UPDATED 6/4/17
The new Wonder Woman movie just released and I couldn’t be happier. It’s about time we saw a female hero front and center of a big studio superhero film. Strong women are sorely underrepresented on the big screen. Typically, women are relegated to the role of the wife, girlfriend, secretary, best friend, sidekick or mom. Women support the male heroes in some way, shape or fashion in most films. Lois Lane – Superman’s girlfriend, Black Widow – sidekick to Captain America, Aunt May – Spiderman’s mother figure. I could go on with more examples but you get the picture.
That’s why the Wonder Woman movie is so important and empowering because girls and women everywhere are finally going to see themselves in someone who is the hero that saves the day. Bonus points go to the fact that Patty Jenkins is the director, when only 7% of women directed last year’s top 250 films. It may seem silly to think that a comic book hero can instill confidence in so many females. However, when a group of people as significant as women, who make up half the population, are historically overlooked, mistreated and underestimated, a film like this says women do matter. There have been great strides in the women’s movement but there is still a ways to go.
There have been a few other female heroines in film like but the impact Wonder Woman makes is going to be felt for generations. The film was an exhilarating experience. When Wonder Woman discovers her great power, I felt like I and the other women in the theater, also discovered their power that was hidden all along.
I was enamored with Wonder Woman from an early age because she was fiercely independent and could go toe-to-toe with her male counterparts. She often bailed them out of trouble. I had a Wonder Woman costume complete with her signature bullet-proof bracelets and Lasso of Truth. I even imagined myself flying an invisible plane. I often dreamed of saving the world like Wonder Woman. I’ll leave you with this song I wrote inspired by my favorite superhero and hope it empowers you to go save the world.