The Inspiration of Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman kicked box office ass with a worldwide total of $223 million. For a film that has been in development since 1996, Wonder Woman has continued the slow and quiet battle only to emerge as a gianormous success financially and creatively.

Superheroing has been the ultimate dream job. Be honest, flying, fighting bad guys and saving the world, who wouldn't want that on their CV?

As mere mortals, we take up the good fight in different careers. Even though we don’t get to work in the same office as Doctor Strange or Wonder Woman, we still look to them. Why is it we follow superheroes? One trait all of our favorite superheroes have in common is their ability to lead.

 

What is it about Wonder Woman that is so inspiring?

Wonder Woman is the most famous female superhero. What is it about this woman that makes her so inspirational?

I think we need to look to her origin. I don’t mean the origin story of Greek Gods and clay babies brought to life. Wonder Woman hit the scene in the ’40s. With men called away to war, women had no choice but to step up and take their place. This was uncharted territory for both men and women. There was one man who felt there was a great need for a role model for young girls.

"Not even girls want to be girls so long as our feminine archetype lacks force, strength, and power. Not wanting to be girls, they don't want to be tender, submissive, peace-loving as good women are. Women's strong qualities have become despised because of their weakness. The obvious remedy is to create a feminine character with all the strength of Superman plus all the allure of a good and beautiful woman."

-- William Moulton Marston

 Marston, found the medium of comic books to have great educational potential.

Comic books of the early 1940s, were chock full of superpower-endowed male characters. Green Lantern and Superman, even Batman with his endless supply of high-tech gadgets.

Marston set out to create a superhero that would conquer not with fists or firepower, but with love. It was his wife, Elizabeth that said, “Fine, but make her a woman.” The first female superhero who fights with love was born.

What role does Wonder Woman have today?

Society has come a long way since the 1940’s. Unfortunately, since the days in the ’40’s in which women were flung into men’s roles in factories and other labor intensive jobs, the expectation to perform these jobs as men has been the unspoken norm. This is the on-going battle Wonder Woman has been fighting ever since her creation. Introducing a different approach to how we do things.

I am not saying that we do not have a need for the masculine way of doing things. Society has favored and used only one method heavily and as a result tipped the scale too far in one direction.

 The issues I see come from people trying to be something they are not. Women are torn daily between, being a success in their careers and still maintaining their feminine role in order to fulfill their desire to have a loving relationship and build a successful home and family. The roads to each of these paths as society has set them up are so different that the end result tends to be frustration and hopelessness. This battle has Wonder Woman’s name all over it.

Elizabeth Holloway Marston, (Wonder Woman’s inspiration and creator) spent a great deal of time trying to come up with possible solutions for the world’s problems and it came down to fair play and encouraging good people to work harder for themselves and for others.

What Role Model do I find in Her?

She has become a role model for many. Gloria Steinem, found great inspiration in Wonder Woman.

"Wonder Woman's family of Amazons on Paradise Island, her band of college girls in America, and her efforts to save individual women are all welcome examples of women working together and caring about each other's welfare. The idea of such cooperation may not seem particularly revolutionary to the male reader. Men are routinely depicted as working well together, but women know how rare and therefore exhilarating the idea of sisterhood really is. Wonder Woman's mother, Queen Hippolyte, offers yet another welcome example to young girls in search of a strong identity. Queen Hippolyte founds nations, wages war to protect Paradise Island, and sends her daughter off to fight the forces of evil in the world... Wonder Woman symbolizes many of the values of the women's culture that feminists are now trying to introduce into the mainstream: strength and self-reliance for women; sisterhood and mutual support among women; peacefulness and esteem for human life; a diminishment both of "masculine" aggression and of the belief that violence is the only way of solving conflicts."

-- Gloria Steinem

If we look at the superhero as an industry and DC-verse as one of the top companies in their field, then Wonder Woman had made it as a named partner. Not only is she a woman in a top ranking position, she has done so by remaining true to her values as a woman. She too had to fight this battle uphill but serving a stint in the Justice League as their glorified secretary. Sticking to her guns her character has finally made it to the top as a warrior.

She is an example of someone who continues to move forward, always positive, never letting obstacles, society to decide her life for her. She is an inspiration.

Now, as always is the best time to look to those leaders in the workplace who inspire. We should nurture those leaders.

I challenge you to look to your leaders, managers, co-workers, and to yourself. Who do you find to be inspirational?   

 Please share in the comments below the people who inspire you and why. Inspire others and share this article.