Wonder Woman has been removed as the United Nations ambassador as it ended its campaign to promote gender equality. The campaign, which lasted less than two months, was closed following online protests over Wonder Woman's overtly sexualised image. The DC character was brought on board in October and the campaign was initially expected to continue through 2017.
Post the appointment, there was a huge uproar on the internet that influenced the decision of removing Wonder Woman. Confirming the information, a UN spokesman informed Reuters that the campaign will end this Friday. The news has not come in as a big surprise as both the parties involved knew that fictional characters in campaigns have short run. Talking to The Gaurdian, the UN did not provide details regarding the removal. However, spokesman Jeffrey Brez said that campaigns using fictional characters often lasted no more than a few months.
Nearly 45,000 people signed an online petition asking the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, to reconsider the ambassador. The protests against the move began from the day the announcement was made. On the day of the appointment, a number of UN employees protested at UN headquarters as Diane Nelson, president of DC Entertainment, exclaimed that the campaign would feature various movements over the course of the next year.
Spokeswoman representing the DC Entertainment, Courtney Simmons expressed her gratitude towards the short campaign and said that she was pleased with the awareness created for woman and girls rights through the partnership. "Wonder Woman stands for peace, justice and equality, and for 75 years she has been a motivating force for many and will continue to be long after the conclusion of her U.N. honorary ambassadorship," Simmons said to NBC News.
However, DC Comics is going to complete their special edition Wonder Woman comic book, as per their announcement in October. The production house is also gearing up for the release of the Wonder Woman movie which stars Gal Gadot in the title character. The movie is scheduled to release on June 2, 2017.
