Spoilers!
I am going to start off by saying that this was an article I was hesitant to write. I hesitated at the thought of my credibility being completely thrown out the window because I’m a woman discussing a strong female character. I hesitated because I know that there will be people reading this who believe that the only reason I decided to write this is because I’m biased towards the fact that this new movie depicted a female being able to conquer men and save the world…well here’s a plot twist: they’re right. They are right to believe that as a woman I am biased and proud to have seen the type of movie that has a strong female as the center of attention. With all the movies with strong male leads (that, I will say, are fantastic and I love them just as much as the next person), why should I not share my opinion on one with a strong female? I quickly realized my hesitation was the reason I needed to write this article, so hear me out.
Now, I am not a fan of superhero movies. I am not saying I have anything against them; I’m just the type of person who prefers a comedy or romance to action. The reason I ended up seeing this movie is because my sister, in fact, is a huge fan of these movies. Going to the movie theater was a way my sister, boyfriend, and I could spend a Sunday together. Sure, I had seen the trailer and heard of the movie before going to see it, but I was not expecting to leave the theater feeling a new surge of confidence in myself.
I know nothing about the Wonder Woman comics, but the 2017 film gave me a character I could look up to. Diana (a.k.a. Wonder Woman) is a character that I felt like I could relate to. Superhuman powers aside, she embodied what I think a lot of females aspire to be. She was confident in herself and stood strong for what she believed in. Diana did not let anyone tell her what she could and couldn’t do. When she believed in something, she acted on it. She didn’t wait for anyone’s approval and she had the confidence in herself to successfully achieve her goals even when people doubted her. When things got tough she kept pushing through. She let nothing stand in her way.
While these are great traits for anyone to have, man or woman, Diana also gracefully got through certain everyday obstacles women face. One specific instance being when she goes to wake up a man who is having a nightmare and he wakes up angry and uses “Woman!” as an insult. Instead of getting angry and being rude back, she removed herself from the situation and remained calm. Fighting fire with fire never makes any situation better. Instead, she let her actions speak for her and soon gained his respect.
Wonder Woman certainly was an action movie but I was pleasantly surprised to see some other aspects to the main character. She, of course, is very strong and intelligent, but she is also a princess and this princess finds love. In fact, love becomes an important component of the movie alongside courage and daring. Diana, in my opinion, is a very well rounded character with the ability to appeal to almost any girl in some way.
I am excited to add another movie to my collection that focuses in on a strong female lead that I can relate to. While movies with strong male actors are nothing to be shunned, I hope that people give Wonder Woman a chance instead of writing it off as just another “ridiculous feminist” movie. We’ve all heard this numerous times but it still rings true: women should build each other up, not tear each other down.