Channeling Wonder Woman

Happy Friday everyone! Aside from TGIF, nothing sparked more excitement for me growing up then superheroes. Growing up with a younger brother, there was never a lack of comic books lying around or a Sunday morning superhero cartoon missed. I watched them all, you name it; Batman, Spiderman, X-men, etc. However, even at a young age, I noticed the lack of female leads, super heroines I could play out in the backyard. Sure there were the Bat Girls, the Jean Greys and the Storms and Rogues of the comic book world, but all were part of a bigger team or a side kick to stronger male lead. The notion was disappointing until I discovered Wonder Women.

Wonder Woman was all kinds of special. She was strong, intelligent, assertive, independent, beautiful and kicked major butt all while sporting some killer red boots. To top it off, she had her own show and managed to inspire many girls (and boys) out there to take action during playtime, even throughout their lives. Wonder Woman may not be a breathing role model but she’s become a symbol synonymous with all the adjectives mentioned above and above all, female empowerment. It’s strong female leads like Wonder Woman that make an impact in our early lives, make us question societal norms, makes us push for something more out of life. It’s thought provoking characters like these that made stories like “The Paper Bag Princess” such a big part of my childhood too.

But, at the end of the day it doesn’t take super powers to inspire others or the next generation. Before my discovery of Wonder Woman or the Paper Bag Princess, my role model, the person I pretended to be, was my mom. The fact is we all have the potential to be a Wonder Woman to someone. We all have a lady in our lives that seems to be otherworldly and don’t be surprised if others believe the same thing of you. The good thing is, due to the progression of time, positive examples and the strides made by those before us, the next generation of girls doesn’t have to wait for new super heroines to be drawn since we already exist. :)