Supergirl's "New" Look: I Hate It!

I have nothing but respect for Melissa Benoist. I loved her on Glee, and I am sure she will make an awesome Supergirl. But hold the presses on that outfit. I hate it. And I realize that I might be the only one who is not excited about it. But before you shake your fist at me for going against the grain, here me out…

Colleen Atwood (who also created the costumes for Arrow and The Flash had this to say about the look: “I wanted to embrace the past, but more importantly, thrust her into the street-style action hero of today.”

Colleen. Honey. Darling. What about this outfit mimics the “street-style action hero of today?” Is it her tight bodice? Is it her short skirt? Oh, wait, I bet it’s the tall dominatrix boots. Or maybe the muted colors. Noooooow I see, yes, you have totally captured the essence of today’s strong feminine action hero. Gag me.

I’m sorry everyone. Nothing about this outfit says “today’s action hero.” Nothing. Let’s take a look at original comic book Supergirl, 80’s movie version Supergirl, and again, Colleen Atwood’s version:

Nope. When you compare the three side by side, Supergirl’s outfit looks basically the same. Actually, the only thing that is different between them is the color. And color alone is not enough to call this an updated look. This is why I am disappointed. The look is relatively the same, but with different colors. And I think we owe it to Supergirl to truly bring her look into the future. Who say’s she has to have a skirt? Who says she needs a cape? I would have preferred something more modernized. Let me show you what I mean.

A good example of taking a dated look and updating it to a “street style action hero of today” is what the comic artists did with Spider-Woman and Batgirl.

First, let’s look at Spider-Woman. Her original costume consisted of tight spandex or latex or whatever you want to imagine, which also gave way to little webs in her armpits. It was typical for the era. Typical for most female super heroes of that time. But then artist Kris Anka took over and updated her look to a more street smart outfit consisting of a leather moto-jacket, gloves, pants, utility belt, combat boots, and flying glasses. The updated look encapsulates what I think of when I imagine a strong, kick-ass, crime-fighting, and most of all, hero of today. Sure her jacket is fitted, and her pants definitely cling to her, but all-in-all it’s a big improvement from the outdated look in the original comic. Check out the comparison:

Now let’s take a look at Batgirl. Similarly to Spider-Woman, Batgirl’s original look consisted of tight spandex, cape, utility belt, and boots. And when you first glance at the updated costume, you may not see any real difference. But looks can be deceiving.

Here is why I love the new updated Batgirl outfit. Take a closer look at what artist Babs Tarr was able to do. You may see the same old tight costume consisting of cape, belt, and boots, but when you break down the updated costume, you notice that the cape is actually detachable. The tight bodice is actually a moto-jacket (and not spandex!) What originally looked like the same old tights are actually pants (or skinny jeans if you will), and rounding out the look is an updated utility belt with matching combat boots (which look like Doc. Martins).

So with two very iconic characters with costume updates, why couldn’t we get something similar for Supergirl? I’m not saying that she has to have a leather moto-jacket like both Spider-Woman and Batgirl, but I think costume designer Colleen Atwood could have taken a few more liberties in making the Supergirl of today a true reflection of today’s style and power clothes.

Power clothes? Yeah, I just made that up.

And let’s face it, a Supergirl moto-jacket would have been cool. Actually, anything with pants, strong boots, utility belt, and jacket is cool.

Hell – even Wonder Woman got a makeover….And if Wonder Woman, one of the most iconic female characters of all time can get some pants and a jacket, then I think Supergirl can too.

Am I crazy? Am I the only one that is not excited about the new Supergirl costume? Let me know what you think in the comments.