Power Girl Has a New Costume, And It's More Important Than You Realize

Warning: Spoilers for Power Girl #17!Power Girl’s new costume might be her most important yet. Every so often, superheroes are expected to switch up their look. Power Girl herself did so going into the dawn of her latest ongoing series, with a red jacket equipped with pants and gloves that fully clothed her body (save for the famous chest window). But she's getting a brand-new outfit for 2025 - but it might seem a bit familiar to long-time fans.

In time for a new arc and a new artist, the title character gets another new look in Power Girl#17 by Leah Williams and David Baldeón. The issue sees Power Girl revisit her most familiar uniform, albeit with slight alterations, in an effort to modernize her for DC's All In era. The new costume removes the pants and jacket, reuniting Power Girl with her classic leotard and off-shoulder red cape.

More than just updating the character for 2025, this new iteration gets to the root of who Power Girl always has been, and arguably, always needs to be.

How Does Power Girl Bring Back Her Classic Look?

Power Girl #17 by Leah Williams, David Baldeón, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Becca Carey

Power Girl's latest series has explored a new era for the title character. Power Girl distances herself from her millionaire career-woman persona of Karen Starr in favor of the cowboy-lite pseudonym of Paige Stetler. With a new era came a new costume, one that looked more conservative compared to Power Girl's more controversial and bosom-heavy attire. The new outfit remained consistent for sixteen issues - until this newest issue. In the story, it's explained in a throwaway line that Paige's Asgardian boyfriend, Axel Gust, had asked her to wear her old costume, albeit in a more suggestive context.

Power Girl mistook her partner's private request as a suggestion for a public change in her crimefighting suit. This updated super-suit boasts Power Girl's classic chest window and shoulder cape, along with an outlining thread throughout her costume, along with exposed thighs with knee-high boots. It is also worth noting that while past issues in the series have showcased Paige as more traditionally slender, this new take on Power Girl is noticeably and significantly broader in the shoulders and more muscled over all than previously drawn by Eduardo Pansica, Marguerite Sauvage, Adriana Melo, and Travis Moore.

Why Does Power Girl's Costume Matter, New or old?

Empowering Women to Be Powerful in Every Corner of Their Lives

Power Girl's previous design shows a great effort to cover her skin, whether that was intentional or not. Even if it was intentional on behalf of the previous artists, that's not inherently a bad thing. It's understandable, and some will call it necessary based on the history of how female characters in superhero comics have been hyper-sexualized in the past. That being said, Power Girl's more-exposed depiction is not her being over-sexualized as much as it showcases how someone can be powerful on a literal level and a sexy level, thus taking ownership of their power, body, and sex appeal.

Power Girl can be strong physically, strong-willed, have strong character traits, and look buff while not taking away from her being sexy simply because the character wantsto embrace her feminine side. It's especially important to see how buff Power Girl has become now when most depictions of physically and metaphorically strong women tend to fit the same, slender body type. There's a misconception that a muscular female body type isn't sexy, but a costume like this for Power Girl speaks to the contrary.

Power Girl #17 is available now from DC Comics.