The United Nations just fired Wonder Woman, dumping her as an ambassador

The job market is tough these days, even for superheroes. On Friday, the United Nations will abruptly end Wonder Woman’s tenure as honorary ambassador after controversy and protests from women’s rights organisations.

In October, the UN “hired” the fictional cartoon as ambassador for the empowerment of women and girls. At the time, the UN hoped to use the superhero brand in a 2017 campaign for women and gender issues, aptly titled “Think of All the Wonders We Can Do.”

So did the entertainment company that owns the Wonder Woman brand. “Wonder Woman has always been a trailblazer for women’s rights, and we believe she can continue that legacy by expanding and deepening the dialogue around these critical issues,” Diane Nelson, president of DC Entertainment and of Warner Bros. Consumer Products, said when announcing Wonder Woman’s new foray into international diplomacy.

But some advocacy groups - and UN staff - didn’t think a fictitious and scantily-clad superhero was the ideal face of global women’s empowerment. UN staff protested the move during the superhero’s ceremonial appointment. And a group of “Concerned United Nations Staff Members” circulated a petition that eventually received nearly 45,000 signatures urging Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to reconsider Wonder Woman’s new job.

“It is alarming that the United Nations would consider using a character with an overtly sexualised image at a time when the headline news in United States and the world is the objectification of women and girls,” the petition read.

“The bottom line appears to be that the United Nations was unable to find a real-life woman that would be able to champion the rights of ALL women on the issue of gender equality and the fight for their empowerment,” it added.