Last month, Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) and comedian Kevin Hart announced their excitement at the news Karen Gillan was joining them as a female lead for the new Jumanji remake and we, for one, were overjoyed.

'Yay, here are two male actors championing and supporting female leads and equal opportunities in Hollywood,' we thought.

But three weeks later, the creators of Jumanji have just gone and rained, nay downpoured, on our parade. 

Yesterday, Hart and Johnson posted a picture to Instagram of the film's first day of shooting in Hawaii. In the image, Hart is seen standing alongside Dwayne, Karen and Jack Black in the jungle.

So far, so good, right?

instagramView full post on Instagram

But on closer inspection, you'll see that while the male actors are clad in suitable jungle attire – hats and waterproof trousers – Karen is dressed in camouflage hot pants and a crop top, styled with that whole 'let's sexualise your character by dressing you in a skimpy costume so your beauty detracts from anything your character actually says' aesthetic. 

Ah, don't you love that warm fuzzy feeling when you see women being eroticised on-screen?

via GIPHY

First of all, anyone who has ever been in the jungle or even on a Duke of Edinburgh camping trip will know that Daisy Dukes and a bare midriff do not make for a comfortable outdoor experience. 

  1. Spiky trees.
  2. Mosquitos.
  3. Spider webs.
  4. Bare skin + rain = hyperthermia.
  5. Weird tan lines.

Secondly, by failing to dress Gillan's character in appropriate jungle apparel like her co-stars, it perpetuates the antiquated idea that a woman's sole role in an action films is to function as the object of male (or female) sexual desire, regardless of how often they attempt to prove their physical and intellectual prowess.

Of course, this isn't the first time we've seen female action heroes dressed in significantly less clothing than their male counterparts – hello Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, Ellen Ripley in Aliens, Sarah Connor in Terminator –  but you'd think in 2016 Hollywood would at least be able to present a female character with the same on-screen value as men, without having to dressing them in short shorts. 

That being said, perhaps we've got it wrong.

After all, in Johnson's caption he does say: 'Her jungle wardrobe will make sense when you know the plot. Trust me.'

Perhaps Gillan's real jungle costume was in the wash and she was given these clothes in the meantime.

Perhaps, in subsequent promotional photos, we'll see her co-stars also stripped down to Daisy Dukes and a crop top. Jack Black in hot pants, anyone?

Perhaps, perhaps…

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Katie O'Malley
Site Director

Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.