ragnell:

trypr replied to your quote: Umm…how is Steve Trevor being the first man Diana…

I think a lot of people are not sold on the whole Tarzan/Jane thing, or the whole “fall in love at first sight” thing; no more than the idea that a person has a destined/”true” love. Experience, belief and perspective are bound to affect that.

It’s not that, though. It’s not that she fell in love quick because honestly, they can lengthen his stay on the island to draw that out (some treatments have done this) or kick that down the line to their interaction afterwards. It’s always that he was the FIRST guy she saw, and she ran off with him. The accusations that it’s sexist are always about not having met other men first, not about the amount of time it takes. But this is a thing, when a male character who has been isolated and never met a woman meets one and runs off with her.. it’s the cause for chuckling at worst.

Same story idea used with Wonder Woman? It’s a sign of how sexist the narrative is, and used to justify getting rid of the less powerful male love interest.

Well, my experience of this sort of discussion in WW fandom is that opposing sides usually try to paint all disagreement into a corner. For what it’s worth, I agree with you that it’s not categorically sexist but I still feel the way it was written often was; Steve Trevor as a “Prince Charming” figure who implicitly deserved her. That was his role in the narrative, and that was the problem.

Perhaps she meets him, they spend time together, there’s a strong attraction. Perhaps she’s fascinated by the world and wants to go see it, even couples that with an “official” mission to help. And Steve wants to head home and it’s convenient, given it all, that they go together, but he is not her focus. Maybe there’s tension and compromise. Likely it’s not a conventional relationship. I can imagine how it might work, but it’s not team Steve/Diana, as such, and it’s not something which would make Wonder Woman suddenly better, imo.

I’m in the segment of the fanbase that has little investment in Steve Trevor as a love interest: I’ve nothing against her having a “Steve Trevor” as a love interest, but I don’t think it really adds anything, save to give people who do have a vested interest in that an outlet (and why not).

For what it’s worth I think the arguements that he is implicitly undeserving, for whatever reason other than his behaviour in an arc, are nonsense and I’m all for Diana dating/handfasting/whathaveyou non-capes.

I am always interested by and enjoy your passionate and insightful analysis of the character, but it often feels as if there’s a false dichotomy on this issue. Tarzan/Jane and guys running off with the first girl they see: none of that appeals to me and, like a lot of “classic romance”, feels laced with binarist patriarchal messages, or just stupidity, if not explicit sexism. And I don’t think Wonder Woman ever genuinely deconstructed that. Ymmv.