… Wonder Woman.
OK, you hardcore WW fans are gonna stone me … but I’ve never read the comic books. I KNOW, I know, I knowIknowIknowIknow. But seriously, you guys? Comic books give me migraines. Like actual pounding, hours-long migraines. My extremely linear, Capricornian brain just can’t handle all that information plopped down in a big mass of words and images. So I’ve only ever seen the Lynda Carter TV series.
But that TV series had a lasting effect on me. To the point that – at the tender age of five – I demanded a Wonder Woman costume for Halloween, got the most fabulous home-sewn eagle-emblazoned suit ever created from my mom’s loving hands, and wore it until it was in TATTERS. I wore that thing to nursery school, dress code be damned! And regardless of how sexist, campy, or dumb many people may think that show was, I believe there were valuable lessons to be gleaned.
- CURVES. Lots of ‘em. They’re dead sexy and no two ways about it.
- Girls are strong. Even if boys can outmuscle us sometimes, doesn’t mean we’re not strong. Strong can mean different things to different people.
- The ability to wring the truth out of people is a power to be envied. More so than the outmuscle-ing thing, even.
- Bullet-deflecting bracelets and invisible airplanes are grand, but you need serious smarts to make ANY tool useful.
- Blondes may have more fun, but brunettes can kick major ass.
More than anything, though, watching those moderately goofy episodes of “Wonder Woman” as a wee girl instilled in me the belief that I could do anything. Absolutely anything I wanted. I couldn’t even tell you why, since Wonder Woman herself was a grown-up, a princess, someone with super powers, and outfitted with many impressive/imaginary gadgets. But she moved through her world smart and capable and strong and she dealt with anything that came into her path calmly and wisely. It just made me feel good to see her kicking ass and taking names. It might even have been the first thing that made me feel proud to be a girl, and I’m awfully glad that happened at age five instead of age never.
It’s been a looooong time since I watched that show, but it still holds a place in my heart. Always will.
Are you a Wonder Woman fan?
Related reading: Excerpt from The Supergirls
{ 41 comments… read them below or add one }
Yeah, she's like the original Xena…another awesomely cool brunette!
I love her and I have a Wonder Woman tank that I like to wear when I work out sometimes. It makes me feel bad ass.
Yeah girl! You tell them… us brunettes can def kick some major ass! hehe
Much love,
Amy
http://thebargainhunterextraordinaire.blogspot.com
P.S. I tagged an award for you on my blog. If you get a chance, go check it out.
OOh OOh me too, me too!
I've been told so many times that I should dress up as Wonder Woman for Halloween because she and I share the same name. She's pretty kick-ass, so maybe I should next year.
By the way, I gave you an award on my blog
My sister and I had Wonder Woman Underoos when we were kids and I remember we would always steal my mother's high heeled boots and play in the backyard. My mother always got so mad at us – I can't say I blame her – but those heeled boots were just as much a part of Wonder Woman as her lasso of truth (which is unlike any other superhero weapon), her bracelets, her (more) real figure. I've always loved her, and every time I wear heeled boots, I feel a little bit of that magic, that, "I'm a superhero!" that I felt when I wore my mom's boots in the backyard.
A year or so ago, DvF had a smart and quirky woman-as-superhero marketing campaign. I loved it and what it said about women.
Such a fun post, Sal! You've got me smiling on a Tuesday morning!
Wonder Woman was amazing!! How many of us dressed up for a costume party as her, at least once?! (and were tempted to put the costume back on, for days when the world around us needed straightening out?) Another favorite of mine was Buffy (maybe because she was blonde AND she could kick butt…those vampires were toast)
Ha! I have never seen the show or read the comic… however when I was six, my grandma got me a Wonder Woman swim suit on clearance, and I insisted on wearing it to bed, even though I didn't know anything about her other than she was a superhero. I lived in Chicago and one night some teenagers drove down our block, destroying mailboxes, and threw a brick through our front window! My whole family was freaking out, and I just popped out of bed and out the door and attempted to RUN DOWN THEIR CAR because I was sure I had superpowers. Luckily my dad's superpowers were greater and he grabbed me a half block down from our house… it is my dad's favorite story to tell!
Oh yeah! AND…my fifth grade English teacher looked just like Linda Carter, bouffant hair-do, curves and all. She was so smart, and super stylish with her tights, boots and plaid mini-skirts. (The skirts caused many raised eyebrows amongst the Moms in the PTA!) Every girl in the fifth grade that year had a major crush on Mrs. Charles, and we all wanted to be like her when we grew up.
Well, either Mrs. Charles or Wonder Woman.
She's an Athena figure. Of all the goddesses, Athena was the one out kicking butt, being ferocious but also wise and calm, protecting civilized life and the arts, and running around in the woods with her deer. She also has the aegis–just like WW's deflective bracelet–and the ray. No wonder you loved Wonder Woman, Sal. She's Athena made over!
I love love love Wonder Woman!!! And as much as I love the old TV series…(which led to my demanding Wonder Woman Underoos and wearing THEM to tatters) I love the comic books even more. They presented a depth of character and story the series couldn't touch (and yes, I'm a Capricorn girl!!). Not only was she sculpted from clay and brought to life by the Gods…she was a Navy Officer, journalist, pilot, author, ambassador, warrior and peacekeeper. C'mon…Barbie couldn't touch that! And I share the feeling those early shows and later the comics invested in me as a girl…that a woman was capable, strong and able to face and surmount challenges. Even today, I feel a little "Wonder Woman" when I'm at the gym and flex the muscles I've been working so hard for. I MADE those babies…I worked for it and made it happen!
I am a huge Wonder Woman fan (it helps that my name is Diana
)! I too love the old TV show, but I am a big comic fan as well, and I am glad to see WW coming back into her own with the recent run of comics. The Supergirls was a pretty fun read too (my other faves include Power Girl, Batgirl/Oracle, and Emma Frost).
Also, the animated WW film (voiced by Keri Russell) was GREAT! If you have trouble reading comics I'd recommend seeing it.
And, this is maybe TMI, but my comics-loving boyfriend bought me a WW camisole set. It's hot.
My daughter dressed as Wonder Woman for Halloween when she was about 5. She had never read the comics OR seen the show, just knew that if it was a girl who was a super hero that was about right.
I must confess that I've never seen an episode. I've thought about dressing up for halloween as her, but that's about as far as it goes. Is that horrible of me? =/
lol I've never read a Wonder Woman comic book or watched the series w/ Lynda Carter. When I was younger I did watch the Justice League which had Wonder Woman in it, does that count?
I remember watching WW reruns as a kid.
lol. I had forgotten about that until now! I think what I love most about female comic characters is they show that women can be strong (in many ways), which is what I always aspire to. 
I love what you said about blonds vs. brunettes. haha! Now, considering I'm about half and half of each, what does that say? That I can have fun and kick butt? ROFL! (Sorry… I'm full of major lameness today.
♥ Casey
blog | elegantmusings.com
ALWAYS have been! My #1 proud moment among office wardrobe insults/compliments was about a month ago when the senior partner told me, "You're a strange mix between Wonder Woman and Lois Lane…more Wonder Woman though." You bet I wear that invisible crown of glory!
I had the underoos too!
Check my photo———>
I made that costume all by myself, right down to the lasso of truth! How could you not be a badass when wearing tall red boots?
I never watched WW or read the comic, so I didn't realize until I read these posts that her name was Diana.
I guess I wasn't the first to make the Athena link, since the Greek goddess Athena became the Roman goddess Diana.
(And interestingly…Athena also gave birth, as a virgin, to a baby boy.)
Oh Sal,
WW theme song is playing in my head now…I haven't seen the comic either!
xo
Oh oops, Capricorn? I think I put Gemini in my post about you. Oops! I'm terrible with astrological signs. And yeah, WW is badass.
I've never seen Wonder woman, but anyone that makes little girls (and big ones too!) think they can do anything, I'm all for it.
Totally loved that show. And you're right, she's a beautiful woman. Curves are beautiful too.
TOTALLY a wonder woman fan- and Linda Carter is STILL gorgeous and amazing. Love those bracelets the most!
Marie @ Lemondrop ViNtAge
Conversation reminded me of novel by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer called "Don't Look Down." There's an entertaining Wonder Woman thread running through the story.
I liked both Wonder Woman and the Bionic Woman. I'm sad that girls today don't have shows like that.
I've never seen the comic books either. But I have many fond memories of simulating her flights in the invisible jet. Lowest budget prop for an action series ever! I loved that show…
I totally worshiped Wonder Woman when I was a small tyke, but I've never read any of the comics either. She was one of the few brown haired, blue eyed characters around and she could kick boys asses!
I had the Underoos, too!
I agree that today's kick-ass heroines (Buffy, Dana Scully, etc) are different. Often awesome in their own rights, but different.
I LOVED WW and my WW Underoos as a kid. My Daisy Duke Underoos, too, although she wasn't AS cool. Wore them outside to play and everything. Sure made the neighbors wonder about my mom's abilities.
But I turned out okay!
Absolutely. I even wrote a poem about wanting to be Wonder Woman in my college poetry-writing class. I seriously didn't care what grade I got, it empowered me to write it.
I just happened to read today that Patricia Highsmith, in her struggles of becoming a published writer in the 1940s, offered storylines for Wonder Woman, the comic book. She was turned down at the time, but just imagine what she could have done with the character!
I love Wonder Woman for the things she stands for! LIke you said…Girls are STRONG!
clothedmuch.blogspot.com
Yes! As a little girl I had the wonder woman under-roos and twirled myself dizzy trying to turn into a superhero. (Admittedly, I still do.) Finally overcame my fear that it would never be perfect and dressed as Wonder Woman for Halloween '08 – loved it. Great hero in so many ways.
My daughter had a superhero birthday party in kindergarten, and she dressed up as Wonder Woman. She knew her mostly from the Justice League cartoons. I remember the Linda Carter version, myself.
A few years later, she's fascinated by Greek and Roman mythology — it all fits together, doesn't it?
Wonder woman definitely sets a good example body-image wise- a nice contrast to the boyishly thin models of today
I was never a huge WW fan (despite being a Capricorn comic geek), but I love the really old original vintage ones; a kick-ass pinup!
I read a few years ago that the psychologist (who also invented the polygraph, hence the lasso!) who created her was trying to create a role model for girls to be strong AND sensitive. But over the years, he got more than a little obsessed with her tying villians up & being tied up in return, bondage becoming an overriding image, so he was eventually replaced as the writer.
I wanted to check my facts before I wrote here, and there's a good Wikidpedia article on her:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_woman
I liked Wonder Woman, but I really wanted to be Morticia Addams! Now SHE had style, & didn't need to show so much skin to do it!
I fell in love with Wonder Woman as a character after watching the new(ish) Justice League animated series. There's a couple of "fish out of water" episodes, but once she gets with the program, she kicks major ass. She's stronger than everyone except Superman. They also have my favorite comic heroine of all time, HawkGirl, who is not only strong and incredibly smart, but has a fantastic storyline.
I too own a Wonder Woman t-shirt!
I just made #5 my facebook status. Rock on.
I have to say that I'm a capricorn AND I love comic books.
I also adore Wonder Woman and feel the same way about her making me feel that I could do anything. She's most definitely an icon I turn to in moments of need.