In the essay "Wonder Woman", by Gloria Steinem, she begins her essay with her childhood discovery of the first women super hero. Before, comic books depicted women as vulnerable beings that cannot help themselves, and always rely on a man to save them. This was acceptable role for women both in comic books and in reality. Wonder Women broke the stereotype that society had placed on women at the time. She represented independence to the author, as well as equality for all genders and races of people. Unlike her male counterparts, Wonder Woman choose to covert her foes to the mindset of equality and self-respect instead of leaving them in a bloody mess at the end of the story. This was the Wonder Woman of the 1940's, depicted through her original…show more content… Through Steinem's use of Wonder Woman, as a representation of feminism, I have come to understand the term for what it actually means. For instance, Wonder Woman didn't kill the villains that came against her. Instead, she persuaded them to come to the conclusion that everyone deserves respect. I believe that Steinem did not put this detail into her essay just to enhance the readers view of the character. Instead, she added this detail to explain further what the feminist movement is about. Part of feminism is educating people on why equality is important, and what the benefits are for a society as a whole that subscribes to the idea of feminism. Another reason that Steinem used Wonder Woman to represent feminism is because she broke of a stereotype over women that were portrayed in comic books as well as in reality. Which also breaks down stereotypes for all people. Wonder Woman showed that anyone can be whatever they want to be, regardless of sex, race, or any other demographic factors. Steinem said that she felt this way before Wonder Women entered her world. Due to the fact that women's roles in comic books were that of submissive, needly individuals she felt that that was how she was also supposed to act. Wonder Woman threw that stereotype to the side and proved that she could be so much
