harley quinn style analysis: suicide squad & birds of prey 💣🃏💔

[Music] analyzing harley quinn's outfits in suicide squad and birds of prey i'll be honest i'm not a big fan of superhero content unless it's something like watchmen or the boys but i will watch just about anything for margot robbie while not necessarily my personal favorite performance of hers one of margo's most recognizable and memorable roles has been as harley quinn in suicide squad and birds of prey the character has been a fan favorite since she first appeared in an episode of batman the animated series back in 1992 and we've seen harley quinn in many many many different outfits today we'll be talking about harley's costumes in suicide squad and birds of prey and just a note i'm going to be looking at the symbolism and intent of harley quinn's outfits based on the information and characterization that is presented in these two films other media involving the character whether that be the tv series or her various comic appearances will only be briefly touched upon and not necessarily lead or influence any of the analysis in this video we'll also be looking at her outfits chronologically so we can most clearly see harley's style evolution anyway let's get into it we're first introduced to margot robbie's take on harley quinn in 2016 suicide squad harley quinn nice to meet you the character while part of a large ensemble cast and not even necessarily the lead manages to steal nearly every scene she's in largely due to margot's absolutely stellar portrayal of the off-kilter loudmouthed character throughout the film we're given brief glimpses of harley's appearance before she becomes enamored obsessed with the joker as she's then working as a psychiatrist at arkham asylum her outfits are distinctly polished and professional they're fairly simple in silhouette typically wearing a black pencil skirt a blouse black stilettos and a lab coat while there are a few outfits shown from this period of time we can see the joker's growing influence on harley through the shirts she wears which are red and blue colors will come to associate with both harley and the joker after helping the joker escape from arkham we see harley in a blue satin shirt but instead of her professional wear she dresses down in a pair of black pants and boots this is the outfit that harley wears when she jumps into a vat of chemicals officially killing off dr harleen quinzel and becoming harley quinn the joker later jumps in after her and the dye from their shirts red and blue respectively are seen swirling around in the chemicals and here's a fun easter egg the red satin shirt that the joker is wearing during all of this is actually harley's you can spot her wearing it in this scene where he's torturing her since he's shirtless here it's likely that he just took it from her as he escaped following the joker's escape from arkham and her transformation into harley quinn we're given a quick homage to a legendary joker and harley moment that was featured on the cover of 1999's batman harley quinn comic joker in a tuxedo and harley in her gesture ensemble which we see again briefly when she's changing later on in the film harley's cartoonish red and black jester costume is what many consider the character's most iconic outfit and is what harley wore in her first appearance back in a 1992 episode of batman the animated series the jester costume takes inspiration from an episode of days of our lives which we actually see featured in the background of birds of prey as an easter egg harley's name is a reference to a harlequin a comic servant in italian theater from the 16th century a harlequin unlike a borish clown was considered agile clever and mischievous traits we see in harley harley's costume features a jester's distinct cap and bells along with a harlequin's unique diamond pattern this costume reveals the character's most base traits resemble a jester's more outwardly comedic and slapstick style alongside a harlequin's desire for romance and innate physicality and of course both her name and this outfit are no coincidence as they immediately connect her to the joker who himself is inspired by the tarot card of the fool and the joker playing card these card references come up often and we'll see hearts diamonds clubs and spades appear as motifs in harley's clothing regularly speaking of which when we see harley and the joker partying in gotham harley is wearing a diamond pattern gold and black sequin dress with a fringe as harley herself says it's date night and the dress is less for herself and more for the joker stupid that's your ruining date night it's shiny short and very sexy what we'll see as a recurring theme in suicide squad's harley is a constant need for joker's attention and supposed love which she attempts to get by amping up her sexuality she's also wearing a variety of gold jewelry from watches to necklaces which one symbolizes her character's rise and status in gotham and two showcases her place by joker's side as they're wearing matching accessories perhaps it's loot from a bank heist her hair is in bouncy curls and dip dyed pink and blue a defining feature of this version of harley quinn because the dress is so revealing we get a good look at harley's daddy's little monster tattoo which is placed right over her heart and her property of joker tattoo on her shoulder both tattoos reveal how little respect the joker has for her reducing her to an object that belongs to him you are my guests to this handsome honkahanka you belong to him now whereas the majority of joker's tattoos either reference himself or batman showing how in his mind the bat is the only thing as important as he is upon getting captured by ben affleck's batman and promptly locked up in the bell reeves special security barracks we see harley for the first time the outfit if you can call it that doesn't cover much of her body she appears to be wearing white underwear along with a strategically torn and tied piece of dirty fabric that says burn after use on the chest i'm thinking it's probably an old bed sheet or pillowcase that harley has fashioned into a piece of clothing considering the misogynistic and downright predatory behavior the guards have exhibited it's likely that harley created this piece of clothing because they didn't give her anything else to wear her highlights are washed out the pink barely there and she generally looks pretty disheveled but still gorgeous because duh it's margot robbie this scene tells us everything we need to know about the way harley is going to be portrayed in this film hyper-sexualized yet aggressive all while wearing little to no clothing harley has an outfit change right before she's taken out of the prison where she's finally given some clothes i'm thinking it's because the guards knew she'd be seen by others and figured they had to actually give her something to wear that wasn't a piece of cloth this washed out orange prison uniform has been tied up in the front revealing her stomach and creating a more trendy silhouette and harley's hair which we've previously only seen down has been tied into messy pigtails this marks the first time we'll see harley in a rendition of this iconic hairstyle which mimics the hat of her jester costume and is an ode to her hairstyle in batman arkham asylum like many female comic book characters harley quinn is regularly sexualized in the comics and this hypersexualization is depicted in the film where she's shot with the male gaze for those unaware the male gaze is defined as a masculine heterosexual perspective that presents women as objects for the pleasure of the male viewer we can see the male gaze presented in the film through lingering shots of harley's body nonsensical sexual behavior and her revealing clothing margot robbie herself expressed discomfort over the clothing choices in the film revealing in an interview with the new york times that she didn't enjoy wearing the costumes and even felt self-conscious about it while harley's original outfit in the comics was her more conservative jester suit recent renditions of the character's costume have become more and more revealing starting with her appearance in the 2009 batman arkham asylum game while harley's outfit in suicide squad is undeniably sexed up it matches the tone of the film as well as the character's personality at this point in time harley's shirt which is strategically torn and has daddy's little monster written on it matching her chest tattoo is made up of her signature colors red and blue underneath she's wearing a pair of matching two-toned blue and red undergarments you could call her bottoms booty shorts but let's be real it's just underwear she also has a gold choker necklace that says puddin on it the implications of this necklace which resembles a dog collar reveals how the joker is harley's master always marking his territory harley's bomber jacket makes this point as well but less subtly with large gold script on the back that says property of joker her heels which look athletic at first glance are fairly impractical and are part of a jeremy scott adidas collab while i absolutely hated these shoes on the runway harley makes them look good and i applaud margot robbie for being able to do a large amount of her own stunts in these harley's pigtails are now styled with loose curls i understand that the pigtails are tied to her character somewhat resembling the hat of her original jester costume but i find the fetishization of childish aesthetics to be quite off-putting it's the exact hairstyle a five-year-old would have and the way her character is portrayed in this film makes it really uncomfortable to watch as we'll discuss in the birds of prey section of this video there are ways to give a character pigtails without having them look like a sexy schoolgirl with the fishnet tights studded belt and messy makeup the look is very 2011 hot topic does harley quinn and honestly that's kind of the point she's meant to look cartoonish and like a male fantasy because at this point she's yet to really develop herself as a character outside of being completely obsessed with the joker and wanting to cause general havoc one great thing about this costume is that it marks a departure from many comic book wardrobes where they seem like they have to be custom made by a super secret seamstress instead looking like something harley would just find at the store and diy as necessary which is great for marketing purposes as we saw with the sheer amount of harley quinn costumes the following halloween nearing the end of the film harley has a brief dream sequence where she and the joker are living a normal life together this is harley's idealized version of her life and as we can see it still revolves around the joker while he heads to work harley presumably a stay-at-home mom takes care of the kids with her pink velour tracksuit gold hoop earrings and hair and curlers harley is presenting herself as the perfect woman who has nothing else to do but make her man happy after they've finished their little adventure the suicide squad returns to prison but with some slight perks besides getting an espresso machine in her cell harley is finally given a proper uniform and apparently styling tools her hair is in buns a step away from her pigtails but just as childish the uniform is worn as intended almost making them look like pjs the way i interpret this is now that harley believes that the joker is dead she is no longer dressing for him but for herself hence the emphasis on comfort that's the last we see of harley quinn in this movie now on to 2020's birds of prey this film begins with harley narrating and we see a cartoonified version of herself in both the jester costume and her suicide squad outfit she describes how she was affected by her relationship with the joker and after their breakup we see a stark shift in her clothing in birds of prey harley style is a touch off-kilter more kooky and creative than outright sexy and trendy there's a lot of glitter and sequins as well as bright neon colors like pink and yellow she still retains the gold blue and red color scheme we saw previously as well as the frequent heart star stripes and diamond motifs but it's in the silhouette of her clothing we see the true change in character and the reclamation of her identity in the previously mentioned new york times interview margot mentioned that if there was a suicide squad sequel she would not wear the revealing outfits again and we're going to see that she stayed true to her word much to the chagrin of sexist dc fanboys when she and joker first break up harley's pink and blue hair is still in pigtails and the same length it was at in suicide squad until she cuts it off in numerous cultures cutting one's hair is seen as an important moment it can signify change and transformation physically mentally and emotionally it's a way of getting rid of the thing that is holding you back after cutting her hair harley still wears it in pigtails but the placement is less infantile and sexual as seen here throughout this early montage scene we get brief glimpses of harley's new style which mimics the rocker aesthetic of the 1970s with fringe leather and metallics hardly a coincidence as during that time period we saw an increase in female empowerment movements and counterculture in general we even get a look at harley in pajamas a pink onesie with crying hearts is there a more perfect outfit to mourn the end of a relationship and eat garbage in as harley works to discover her true self and move on we see her participate in a roller derby game her helmet has been tricked out to showcase her signature pigtails and the rest of her uniform which the rest of her teammates also wear has yellow stars while the base of the bodysuit is blue and red does anyone else think she decided to join this team simply because she liked their uniform it'd be very on brand for her in fairly typical post-breakup fashion harley spends a decent amount of time going out and drinking to numb the pain of heartache at this nightclub she's seen wearing a blue velvet jacket with sequins it's cape like look almost seems like it's making a mockery of similar superhero costumes perhaps foreshadowing harley's role as an unconventional anti-hero in this film knuckles her sheer bodysuit with stars is custom alexia hench and underneath she wears a neon pink bralette the underwear is of particular importance because not only is it the first of many times that we see harley wear neon pink but it's also a huge change from her underwear and suicide squad this bra is for comfort and for fashion whereas her previous blue and red push-up bra was to amplify her assets and fetishize her to top it all off harley wears a pair of isabelle morant booties and red white and blue striped pants what i find particularly interesting about this look is harley's makeup choices in suicide squad harley's going outlook is honestly pretty normal it's a look that most men would find appealing but her makeup in this scene is all about fun note the single bedazzled eyebrow it isn't necessarily what one would call wearable her next outfit is actually one of my favorites it's so loud and seemingly random that it perfectly embodies harley quinn in this film her denim shorts have black stripes and red stars and looks like she painted them on herself you'll also notice that while she's still wearing shorts like in suicide squad they're not nearly as provocative she ties the look together with a pink crushed velvet sports bra orange suspenders and a confetti-esque fringe jacket with neon yellow caution tape her purple and gold sequin socks are equally discoy and it makes perfect sense considering her heeled boots from united nude are sheer of course you'd want to wear a pair of fun socks while running from detective montoya she adds one more piece to the look a rainbow sequin bum bag this outfit is the definition of chaotic and i absolutely love it it's while wearing this outfit and when blowing up the ace chemicals factory that harley tears off the j necklace she's been wearing so far an official goodbye to the joker and his hold on her say hello to the new harley quinn that's why she's still wearing that tacky j necklace he is going to be running right back into his arms the minute he snaps his fingers when being interrogated by roman harley has a fantasy sequence where she wears a rendition of marilyn monroe's diamonds are a girl's best friend dress but as pants instead i have a video all about this dress and its many renditions that i'll link below if you want to learn more about it in suicide squad she saw herself as the ideal woman and even now she's still placing herself in that position as a stand-in for marilyn monroe but the difference is that she has the power not a man another interesting detail is that harley is wearing a choker that features the diamond that sets the film in motion when harley goes back to the police station she wears a pair of 80s-esque white boots a large wide rimmed black hat a fuchsia headscarf and an elegant black trench coat i'm so deeply positive that this is a reference to another movie but i can't find out what for the life of me it feels like something an old hollywood femme fatale would wear if you have any idea please comment down below underneath harley's coat is the same outfit from earlier except she's placed a white shirt with her name over the sports bra likely for comfort and fighting's sake this is not a morning after outfit like earlier it's intentional harley is wearing gloves made by uncuffed which feature red yellow and blue hands which according to the creators were quote designed around the idea of sisterhood with female leather hand appliques clutching the glove in a show of support this isn't the first time we see harley with a glove either as her suicide squad outfit also featured a single fingerless glove if you've ever played golf or swung a baseball bat you know how helpful that can be her other accessories include a silver suits choker necklace that she's been wearing for the majority of the film and a dog tag necklace with bruce batman's name and her pet hyenas harley takes off her t-shirt and shorts in favor of a gold leather jumpsuit with matching boots keeping her velvet sports bra the look is a modernized take on her jester costume but with gold diamonds instead it's very different but just as visually dynamic the look references a variety of trends this version of harley quinn enjoys pink shiny fabrics velvet and most importantly comfort there's no worries about flashing anyone while fighting them we also see her wear the roller skates from earlier one of many great payoffs in this film harley's final outfit in this movie is a pair of gold pinstriped pants with black heeled boots and underneath a blue jacket with sequined patchwork she wears a black and red crop top an ode to her original ensemble she's also let her hair down harley quinn might still be the villain but she's doing it for herself not for anyone else because of harley quinn's immense popularity large fan base and margot's fondness of the role we're set to see the character again in the upcoming suicide squad 2 and fingers crossed gotham city sirens we haven't gotten much info on the suicide squad sequel but the few glimpses we've gotten of harley's new wardrobe look promising while i enjoyed the blues and reds and golds we've seen so far i'm excited to see her embrace the black and red color scheme perhaps we're about to see a truly dark and unhinged harley maybe once those films are released i'll come back and do a part two of this but in the meantime which of harley's outfits was your favorite i hope you enjoyed this video and don't forget to like and subscribe i'll see you soon bye you

Channel: ModernGurlz

Views: 747,167

Rating: 4.9669704 out of 5

Keywords: style, modern gurlz, 90s fashion, fashion, movie review, movie commentary, moderngurlz, review, movies, analysis, outfit analysis, harley quinn, margot robbie, birds of prey, suicide squad

Id: hX3mYHqx-Ao

Length: 20min 9sec (1209 seconds)

Published: Tue Oct 27 2020