Strong Women

I heard someone say the other day that people don't actually need to see someone who looks like them in a role (politician, movies, etc), and that the notion is crap.

I beg to differ. This weekend really hit this home for me with the passing of Chadwick Boseman.

As a writer, I love stories (obviously). Movies are a big part of what I enjoy in life - I love seeing stories come to life. For our family, it's superhero movies. Marvel, DC - we aren't picky. We love them all.

My daughter has always gone to the movies with us, and even though she likes the superhero movies, she wasn't truly interested in them. She'd lose attention part of the way through or fall asleep - until two particular movies came out.

I still remember sitting in the theater in 2017, when she was eight years old, as Wonder Woman played. She was paying attention, very into it. But it wasn't until the scene where Wonder Woman walks across no man's land that I truly understood what it meant to see hope and belief come to life in her eyes. This huge smile spread across her face. When we talked about it later, the main message she took away from that was the power Diana of Themyscira had as a woman. She wasn't someone's sidekick. She wasn't helping other people to win the fight. She wasn't secondary to a male character.

Wonder Woman WAS the leader. She was the first on the battle field when others were too scared to go. She didn't hide - she ran directly at the war in front of her and bravely fought for what was right. She didn't need anyone's approval but her own. The movie impacted my daughter immensely.

We followed that up a few months later with Black Panther. We were excited - the first black superhero to be part of the Marvel universe! (My children are part hispanic and black, so diversity is important!) To this day, if you ask my daughter what her favorite part of Black Panther is, it's the fact that there were strong female characters who were smart and brave. And her second favorite part?

That the guys in the movie - like Chadwick aka T'Challa - RESPECTED these women and came to THEM for help. He depended on his sister and lead warrior Okoye to protect the entire country.

So if you think it isn't important for kids - and even adults - to SEE someone who looks like them being leaders in some capacity, I am here to say I believe you are wrong. Because it does make a difference.

Wonder Woman demonstrated strength. Shuri opened up the idea that science is something amazing. Okoye showed that women can indeed hold the highest positions of power, bravery, and loyalty. And T'Challa and Steve Trevor were examples that men can respect women and trust them to lead the way.

Yes, children should see these examples at home and in the real world as well. But it never hurts for them to see it in the things they love, whether it be books, movies or television. We need more of that.

What books or movies do you love with strong women?