Dainty Damsels to Wonder Women
From Lois Lane to Wonder Woman, female characters in comic books have come a long way. These characters, once mostly love interests of the leading man, have now become the heroes of their own stories. Since the first issue of Action Comics, one of the first ever comic books back in 1938, the damsel in distress trope has been turned on its head. Women are no longer accessories to their male counterparts, they now command the stage, as seen in the summer blockbuster, Wonder Woman and the upcoming Captain Marvel film. While the trope has not been completely erased from the genre, it exists in smaller quantities, becoming less of the rule and more of an exception.
I took a class in college that studied comic books and the superhero literature genre. The class not only focused on the praise and popularity of the genre but also the criticism and controversy the genre faced as well. One of the biggest critics of comics was American psychiatrist, Fredric Wertham. When the character Wonder Woman first debuted in 1941, Wertham argued that for boys, Wonder Woman is a “frightening image” and for girls, she’s a “morbid ideal.” But in actuality, even in the 1940s, Wonder Woman was a big hit and resonated with both male and female readers.
Cut to the 1970s and Wonder Woman herself is on the cover of the first issue of Gloria Steinem’s publication, Ms. Magazine. In her forward, Steinem wrote:
“Wonder Woman symbolizes many of the values of the women’s culture that feminists are now trying to introduce into the mainstream: sisterhood, and mutual support among women, peace, fullness, and esteem for human life.”
It’s interesting for me to see how things have changed from Wonder Woman’s debut to 2017, the year in which her story was finally was adapted into a feature-length film. In true Wertham fashion, Men’s Rights Activists were quick to rebuke the film, but for everyone else, Steinem’s assessment of the character and the comic still held true. Wonder Woman truly does stand for and celebrate true feminist values, and in our ongoing battle for intersectional equality for all women in the twenty-first century, she could not be more relevant.
In the film, Wonder Woman’s struggle is not unlike many of our own, and each time she defies the odds and overcomes an obstacle, it is not just a victory for her, but a victory for all of us real-life women who have experienced similar hardships. We see ourselves in her, and it makes the film both relatable and enjoyable. What made experiencing Wonder Woman on the big screen extra special was seeing little girls (and even some boys) in Wonder Woman costumes and apparel at the showing as well. While it is important for little girls to have positive female role models, I think it is great that boys do too. Boys and girls alike need to see that women are more than love interests and secretaries, but also heroes with their own agency.
This trend of evolving roles for women and people of color can and must continue. Wonder Woman’s success is a clear indication that times and social attitudes are changing and its success greatly excites me for all of the great female-led (and directed!) films still to come.
