Batgirl's Movie Costume Inspiration Draws Criticism as 'Sexist' & 'Ableist'
The outfit that's serving as the basis for Batgirl's next cinematic outgoing is receiving a bit of criticism online. Twitter user Bri of @wordsandsense had a few things to say about what the costume meant for a revamped Barbara Gordon's characterization.
While she served as Batgirl for years, Barbara Gordon stepped down from her role after she was shot and suffered a spinal injury at the hands of the Joker. She was still a valuable asset to the Bat-Family as their central information broker and chief hacker, Oracle. However, when the New 52 era came around and altered the history of various DC characters, Barbara got the chance to return to her old identity for the first time in years. Not too long after, Gordon got a new costume and a new location to protect in the 2014 «Batgirl of Burnside» arc by Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher and Babs Tarr, a look that's inspired her design in the upcoming Batgirl movie.
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However, the costume and general direction that Barbara went through is being taken to task online. On Twitter, user @wordsandsense created a detailed thread leveling some stark criticism at the change for Batgirl, saying that the Burnside outfit "set both Batgirl costume design and female superhero costume discourse back 10 years." Bri discusses how the Burnside suit was crafted as a cosplay-friendly costume rather than an outfit equal to her male counterparts. They go even further discussing how the story arc made Barbara come off younger than she actually was, ultimately regressing the character. There were also accusations of ableism, discussing how the era glossed over Gordon's time as Oracle and that her newer outfits were not
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