Wonder Woman:

          I learned a lot about Wonder Woman and about the comic industry through this book. I learned that Wonder Woman was created right after superman, almost being called “Super-ma”, and was written by a guy. Yet over time, she has gained more momentum. I am concerned about the upcoming movie about Wonder Woman, especially since it is DC, the creators of Batman vs. Superman, which was horrific. I am worried that they will objectify her, make her seem less of a person because she is a woman, especially since men who seem to be incapable of understanding that women are people are writing the movie. Marston has an interesting ideal of women, writing Wonder Woman using women from his life as inspiration. There is no perfect way to represent women, which can be said about men also. Men tend to be raised on being emotionally constipated, being seen as less of a man if not the breadwinner or is they cry or show too much emotion. Yet, women are being shown more and more as objects who are meant to stand there and be pretty. Wonder Woman became a symbol for feminism, really in the third wave of feminist movements. The first wave is the fight to not be a man’s property, to be able to own a home and inherit property. The second wave is suffrage, and third is for equal rights, which started during World War II. Women were empowered to work in the factories and do things men were typically the ones occupying. Yet, when the troops returned they were expected to step down and go back to being happy housewives. This did not go down well, and I would totally agree.

          If I were to design a superhero, I would make her strong, independent and of a realistic body type. One superhero I truly love and hope to make a character like her someday is Elastic Girl, or Mrs. Incredible from the animated film The Incredibles. This movie I feel is important for the representation of men and women for each of the family members’ powers are based on their age and what they are meant to be in society. Mr. Incredible is super strong because the man of the house, the father, is meant to be strong, stoic and support the family. Mrs. Incredible is super flexible because mothers are meant to be able to do so many jobs at once such as take care of the children and home. Violet, the eldest daughter, has the power of invisibility because so many women her are just want to disappear. This one really hit me when I learn about why these characters have the powers they do; so many young women feel objectified and scared to be them selves that they just want to hide, to disappear. If I were to create a female superhero I would for sure give her an outfit that makes sense, that has a purpose instead of just being nice to look at. Compare Batman’s outfit vs. Cat Woman’s outfit, half the time Cat Woman’s outfit is ripped to pieces, its skintight and offers no protection where as batman’s completely covers his body, he has his gadgets to fight with and I am sure it is armored in some way. I would make the outfit functional and serve a purpose and give her confidence in who she is and what she fights for instead of how hot she is.

          Going back to the Incredibles, I appreciated how they designed both Mrs. Incredible and Violet. Violet looks like an insecure teenage girl who hides behind her hair, had bags under her eyes, hunches over and hugs herself when uncomfortable, she embodies a girl I could have seen at my high school. Mrs. Incredible is a mother who loves her husband and children, but is still a strong, independent woman who is able to find her captured husband and get him out of the mess he buried himself in. She has hips! She looks like she could be a mom of one of my friends, she acts like a woman who is not undermined by men and she speaks her mind. On another note, Edna Mode is the best role model in the film. She built a fashion empire from the ground up, owns a company and does not take any bull from anyone. I love her character because she is portrayed completely differently than any women I had seen in an animated film and I find that important for young girls to see. I remember seeing this film in theatres back in 2004 when I was 6 years old and I still love this movie.