Judging from this pic, I think Wonder Woman is wearing a thong – not ideal for crime fighting but I bet it sure keeps Superman in line! Wonder Woman, sometime paramour of Superman with her bullet shaped bras (Superman has a fetish?) and athletic legs, has long been considered a heroine in her own right by millions of fans – girls and boys alike. But is she a good role model?
When my second son insisted on checking out a Justice League book from the library with she of the Barbie waist and wedgie-defying leotard on the cover, I cringed. Surely this was not appropriate fare for a young developing mind. At the very least it would teach him that DDD breasts are self supporting and GoGo boots are the footwear of choice when fighting crime – both concepts that would make a real-life woman laugh hysterically before remembering with both chagrin and nostalgia the little girl she used to be who was Wonder Woman four years in a row for Halloween. (Not that I’ll ever admit to it. Or to the red, white and blue swimsuit with tin foil armbands that has grown musty with age but still has a place of honor in my memory box.)
My second son being the stubborn child he is, he made his case (loudly) and I acquiesced (quietly) and the book came home with us. That night during bedtime stories, I discovered that the first page has Wonder Woman’s vital stats – because of course we judge even our Superheroines by their bust-waist-hip. But before I could roll my eyes a second time, I was first surprised and then impressed to note that Wonder Woman is (are you ready for this?):
Height: 5 ft. 11 in.
Weight: 155 lbs
Birth Date: Winter 1941
Occupation: Ambassador
Real Name: Diana
Besides being surprised that Wonder Woman is not her actual name (next thing you’ll tell me He-Man is really Dexter) and that one can be an ambassador with a cloth-to-flesh ratio that would embarrass a street walker, I was impressed to note that her animators had actually given her a very realistic weight for her height. This gives her a BMI of 21, solidly in the “normal” range. (Note: BMI charts are totally fine for comparing cartoons. Just don’t attempt using them on yourself. Unless you’re Jessica Rabbit, you minx, you.) When you think about it, it makes sense – she certainly gets plenty of butt-kicking exercise and you never see her eating junk food. Not bad for a 69-year-old!
The other Superheroines also followed suit: “Oracle” is 5 ft. 6 in. and 126 lbs. “Queen Bee” is 5 ft 9 in and an impressive 226 lbs! Hellloooo Queen Latifa! The only ridiculousness is “Sorceress” who is “tall as a willow” and “light as a feather.” Of course, she was invented in 2000 and bears more than a passing resemblance to Linda Evangelista.
It seems like Wonder Woman, fake as she is, at least has a good self-image. I’m not saying she’s perfect but at least she has some serious muscles. Ever seen a Bratzz doll? Skinnyplasticfat. Now if she would just lose the implants and the boots, she might regain a place in my heart. Okay, she can keep the boots – I’ve been known to wear some impractical footwear myself.
What superhero was your favorite growing up? Was anyone else convinced they had a superpower (I was 100% positive I was telepathic because I always knew what my best friend was thinking – she was thinking that she was telepathic because she always knew what I was thinking!)?
don't know if this counts as superheros or not but i was obsessed with the pink power ranger. i would watch the show then go out into my backyard and pretend to kick some major booty!
and i'm very impressed that wonder woman has a healthy weight & she has hardcore muscles. definitely not your typical wimpy role-model nowadays 🙂
@ marathonmaid– I was actually convinced that I WAS the Pink Ranger!! In my dreams I would fight crime & was the protector of our neighborhood & school.
Maybe I watched a little too much tv… hehe
Gosh I was thinking that 155 was quite thin for an amazon woman of that height!
Really? I really can't believe that they would have stats at all! That's amazing!
My friend was the stunt double for Pink Power Ranger! But I'm too old, I was in my 20's at the time.
I LOVED Wonder Woman, and I loved, on the 70's TV show (See? Old!)when she'd use her bracelets to deflect bullets. Especially machine gun bullets!
But I also wanted to be the bionic woman, and run in slow-motion without the "Baywatch" jiggle.
I am 5'11" and back in the 50s that was tall, borderline amazon-ish I think, thus the term Wonder Woman. But now, I dont really think of myself as all that tall. That's just a random comment about how as a species we are growing bigger in just a generation. But that's a whole other topic!
As a kid I didnt have superpowers, I didnt really like any characters. I know, I was weird. And i hated cartoons. I however sat around reading my encyclopedia britanicas that my mom splurged on for me at the state fair.
And glad you enjoyed my post today and enjoy the vegan pb cups. They are soo easy and good 🙂
me? because I am my own superhero(rimshot)?
I laugh that I was never into superheros, never ever into the Tiger Beat boyadoringstuff, I was totally obsessed with MAD MAGAZINE and CRACKED.
not sure what that says….
Yay for Wonder Woman! I bet she even has cellulite if you look at her from the back, and the one piece covers up the stretch marks from the three wonderful kids she's had.
Did you know that the are planning a "remake" of Rainbow Brite. She's now a svelte teen instead of a pudgy kid. They are rereleasing (is that a word?) Sweet Valley High where instead of being a perfect size 6, the girls are now a perfect size 4. Without knowing what year the Justice League book your son checked out was published, I'm still surprised they didn't have her lose a few pounds. I would imagine that outfit is pretty unforgiving.
P.S. Marvel comics are waaaay better than DC.
Two days in a row of comic book characters? You really know how to get me to keep coming back.
First, my apologies for letting out my geek. Oh, I can't hide it even if I tried. You migt regret it after this comment, though.
Anyone else think Wonder Woman is about to make Barry Allen (The Flash) her bitch? He's being awfully submissive.
And, yes, I can name all the characters and aliases from this picture. And yes, I have a life, thank you very much.
I remember watching the Wonder Woman TV show from the 70's as well. And The Bionic Woman. And Charlie's Angels. Also Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek – my geekiness started early on.
I do vaguely remember playing Wonder Woman – mainly because I remember that whole bit where she spun around to magically appear in her Wonder Woman garb. Good times. 🙂
Wonderwoman. Totally…An Amazon princess with an invisible plane? I was in 🙂 I was her for halloween so many times. Then I turned to princess Leia…
Oh…heh…and Jem and the Holograms 🙂
Now?
Tank Girl.
Yup, we nerds start realy 🙂
Superman, of course, but Mighty Mouse comes in a close second!
Does Xena count? 🙂 In more recent years I've really liked Rogue from X-Men. There's something intriguing about a superhero who can't touch anyone.
I'm glad that Wonder Woman has normal, healthy stats! That's a good image to put forth to kids. It's amazing how no matter what the situation, we're always fascinated by stats like that. I think it has to do with being able to relate to people who have similar stats to our own… be it the same birth month, height, or weight, somehow we like that stuff because it "humanizes" superheros (and athletes, and models etc).
I was always tall, oh and still am….6 foot! So I loved to pretend I was Wonder Woman. Had underwear and a tank I would run around in! Sometimes believed I could be Big Bird…thats what all the kids called me ;( But he's probably not a super hero! Now-a-days, my friendly IT guy calls me Amazon Woman, good thing I am confident and have stupid repellent!
FYI–this is really geeky, but He-Man's real name is Adam, I think.
Yep, He-Man is actually Adam. Before I turned to NKOTB, I had He-Man everything… sheets, underwear, action figures. My dog was even named She-ra.
A side note, but did you know you can watch Thundercats on Comcast OnDemand?
And that's the difference between how 1940s people thought and how we think in 2010. Today she'd be 5'11" and 100 pounds–and kicked off of Karl Lagerfeld's runway.
Oh, now you've got me humming the "Wonder Woman" theme song in my head…"In her satin tights/Fighting for her rights/And the ol' Red, White, and Bluuuuue!" Yep, that show, as well as Charlie's Angels and Bionic Woman, were popular when I was a kid…I also liked Isis from the Saturday morning "Secret of Isis" show. She telepathically communicated with animals AND had some powerful rhyming skills! 🙂
She-ra all the way!! She was He-man's sister and she had a PEGASUS! The most awesome thing in the whole world! (or at least I thought when I was 7) I still remember playing with my She-ra and He-man dolls.
I am pleasantly surprised that Wonder Woman is a healthy weight. I wonder what She-ra is? Must google…..
I liked She-ra. I also LOVED the Thundercats.
I still occasionally wish I still had my wonder woman underoos. 🙂
Wonder Woman 2d, Bionic Woman, 1st.
Such a funny post, Charlotte!
But it's interesting how body image has changed so much, and how thin means something different now.
I was watching an old Disney movie (don't ask me the title; it was something random, I forget) and the girl playing lead role was small but not the type of small one would see on the red carpet. (And she was wearing this high-neck party dress the whole movie, HA). It made me think, "She's not even what I would call thin- just smallish", but that was fine.
I think we totally overscrutinize ourselves now.
My favourite superpower when growing up was the Power Rangers (I think it was the pink one). I used to make sure that my mum always woke me up in time in the morning so that I would not miss it on the TV. I agree too that Superwoman is a good role model.
Yes!! Thank you for this post.
I've made the argument that young girls should be given comic books to read the same as boys, and most people completely laugh at me! "Why would you want your daughter exposed to fighting, and women flexing in bikinis?"
Because what women have right now to play with are dolls like barbie and bratz, and watch celebrities and models so thin that they can barely walk. We are prone to disordered eating and low self-esteem because the role models we get are judged on beauty alone.
People stereotype comics as being shallow, but as a nerd (and female at that), I can assure you that most of them show women as being very strong, able to fight for themselves. They're still idealized in form, but it's the actions that matter.
I would much rather have a girl admire a beautiful woman who can fight and stand up for herself, rather than a waif woman who is so weak from hunger that she needs someone to open doors for her.
I feel even that much better wearing my wonder woman shirt (even though it is a weeeee bit too big)!
My favorite "superheros" growing up were gymnasts 🙂 so you can see what THAT did for my self esteem (but why can't *I* be 4'9" and 80 lbs? wahhhh).