A male journalist asked Scarlett Johansson about her Avengers ~fashion~ in Infinity War — and she rightfully roasted him

Today’s edition of We Should Really Have More Female Writers and Critics Out There is a doozy. During the Avengers: Infinity War press conference on April 22nd in Los Angeles, California, 20 stars from the latest Marvel movie fielded questions from the press, among them Scarlett Johansson. Now, Johansson joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe before there was a Marvel Cinematic Universe, signing on to play Black Widow for Iron Man 2 all the way back in 2010. Since then, she’s appeared in five different Marvel movies.

So you’d think a question fielded to her would be about embracing and embodying a strong female character, or even what it’s like to have been a part of this crazy Marvel journey for almost a decade. But instead, Johansson was asked about Avengers fashion.

Yes, really.

The question from the reporter might have been lost in translation (hey, that’s also a Scarlett Johansson movie) but the gist of it was this: What is her Avengers fashion element like in Infinity War? Johansson wasted no time in calling the question out, grabbing the mic to say, “Really? I got the fashion question?” after a beat, she continued with, “I honestly really don’t know how to answer that question.”

Johansson’s mood visibly shifts, and it’s clear that she is less than happy to be asked about her wardrobe, while her male costars on the stage were asked about their time filming and the future of Marvel films. Instead of avoiding the question, Johansson decides to answer it:

"I wear leather unitard for most of this film. And, I have been for the last 10 years," she deadpans to the audience. "So if you think of any fashion elements that you would like to include, please let us know. I have a new vest, so that was pretty exciting. And, I have a new hairstyle if you haven't noticed already. It's a little bit polarizing, I can see, it's fine. It was a choice I made, and I'm sticking by it."

For the rest of the press conference, she kept piping in to make fashion jokes, and you know what, she’s totally allowed to. While the male journalist probably meant no harm by the question, there are better things to ask a lady who has been kicking butt and taking names for the Avengers (and longer than many others on the stage). It’s, again, a shame that no matter what the project is, or who she’s portraying, female characters are always reduced to their looks, and in this case, their fashion.

Black Widow isn’t wearing the leather unitard for us; she’s wearing it for her because that’s what makes her feel comfortable and strong while fighting Thanos. Every single one of us can do better when asking questions, and sometimes all it takes is stopping to think for a second, Would you ask a male Avenger this? Not that we don’t want to talk about Loki’s cape all day long, but now is not the time to discuss Loki’s cape, nor is it time to discuss Johansson wardrobe.