Batgirl’s costume, as with any character’s costume, is representative of who she is, as a person, and as a hero. What DC’s main job was in designing this costume was to show just how dark and mysterious Batgirl is - even more so than the Dark Knight himself. This is evident right from the choice of colours. The costume is almost completely black from head to toe, with only a few traces of yellow, unlike Batman’s light grey and black. Also, the costume is made of leather, and not Batman’s usual Spandex. This could be symbolic of a tortured soul, since leather is usually related to S & M, a torture-filled practice. It could also show just how trapped she feels since leather is a stiff, unyielding material, unlike Spandex. In terms of the yellow, it could be seen as hope. Batgirl still has a chance to come back into the world and be ‘normal’. There is still hope that she could learn to embrace life, and to stop hating herself. She can still become a better person.

The Mask - Batgirl’s mask is the part of her costume that tells people the most about her. As with the costume, it is black, showing her dark side. The covered and darkened eyes are representative of her view of the world. She obviously sees everything differently from everyone else, considering her childhood, and her many problems. She is also ‘blind’ to the beauty of life and her soul.

The stitches and her covered mouth are used to represent her forced muteness. It is as if her mouth were ‘stitched’ shut when Cain denied her speech and taught her the language of violence instead. Until she learns to speak, the cover will remain.

Another function of the stitches is to show Batgirl’s injuries, physically and mentally. Remember Catwoman’s costume from the movie Batman Returns? It was covered with stitches that represented how hurt she was inside. She was enraged by what her boss did to her. She was scarred for life. Batgirl’s stitches serve the same purpose as Catwoman’s stitches. Her father deprived her of a normal childhood, leaving her with disabilities in many aspects of life. Inside, Batgirl is torn up, her soul on the verge of becoming engulfed in darkness. There’re a lot of injuries in that girl, and it would take a long time before the stitches come off.

The Hollow Batgirl Logo - Batgirl’s logo is also very important to her costume. As you may have noticed, it is a hollow bat outlined in yellow. The idea here is to show how empty Batgirl feels inside. She still has much to learn about life, and about herself. It would take a while before the bat can be ‘filled’.

The dark interior of the logo could represent Batgirl’s ‘darkness within’. Darkness itself can mean many things: sadness, emptiness, loneliness, lack of love, and death. In terms of Batgirl, each of these things are valid in one sense or another. She is indeed sad, and hates herself bitterly (see Batman: Gotham Knights #2). As explained above, she is empty inside. She has been lonely all her life, until now. But, she probably still feels lonely since there’s hardly anyone who can connect with her. She has never felt love or loved. All she has ever known is violence - nothing more. And, lastly, her soul is practically dead. But, there is still hope, as stated earlier.

The yellow lining of the logo does indeed show what hope she has, but there is more. It could show the purity of her soul. It’s as if it’s ‘gold-lined’. There’s probably a side of her that very few have seen - somewhere along the lines of a ‘heart of gold’. Of course, considering that she did reject Cain and his ideas, running away from him after killing a man and realizing it was wrong, the idea is probably not too far-fetched.

Now, there is one more aspect of Batgirl that her costume can show, but I feel it is secondary compared to the connotations above. This aspect is how dangerous Batgirl can be. Her martial arts skills make her an almost unstoppable fighting machine. She’s fast, strong, and very agile. She’s like a shadow - you can barely see her when she’s fighting. The darkness of the costume, and the creepiness that you feel when you look at her face, all lend to giving Batgirl a dangerous, “don’t mess with me” look. Of course, as stated before, this is only a secondary aspect. Batgirl’s fighting skills are not what make her who she is - it’s Batgirl herself that does this.