Here are some photos from last night’s LA premiere of Ant-Man and the Wasp, the latest offering from the Marvel Comics Universe. Paul Rudd is the Ant-Man, and he’s wearing a summer suit by Dunhill. Michelle Pfeiffer is wearing a Saint Laurent jumpsuit. Evangeline Lilly plays “Wasp/Hope Van Dyne,” and this film is supposed to be a two-fer – Evangeline is a full-fledged superheroine now, complete with a Wasp costume and a character reference in the title of the film, which is more than Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow has ever gotten. Her dress at the premiere was this sleek off-white silk number. Very pretty.
I sort of forgot that Evangeline Lilly has been part of the Marvel Comics Universe for years now, but here she is, the Wasp. During promotion for Ant-man and the Wasp, Evangeline sort of snapped in a rather glorious way. Just know, that ever since Iron-Man (basically), it’s been a talking point for all of the male stars in the MCU to complain about their costumes. ScarJo has complained too, but not because she was uncomfortable – she complained because her Black Widow kit gave her a rash. But the guys? The guys think their costumes are THE WORST. And Evangeline isn’t here for it.
evangeline lilly just ended male actors and she f*cking snapped! pic.twitter.com/PM6XOI69JC
— gabi. (@emilybluntz) June 24, 2018
Here’s what she says:
“I have been hearing Marvel male superheroes complain about their suits for years. And I got into my suit and I was wearing it, working in it, doing my thing, and I was like, ‘[It’s] just not that bad. Do I have the most comfortable suit in the MCU or,” she continued while holding up her high-heeled foot to the camera, “have men not had the life experience of being uncomfortable for the sake of looking good? They’re just like, ‘What is this? This sucks. Why are we… why? Why do I have to go through this? Whereas a woman’s like, ‘I don’t know. This is like normal. I wear heels to work. I’m uncomfortable all day. You get used to it. You tune it out.”
She’s right! The men do complain a lot. Even Chadwick Boseman complained about the Black Panther suit. Men just are not used to being in uncomfortable clothing just for appearance’s sake. I mean… I’m glad I don’t have to wear uncomfortable clothes for work (I’ve literally worked in sweatpants for years now), but it just comes as second-nature to all of us now, that just because something is uncomfortable doesn’t mean we won’t wear it because we have to or we want to. I have pairs of jeans that are SO uncomfortable but I wear them because they make my ass look amazing.
One small thing about the MCU though: I actually remember Gwyneth Paltrow calling it out years ago too, when she was promoting the third Iron-Man movie, where she got to wear an Iron-Man suit for some scenes. Gwyneth talked about how she was like, “this isn’t bad at all, why is Robert Downey Jr. always having panic attacks about this?” Women: better at superhero costumes than men. That’s reason enough to give all of the superhero films to the ladies.
Photos courtesy of Marvel and WENN.
And, let’s all remember, most of the women suits have corsets on. Elizabeth Olsen complained about, asking why her character needs corset and clevage.
It’s still exaggerating an image. Just like Male costumes have more bulky muscle, broader shoulders, etc… the female costumes have smaller waists and cleavage, but also lines to define muscle. This gets overlooked a lot.
Theres more to it of course. Just saying. Olsen made a strategic go to talking point for the sake of the interview and positive pr.
How about the other way round? It’s not normal to be uncomfortable for work, to be forced to wear high heels and make-up. Men complaining just shows a healthy relation with clothes: comfort above all.
Although I do wonder how men wear suits in summer. I would die and would be crabby if I had to wear them. Sometimes we fantasize a little about how comfortable men are with their clothes: ties in summer cannot be comfy. Their shoes are also hard on the feet etc.
Queer Eye actually dimistifies a lot of what we say here about men and how/if they suffer. They do. They have huge confidence issues not unlike women’s, but of their own kind.
And before everyone jumps at me: I still think that high heels are a form of torture that men will never understand. I agree with Lilly and I am just pursuing the very healthy venting of hers.
Also, I’m concerned because I have a 3 sons, male suicide is on the rise (91 in three months in higher education) and do believe that men should do what we are doing here: deconstruct society’s image of them and build another more fitting and comfortable.
yes won’t someone please think of the men /s
It’s crazy how insensitive and dismissive some of you are here, all while touting to be feminists and progressive yet lacking in the empathy department. Yes men also have it bad in today’s society and that needs acknowledging for us to move forward. If you continue to sneer and dismiss others they will retaliate with a similar concoction of apathy and disdain to you and the cause you champion. Denigrating men won’t help us and feminism at all. I am overreacting to this comment but I am tired of women dismissing men’s experiences while identifying as a feminist. The premise of feminism is social, equal and political equality and feminism is a political activist pressure group that tackles the problem by concentrating on issues concerning women. If you make gross generalisations and dehumanise men and minimise their problems ( It doesn’t matter if some of them are assholes who have dehumanised women for long, feminism isn’t for revenge) then you are contributing the chasm of disparity and perpetuating the culture of apathy. The premise of Feminism is empathy.
@Jay, I’ll give me 3 sons up for adoption. No need to think of them, they are so comfortable in life. No anxieties, no pressure to man up. Just perfect.
If we think of women, that entails thinking about the whole of society. If we think of minorities, that helps other kinds of suffering that reveal themselves to exist in the mainstream. We have to think communally. We all live in the same planet.
Jay, I am with you!!! Women have been brainwashed into thinking of men’s wellbeing first of all. Look at the society we live in where men are in charge and you realize how little men as a group are vested into the well being of women.
Making the leap from ‘extremely wealthy celebrities bitching about costumes’ to ‘the male suicide rate’ is pretty poor taste and dismisses suicide victims and mental health sufferers.
@Meggles, Thank you for giving me a good laugh. I love how people always find the “poor men angle, let’s lynch them” and the performative offense.
You have no idea what led me to connect the dots but I have a sense that you don’t want to anyway.
@UDI,
THANK. YOU.
I have finally found a kindred spirit.
Feminism is NOT revenge. We will never achieve true equality as long as we insist on denigrating one gender to lift up another.
@Jay: bless you and your 3 sons. It is not easy being a man in this society when women are conditioned to go out and hunt down the biggest, best looking and richest among them.
The bounty hunt works both ways.
@Udi, so much yes. Thank you for the excellent post!
I feel actresses are willing to go through a higher level of discomfort than I would be willing to go through.
If I don’t like something, I just won’t wear it (mainly because I know it will reflect in how I carry myself — I’ll look strange), and I’m willing to go “Nah.” I’ll concede actresses don’t have that option. But the stuff they talk about I’m not sure I entirely relate to. The most discomfort I experience is when I wear tights. If I wear a pair of high heels that are too high, I know I’ll look like an odd figure trying to traipse about, and so I discard them.
But, like I said, I concede actresses don’t necessarily have the option of saying “I don’t want to wear this.”
Men are generally wearing their suits in a business professional or event setting, though. (And those places usually have air conditioning.) The rest of the time they are given far more leeway in terms of how they present themselves to society because their intrinsic value isn’t linked to their appearance. That’s more what I think Evangeline Lily is getting at – it’s the invisible privilege of not having to sacrifice comfort, time, and money to make beauty a priority that men get to take for granted. These men are complaining about the costumes because it’s beyond their control – but for many women, comfort in every day life is beyond their control. Women without makeup have to worry about being told they look “tired.” Fat women have to worry about criticized for their weight. Women are very thin have to worry about getting told they have an eating disorder. Women who are not traditionally attractive have to worry about being insulted because they aren’t sexually appealing.
Do men suffer from social anxiety and pressure to perform in ways different from women? Sure. But they have significantly more privilege and power in terms of how they engage with those problems on a socioeconomic level. Feminism isn’t just about improving the position of women in society. it’s about dismantling gender roles as a whole as a way of recognizing that such polarized segregation is not only a false reflection of reality but an outright detriment to the well being of the society.
I just caught the bottom of your post –
For the record, men do not suffer from suicidal tendencies more than women. Women actually have higher rates of suicidal ideation and attempts. The difference is that men are more likely to pick effectively fatal methods, such as a gun or hanging, whereas women tend to go for “cleaner” but less effective methods like drug overdose, which is why their over all suicide rate is higher. Suicide rates also vary dramatically based on culture. Developing cultures tend to have lower rates. Cultures with strong emphasis on honor and social conformity see higher rates. There’s no cut and dry answer for who suffers the most from suicide. While men’s healthcare should certainly be taken into consideration, frankly a lot of the factors that contribute to their suicides – social isolation, emotional repression, socioeconomic stress – stem from traditional roles to begin with.
Hi Veronica,
There has been a campaign in the UK that I have come accross in the tube, so no real research about the increase of male suicide rate, especially among young men. From the official webiste:
“Around three-quarters of all suicides in 2016 in the UK were male.”
And I made a mistake, I should have said about 91 suicides in three months in higher education in the UK, the majority men (from the BBC).
I think this is telling information, which does NOT obliterate the structural misoginy of society.
I understand where you’re coming from. It’s definitely an issue. However, my problem is more with the way suicide is gendered in media as a result of the myopic way in which we define suicidal behavior. Suicide as a *concept* is not a phenomena specific to men so much as it is a phenomena of their success at it. More men die as a result of suicide because they pick methods that are more dangerous and immediate, whereas women overwhelmingly choose drug overdose, which is significantly easier to treat and reverse if caught on time. In the United States, men are more likely to kill themselves, but women are 3-4 times more likely to attempt it.
If we’re going to gender it, we need to look at what social mechanisms contribute to each side’s reasons for choosing suicide rather than who succeeds at it. For instance, we know men are more likely to be troubled after a divorce or the loss of a partner because they’re less likely to have the social networks in place that women do. Likewise, the reason it’s thought women choose “softer” suicide methods is because they’re more likely to consider who has to “clean up the mess,” so to speak. Those factors are definitely a result of how gender roles shape social relationships, so it’s worth segregating it on those issues. But the overall tendency toward suicide is not excessively polarized outside of certain cultures, so it’s not as effective a measure there.
I see, @Veronica S. That’s very compelling information. I don’t have a deep knowledge of the subject, it just truck me as really high as a rate, 91 deaths in just about 3 months, male or female.
Since you seem to know a lot about the subject: do you think the most” violent” methods in men mean that there is no hesitation or will to be “caught in time” as it were, whereas the more soft attempts might be a “cry for help” more than an outright end to one’s life?
I think if you’ve gotten to the point of researching ways to kill yourself, you’ve been crying for help for awhile.
Why men choose more fatal methods is a subject of a lot of consideration in psychology. Some of it is thought to be a matter of resources – in the United States, nearly twice as many men own handguns as women, for instance. Drugs are also more likely to be on hand (Tylenol is over the counter and can destroy your liver via overdose, for instance)* , whereas obtaining a weapon can take several steps in some areas – steps that allow you places to step back and reconsider as you go through the process. Others are social factors. Men are less likely to live in conditions that promote emotional openness and form strong social relationships outside of romantic relationships, whereas women are actively encouraged by society to be emotionally open and nurturing. They’re more likely to feel financial pressure as household supporters and lean on economic identity to define their worth, particularly in places where more conservative gender roles are common. Toxic masculinity can also contribute to funneling sadness and grief into abusive and self-destructive behaviors. Men are also more likely to be socialized to be more independent and assertive, so they’re less likely to reach out when they’re suffering and more likely to just “go through with it” rather than meander on the issue or even seek out psychological care. Admitting emotional vulnerability is conflated with weakness, which is viewed as a detriment of male character.
It’s complicated, and it’s ugly. And it’s definitely an issue. You should be worried about your sons, but that concern should be more about making sure they are socialized to think intimate support networks are acceptable – even necessary – for human survival. Men and women need each other, and gender roles are not hinder rather than helping us take a closer look at a very serious issue that effects all sides of the gender equation.
*Please do not do this. It is an awful way to die because even treating it with the antidote (acetylcysteine) can have varying levels of success, leaving you with lifelong liver damage if you survive. If you have suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention line (or your country’s equivalent): 1-800-273-8255
Thank you @Veronica S. That’s very enlightening. The reasons you give for male suicide is what I was trying to connect to earlier. How women are more vocal about the very troubling and deep issues our society has us entrapped in whereas men, who have issues of their own, do not traditionally have the structures or the behaviour to allow for this.
Unfortunately, as you say, I do look out for my sons and my daughter the eldest of which were victims of brutal assaults, my girl and one of my sons. The police warned us about the different attitudes in a gendered way and to some extent it has been like they said. My daughter, who had a more serious and damaging situation still talks about it openly and seeks help when needed whereas her brother pretends it’s “alright’. Thus my questioning of the very specific troubles for each gender, in a very general way (and thus imprecise and incomplete for sure). Women probably have a network of support and an emotional openness because they need it as society does not put anything but pressure on them. Men in trouble have to fit within this very rigid and virile mould.
@Slowsnow- another kindred spirit. I am so sorry for your children’s suffering. They are blessed to have you.
She was the worst part of LOST for me and i still can’t get past that whenever i watch the Ant Man movies.
Aw, I liked her. I have a soft spot for all the Losties and love seeing them have success beyond it.
I kind of liked her too, I think she got a lot more hate than she/her character deserved.
I do remember her repeatedly saying she was done with acting again after Lost, and she’s since gone on to make a whole bunch of movies. I didn’t expect her to become a Marvel superhero type, but hopefully it is a good move for her.
Oh yes she was the worst part of LOST to the millionth degree. Ugh. Although eventually it became fun to hate watch her. How is it possible she is still “acting”?
That’s because women and freaking SUPERHEROS to begin with; with or without costumes! (Drops mic)
Incisive. What a great breakdown, and I’m glad actresses are feeling strong enough to call this type of abviois double standard out.
She is so right. Women are used to being uncomfortqble for the sake of the look. And these men who basicaly won a jackpot by being a superhero need to shut the hell up.
One of their major complaints is that once they are in the suits, they can’t go to the bathroom for hours. The other is that some of the suits are so hot that they have cooling systems installed in them so the actors won’t pass out, which adds to the weight of the suit. And the capes catch on everything and are always going the wrong way, necessitating lots of takes.
Not disagreeing with Evangeline, just pointing out what they’re complaining about.
…and that’s no different from what Evangeline and Scarlett deal with. They are in LEATHER suits that they are typically SEWN into and therefore cant go to the bathroom for hours. Oh – and their suits don’t get “cooling systems”
So yeah…tiny violins for all the whiny dudes.
I recall JLaw complaining about her outfit for the XMen movies and Gwen Christie about her Stormtrooper outfit – women do complain but maybe just not as much as the men do or maybe its just not covered in the media as much.
This is silly. If the men think their costumes are uncomfortable, so be it. As a woman, I don’t push myself to wear things that are uncomfortable so I can’t relate to what she is saying.
ITA.
Granted, I see her point but it does not apply to my life.
I wear practical/comfortable shoes/clothes daily. I am on my feet for most of my day. I wear comfortable shoes and clothes. I own heels but I only wear them when I know I am mostly sitting down, otherwise, I wear flat, comfortable shoes.
Sure, I could be more stylish and trendy but comfort and performing my job is my primary goal at work.
Then again, “being sexy by mainstream media standards” is not in my job description.
Agreed, but she was making the point as if it applied to women as a whole, not to actresses in particular. And yes, the majority of us can choose to dress comfortably and prioritize that.
If men were the ones having babies, we would be extinct.
Hahahahahahaha!
I remember Hiddles complaining about his Loki helmet and practically seeing my brain from the eyeroll. Then again, many of the men in MCU have a horrible habit of behaving like mouth breathing knuckle draggers.
God, she is insufferable. Isn’t she the one who proudly told the story about how she purposely farted in a passenger’s fave whilst working as a stewardess?
You mean the guy who was being really rude to her? Yeah she did. And it’s flight attendant. Not stewardess.
I think both genders should complain….and maybe we’d get better movies.
Now I am distracted from the article and want to know what brand Kaiser’s “amazing butt” jeans are. (Always shopping, LOL).
ENOUGH of the super hero movies already. Geez.
Michelle looks awesome.
The complaints about super-hero costumes remind me of my male friends complaining about how invasive prostate exams are and how they feel uncomfortable. My female friends and I just kind of laugh because women are poked and prodded in intimate areas from the time we’re 12 or 13. That being said, I’m sure the outfits are uncomfortable, but it’s what they have to wear for the role. People in other jobs frequently have to wear uncomfortable uniforms or even suits and ties in humid weather, so I say suck it up or don’t take the job.
I wonder if the interviewers simply ask the men what the costumes are like, and the men are like “Yeah, it’s uncomfortable.” I don’t see why. hey’d tell us randomly about those costumes otherwise.
I also wonder if they’re answers are designed to make us laugh. Even Evangeline Lilly’s answer in the video seemed designed for humour.