Geekly Roundup #5 – ‘Wonder Woman’ Trips up in Marketing Blitz, Bunch of New Trailers Out!

What up nerds, and welcome back (again) to the internet!

That time of week again – i.e. “the end,” where I get to fill you in on everything you may have missed in the world of geek during this chaotic cacophony that is modern life. As usual, things have continued to happen – which is good for me, as I have to write about them, and even better for you, who has the unbridled pleasure of reading about them. In particular, we’ve got a couple new trailers, par le course, some video games reviews and releases, and one or more marketing kerfuffles. Yes, that is a real word, apparently, and no, you can’t use it as well as I just did there.

As always, I am John Cockshutt, your connoisseur of collectordom, your curator of comicness, your grandfather of geekery, your padre of pwnage, and all around good-guy-geek-boy.

TV and Film

• Marvel’s The Defenders trailer gets released
• The Dark Tower 1st trailer released
• HBO working on FOUR Game of Thrones spin offs!
• Guardians of the Galaxy hits theatres and kicks butt!
• First Episode of American Gods Aired – Critically lauded
• Wonder Woman marketing blunder with “ThinkThin” protein snacks (In Depth Look)
• Bunch of new stuff to watch on Amazon Prime this month
• Win Win is the 0.99 cent iTunes Movie of the Week.

https://https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=4h3m7B4v6Zc

Gaming

• Warhammer: Dawn of War III is out and it rules
• Prey came out as well; well reviewed
• Injustice 2 revealed new DLC characters
• Narrative breakdown: Blizzard and Halo execs talk place of “story” in games.
• Steam making new changes to the Gifting system

Books, Graphic Novels, and Comics

• John Sandford’s Golden Prey has taken the #1 spot from James Patterson’s Black Book on NYT Bestsellers
• Per usual, here is a comprehensive list, courtesy of ComicList on all comic books that came out this past week, as of May 3!

In Depth Look at Yet Another Wonder Woman Marketing Blunder: “ThinkThin” Protein Snacks

The Mary Sue broke the story earlier this week. Wonder Woman’s marketing department tied its name to a line of protein diet snacks called “ThinkThin” that critics say conflicts with the core idea of Wonder Woman and body positivity trends in general. It’s pretty clear that the marketing crew had intended the tie-in with the product to be centered around promoting a healthy, active lifestyle, ala Michelle Obama’s various campaigns when she was first lady, however, it was decidedly a miscalculation. The Mary Sue said of it: “Thinkthin is not a slogan we need associated with a fierce warrior,” and they’re correct.  

While promoting a healthy lifestyle is surely a worthwhile endeavour, the way in which it does this, is decidedly the most important aspect of whether or not it succeeds. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, or in this case, empty wrappers of a diet protein snack. Either way, the miscalculation is certainly hurting the brand image, though whether or not it will cause enough outrage to avert moviegoers remains to be seen, as the film does not premiere for another month.  

It is, fair to say, an interesting conflict between forces that seek to promote healthy activity and forces that seek to promote body positivity. There is also a fine line between promoting healthy activity and promoting a culture of self-criticism and unrealistic beauty standards. While the two are certainly not mutually exclusive, they do emphasize different concepts and values relating to how women should act or express themselves.  

Despite this, one thinks that the way towards a healthier lifestyle is in fact by fostering a culture of positivity, self-esteem, and more realistic beauty standards. That said, there is also a trend in western countries towards raised rates of obesity, and with it, risks of heart disease, diabetes, and other major health concerns. This is a public health issue as well, as this drastically affects healthcare costs down the line. So the key then, once again, is how a society, or in this case, a film, promotes both healthy lifestyle AND body positivity.

By standing behind diet products, Wonder Woman has decidedly adopted the wrong approach. A healthy lifestyle for women is not achieved by the propagation of unrealistic standards, but through body positivity, empathy, and the raising of a woman’s self-esteem. Positive reinforcement rather than negative – you cannot shame a person into better health. Scientific studies have time and again suggested that positive reinforcement works, so why don’t we give it a try and cut out the marketing of “Thinkthin” and other such detrimental products and ideas? Or better yet? A plus size Wonder Woman! Now there’s kick ass!