...And no it had nothing to do with the romance story.
When my dad asked me what I wanted to do this evening for dinner, my immediate response was that we should eat popcorn and soda for dinner while out at Wonder Woman. All weekend I had been reading articles about the record breaking movie, and how along with being a badass DC comic film, it could also be a feminist icon. As a modern woman who loves advocating for women's rights with a love of superhero movies, I was now dying to judge it for myself. So we packed into the theater on this rainy Monday evening, popcorn and a large cherry coke to share, and I settled in to watch it with my feminist lens intact- because thats how I view the whole world.
I was crying by the 20 minute mark. I was watching these strong capable women on screen, doing everything for themselves. They were living complete lives, for their community of other women. These Amazonians were the role models I needed when I was a little girl. In the short span they were featured, I would've learned so much about self sacrifice, empowerment, intelligence, capability, and everything else that it took countless female book characters to teach me. These women were everything I had ever wanted to be, and I was finally seeing them done justice on a major media platform.
I will forever be thankful to those book characters for what they taught me, but in reading a book, there was always a distance between their fictional world, and my own reality. But when watching a movie, I am able to become completely absorbed into their reality. I don't need my own imagination, I don't have to stop and wish the author had done something different. The world was already made for me to jump into. So when my favorite female book characters were brought to life on screen- nothing made me happier than watching them! But the movies never did them justice.
Hermione Granger was no longer a girl who's intelligence saved the world time and time again, she was just the bookish best friend.
Ginny Weasley wasn't the strong willed rebel that JK Rowling wrote about- she was just the best friends little sister.
Katniss devolved from the girl on fire, to the girl in a love triangle.
The list goes on.
Wonder Woman was never anything less than a strong female lead.
Not only was the main character a strong-willed, capable, defiant, proud, bad ass; but her supporting female roles all have the same positive qualities, and many of their own that she lacked- wisdom of the world and strong leadership skills to name the most obvious
These women were on the screen, and a younger me needed them as role models. And I am thankful young girls have them now. These girls will have an easier time forging their place in this world; an easier time thanks not only to Wonder Woman and her Amazonians, but the champion of the movie- Patty Jenkins. Patty Jenkins fully knew that being a female director on this movie would open her up to critique and backlash. But she championed for this movie and it's female characters' rights. Jenkins was willing to go against the original comic books, and the harsh reviews she'd be sure to receive for it when she changed Wonder Woman's iconic heeled boots for wedged sandals for the practicality of fighting. She made sure Diana portrayed strength through her femininity, not despite it.
I teared up in the beginning of the movie watching the strength of the women, and I stayed misty eyed for the same reason throughout. Out of a time where our mainstream media still resists the proper portrayal of female strength, came a female director's portrayal of one of the most Feminist symbols of modern pop culture. A symbol who's very name reminds Women how strong they are. This movie reminds us all that we can conquer anything in our way because we are Wonder Women.
