Wonder Woman Just Got Fired by UN—Maybe for Her Looks

A United Nations spokesman has confirmed to Reuters that Wonder Woman's reign as an honorary ambassador for gender equality will be ending Friday, even though originally she was meant to punch a card for the UN through 2017. The "scantily clad, curvaceous comic book superhero," as the news agency describes her, had spurred objections to her "appointment" in October not for her message of female empowerment, but because of her "sexualized" appearance, per the BBC. "Although the original creators may have intended Wonder Woman to represent a strong and independent 'warrior' woman with a feminist message, the reality is that the character's current iteration is that of a large breasted, white woman of impossible proportions," reads an online petition against her UN role that has garnered nearly 45,000 signatures.

There were also protests by UN workers when her ambassadorship was announced. The UN spokesman tried to downplay her dismissal, noting to Reuters that the group typically doesn't use fictional characters as mascots or otherwise for more than a few months at a time. A rep for DC Entertainment, which owns DC Comics (the superhero's home), notes, "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 UN honorary ambassadorship." (Wonder Woman was outed as being bisexual in September.)