most male superheros worked out extra hard for their roles and put on mass, it was evident beforehand that he could/would do it, and wasn't out of the realm of possibility for his body.)
Anyways I don't think it's necessarily that people are discounting her, or assuming she can't do it. And it has nothing to do with her personally at ALL but rather what her casting represents - it's more, to me, just the decision to choose someone with a small, lean body type to play one of the only characters in Hollywood that is specifically, unambiguously meant to be thick and muscular. Going back to Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, and the other superheros - those who were meant to be super muscular either already were or had been, and simply got bigger; they didn't cast someone quite thin and then bulk them up. Like Isabella said, it's like Bridget Jones - taking a character that's been designated a certain image, then casting someone who goes against it and trying to push them into that mold rather than just casting someone who already fits it because those types of women aren't Hollywood's type.
And I think given that media has been factually proven to have significant impacts on our views, values and (in relation to this) body images, that it's not a moral weight thing, but rather looking at something that will have an impact on us and evaluating it. I don't think this casting in particular is going to suddenly make teenage girls develop eating disorders or something, but it contributes to a larger picture in which we're told "this is best, this is what's acceptable and desirable, don't deviate". I dunno, why shouldn't we hold the media to a higher standard than simply 'do what you want'? Media is such a huge thing, too, that involves SO many people that there's no way to divide it from society (as in it's not their job to change society), they ARE society and both a reflection and leader of what that society is, you know?
Omg I'm hugely rambling but I wanted to add, I do feel bad for Gal Gadot specifically that she's now at the centre of this discussion - I think it's nothing personal to do with her, she is gorgeous, has a fantastic body, and (from what I've heard) is a great actress. (I actually think she would've made a great
Zatanna, who is my favourite DC character.) So I do think that it sucks, on a personal level, she is now under scrutiny for looking a certain way. I hope she does a fantastic job and gets mad ripped, looks badass as hell, and beats up Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill. And I think it could've been her or anyone else similar and the discussion would be the same. But overall I do think it's important to look at how this represents a bit more than just the casting of one role, what kind of message it sends, etc.
Here is a Wonder Woman gif for your time :mrgreen: