I’m a big Wonder Woman/Gal Gadot fan, but when I looked at the actual list compiled by Forbes magazine, I really wondered why the media was paying so much attention to this fact. The fact that the media loves numbers and rankings is not new (why do you think sites that have lists or ranks are so popular?) but if you looking down just one spot you will find the name Emma Watson. Watson grossed $1.3 billion versus Gadot’s $1.4 billion. Yet you will be hard pressed to find the media writing about this very close “second place finish” By Watson.
Comparing the two actresses in 2017, Watson’s number was achieved mostly from her starring role in The Beauty and the Beast – $1.2 billion. In contrast, Gadot made $822 million doing Wonder Woman and got a boost from an underwhelming Justice League ensemble movie. This takes nothing away from Gadot, but does seem to minimize Watson’s achievement.
As normal people, both women are married with children, Watson is 27, Gadot is 32. Watson is English, Gadot, Israeli. Gadot is a relative newcomer to the Hollywood scene while Watson has a long and award filled career since age 11. So it is possible that Gadot is getting the media props because Americans seem preferential to Israel these days than the Brits.
But maybe, just maybe, it is because of Watson’s keynote address to the United Nations back in 2014.
There are several points she makes that fly in the face of the media-maniacal feminism, likely branding her as a traitor to the feminist movement. Gadot takes an interesting approach, saying that while she is for gender equality, she doesn’t believe it will ever happen. This is an odd statement though, given that she served in the Israeli army as a combat instructor (one of the reasons she was selected for the role of Wonder Woman). It shows she’s smart enough to not kill the Golden Goose by what she says.
Watson’s achievement is worth at least an honorable mention, but none is forthcoming.
Why?
Quiz: Who was the top grossing actress of 2016?
Answer: Scarlett Johansson with $1.2 billion for Captain America: Civil War. She was also the top grossing actor, men included.
Both Gadot and Watson topped that number, so it seems fair that both should get props from the media, especially that Watson’s total was only $100 million behind Gadot. Don’t hold your breath waiting.
The irony in all of this is that Watson believes in many of the same basic feminist principles as the hard core feminists. It’s just that she doesn’t see a viable solution to the problem by excluding men from the discussion. This is considered treasonous by feminists in the media, and she will be slighted and ignored whenever possible. Talent and success are meaningless unless you are all-in, without exception and equivocation, to a cause.
Congrats to Gal Gadot, who will be a Wonder Woman extraordinaire, for at least a few more years (she is 32, so does have a shelf life, sad as this reality is). But ignoring Watson’s achievements is wrong on so many levels.
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