Harley Quinn is officially back in business, as Margot Robbie has shared the first look at her brand new costume for the female-fronted DC ensemble Birds Of Prey (or whatever it’s actually called). Is this Harley Quinn auditioning for her local baton-twirling league, or is she dressed up like the handlebars on a 4th-grader’s bicycle? You decide!
Jokes aside, the new Harley Quinn costume is indeed very much an improvement over the one Robbie wore in Suicide Squad, which involved the tiniest short-shorts in the history of clothing and had her serving up what can only be described as “male gaze realness.” Even Robbie herself wasn’t a fan of the costume: Back in 2016, she told The New York Times that it made her feel “self-conscious” and that she tried to speak with Suicide Squad director David Ayer about her discomfort, which he dismissed.
It’s worth noting that Birds of Prey is being directed by a woman–Cathy Yan–which explains why this iteration of Harley Quinn doesn’t look like she was created to cater exclusively (and explicitly) to heterosexual male fantasies. Her new costume has a punky DIY vibe, with caution tape and sparkly details, combat boots, while the tattoos and makeup have been toned down quite a bit. You can get a better look at Harley Quinn’s new costume in this intriguing teaser video that also features Birds Of Prey co-stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Huntress), Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Black Canary), Ella Jay Basco (Cassandra Cain), Rosie Perez (Renee Montoya), Chris Messina (Victor Zsasz), and Ewan McGregor (Black Mask):
