Earlier today, I caught the end of an interesting-sounding programme on Radio 4 about women and comic books, and the last word was given to a woman who wanted to respond to the current (male) DC Comics artist of Wonder Woman, who had apparently said something along the lines of "I'm not sure I'd describe Wonder Woman as a feminist: she is fundamentally a human being" (not exact quote, but thereabouts). She said "Firstly, Wonder Woman is actually a GODDESS (
), and secondly, I would like to think that feminism and humanity are not mutually-exclusive..."
I'd love to know what the programme was so I could hear it in its entirety- does anybody know?
It has also reminded me of an incident from my early childhood; I ADORED Wonder Woman as a child, and avidly watched the Lynda Carter TV series. She really was my idol. OK, so the invisible plane was a bit lame, but show me a woman on the Relationships board who wouldn't love a Lasso Of Truth . When I was 5 years old, I had a pair of red wellies, and I used to play in them that I was her. One day, I stepped just outside my front door into the street and commenced my super-heroine spin in my beloved red wellies to transform myself, singing the theme tune...and as if from nowhere, a much older boy (he was a teenager who lived on our street) appeared, picked me up by the neck (WTF?) and actually THROTTLED me, saying "You really bug me, you do!"
I ran back indoors, crying, and my bespectacled, bookish dad went out to find him and apply some uncharacteristically kick-ass justice...I mean, he actually kicked his arse. In his defence, this was the 1970s...
Ridiculous as it sounds, thinking about it, that was my first experience of the world of male violence. It actually really knocked my confidence, and to this day I can't bear the feeling of tight polo-necks and have a real fear of anyone touching my neck- just the thought makes me feel nauseated.
It just struck me today that the whole Wonder Woman thing and what it represents has a real resonance for me. It's like everything in microcosm: joyfully express independence and power as a girl, and POW!!- slam up against random male hostility because you've somehow pissed him off...Weird, huh?
Excuse the rambling Friday night musings- but this is FWR chat, right? So I just felt like throwing that out there, as you do.