Elizabeth Olsen wishes her Avengers costume didn't show as much cleavage

The actress wishes the corset was cut a little higher 

Chelsea Ritschel
Saturday 28 April 2018 12:30 EDT
Comments
The one thing Elizabeth Olsen would change about her Avengers costume (Getty)
The one thing Elizabeth Olsen would change about her Avengers costume (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Trying to save the world would prove a lot more difficult in a cleavage-baring corset - and yet, in the new Marvel Avengers movie, that is exactly what Scarlet Witch has to do.

In a recent interview with Elle magazine, Elizabeth Olsen, who plays the female superhero in Avengers: Infinity War, revealed that if she could change one thing about her character’s costume, it would be the amount of cleavage on display.

She said: “It would just not be a cleavage corset. I like corsets, but I'd like it to be higher. Everyone has these things that cover them—Tessa Thompson does, Scarlett does,” she said referring to her fellow female superheroes, who play Valkyrie and Black Widow. “I would like to cover up a bit.”

However, Olsen did acknowledge the strides the superhero community has made towards ending the objectification of female superheroes - before admitting that her own costume doesn’t seem as if it has made much improvement.

She said: “It's funny because sometimes I look around and I'm just like — ‘wow, I'm the only one who has cleavage,’ and that's a constant joke because they haven't really evolved my superhero costume that much."

She did point out, however, that her current costume is much less sexualised than it was in the comic books - where “it was a leotard and a headband.”

One explanation Olsen believes could explain the costume choices is they are chosen, not to represent the average woman, but to represent “iconic images.”

This isn’t the first time the actress has been outspoken regarding inaccurate representations of women in the media.

Before the release of the new movie, Olsen called out a photoshopped Empire magazine cover of herself and the Avengers cast, writing on Instagram: “Does this look like me?” - which she has since deleted.

And despite her low-cut costume, Olsen does think Marvel is working towards becoming as inclusive as possible.

Referencing the success of Black Panther, the actress told Elle: “They recognise that they have such a huge platform, and they're using it to be as inclusive as they can with their storylines and representing the world.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in