A recent video decried the fact that only two of the thirty
super hero movies that will be released in
the next five years feature female
super heroes (Black Widow and Wonder Woman). The video went on to show the lack
of female super hero dolls on the market. It then implied that Disney
princesses seemed to be the main role model that was being pushed on girls.
Although I agree there is an inequity happening, the whole
video began to strike me as rather strange. And the character of Black Widow is
one of the things that made me question the video’s entire premise.
Perhaps there is a deeper question we need to ask. Are super
heroes the best role models for girls, or for any children? Super heroes are
physically perfect specimens that never grow old, and whatever anyone says, in
the end they usually solve problems by violent means.
Are the only choices of role models for girls spoiled Disney
princesses who are waiting for the right man to come along, or, a deceptive
sociopathic killer for hire (Black Widow) or a woman that dresses like a
stripper and comes from an island of women that hate men, and think them all
evil or irrelevant (Wonder Woman)?
Perhaps there are other role models from literature, and
yes, perhaps even real life, to which girls can turn. Following is a list of a
just a few actual people, whom you can look up and read about if you are
unfamiliar with their resplendent lives.
Amelia Earhart, Harriet Tubman, Hedy Lamarr, Malala
Yousifazi, Eleanor Roosevelt, Hypatia, Aung San Suu Kyi, Audrey Hepburn, Serena
Williams, Margaret Cavendish, Mae Jemison, Michelle Bachelet, Elizabeth Garret
Anderson, Elizabeth Warren...
I also feel that despite what I will assume is the video maker’s
good intent, the video strikes me as wonderful propaganda for a consumer culture.
If I were an advertising company, I could not imagine a better marketing ploy
in preparation for the release of a huge line of female super hero dolls.
If we really want to empower girls (and boys) to become
great human beings that contribute something meaningful to the world, don’t
give them more choices for plastic dolls. Give them a telescope, a drawing pad
and pencil and paint, a starter chemistry set, some dancing shoes, a musical
instrument, a nice journal in which to write, some challenging board games,
building blocks, help them plant their own garden, etc. Heck, just going into
the backyard to play they will discover incredible worlds of wonder more
fabulous than anything on a video screen or created by the writers of comic
books.
Although, as a former comic book fan and collector, I can
see the appeal in some of the characters as positive images or archetypes, it
is far more likely that children who look to super heroes as their heroes will
simply grow up as very good consumers, buying books, movies, comic books,
games, and all related media connected to that character.
Growing up, The X-Men and Spider-Man were my favorite comic
books. And I admired the way The X-Men were people who had difficulty getting
along and all came from different countries and ethnicities. And I related to
Spider-Man as the outsider who did not fit in at school. Certainly, there were
times when I related to these characters. But becoming a quality human being
happens mostly from interacting with the natural world, reading books
containing true wisdom and knowledge, and especially by modeling ourselves from
real people who accomplish things as humans do, without flying or punching
through walls or shooting beams from their eyes. They show us how to make a
difference in the world, even with all of the mortal human weaknesses we all
have, weaknesses that we must learn to cope with and integrate every day to
give our lives meaning for ourselves and those around us. They teach us how,
without super powers or eternal youth or fancy costumes, we can still be real
super heroes.
