Posted in: Comics | Tagged: ambassador, Ban Ki-moon, petition, petitions, tinkerbell, UN, united nations, winnie the pooh, wonder woman

Wonder Woman Dropped As UN Ambassador Within Two Months

Wonder Woman's tenure as one of many UN ambassadors has been brought to an end in under two months due to a protest signed by 44,426 people. The position was the UN's Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls.

The petition (targeting Ban Ki-moon) stated a couple of issues based on the appropriateness of a fictional character being used in such a position:

…award this key ambassadorial role to Wonder Woman, relegating the importance of the issue of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls to the previous appointment of fictional characters for ambassadorial positions, such as Tinkerbell (Ambassador of Green) and Winnie the Pooh (Ambassador of Friendship).

Going on to say:

This role is too important to be championed by a "mascot."

They went on to say more about not being able to find a human to perform the role:

The bottom line appears to be that the United Nations was unable to find a real life woman that would be able to champion the rights of ALL women on the issue of gender equality and the fight for their empowerment. The United Nations has decided that Wonder Woman is the role model that women and girls all round the world should look up to.

The UN's initial comments on the matter were thus:

To those who say that they don't need a fictitious character to empower them or to tell them about women's empowerment, we agree, you are not the intended audience for such campaigns. We are not going to preach to the converted. We are trying to reach new audiences and young people who do not follow UN news or read the organizations reports and resolutions. Young people who get their world views and often, inspiration, from pop-culture icons such as Wonder Woman.

The protest responded with:

To him, we say WE ARE THAT audience! We are WOMEN, GIRLS, MEN and BOYS that actually care about the image of the United Nations that is beamed across the world! Do not patronise us for voicing our views!

So, there's that done, then.

Wait, nope, Patrick Zircher has pointed out Chloe Behrens' petition to reinstate Diana in to the role:

Their text:

Their reasons are because 'she is a large breasted, white woman of impossible proportions, scantily clad in a shimmery, thigh-baring body suit.' Wonder Woman is so much more than appearances and this petition will hopefully prove the point. Wonder Woman is the embodiment of feminism, peace, justice, and truth. Anyone who knows the character knows that what she does advocates for the peace, freedom and rights of all people around the world, much like what the UN strives to do.

Source: Reuters, @NicolaStottArt, care2 petitions, @PatrickZircher

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