This got me thinking. How many of our beloved superhero(ine)s have been reduced to marketing ploys? How much of the population is unfamiliar enough with this demigoddess' costume to expose her stomach or forget her magic lasso of justice? Why is her face so feline? And is the cider really THAT good?!
This blatant act of selling out reminds me of Ricky Bobby's advocacy of Big Red, etc. However, this instance is far less humorous. What does Wonder Woman have to do with Moosewood? Or food at all?
Although superpeople have been selling merchandise for ages (Islands of Adventure superhero area, Spiderman show on broadway, "Superman" flavored ice cream), I can't help but wonder if any of them have succumbed to the female stereotype of actually serving food to a patron. For those who haven't had the pleasure of reading The Circle, this chalkboard may be their only impression of Wonder Woman. And as many of us know, she is so much more than a waitress.
She's also a nurse. And a Secretary.
Can these feminine norms ever be broken, or in other words, rectified? Will popular characters forever be exploited in advertising? Is the hot mullet apple cider really as delicious as she makes it seem?!
I went to Moosewood in the fall and saw a similar blackboard with a picture of Wonder Woman advertising something on the menu. I agree with your point. Why are they using Wonder Woman, a powerful, intelligent, Amazonian princess, to try to sell food? Maybe they are trying to appeal to people's desire to be powerful, or maybe someone who works at Moosewood is a really big fan of Wonder Woman. Whatever the reason, I think that they should add a blackboard with Superman or Batman, evening the ranks, so to speak.
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