Wonder Woman By Gloria Steinem Summary

In the article “Wonder Woman” Gloria Steinem expresses that the making of female super-heroes empowers females by reducing the fixed theme of a Caucasian male saving an inferior female. She displays this by showing how inferior women were before in male super-hero comic books, compares what it was like personally reading female super-hero comics to male super-hero comics as a child, the fight with other women to have the original Wonder Woman published in Ms. Magazine and how even males were changed by the making of Wonder Woman.

First and foremost Steinem begins to exhibit how females were left to feel inferior by only having male super-heroes in comic books that perpetually gave women the minor task to help, feelings of gratefulness for

the accomplishments of others, and then always waiting for a Caucasian male to save her. Steinem feels that the only other option for young girls is to suppress a valuable part of themselves by changing their consciousness into that of a male character. In these ways women have been shown to be marginalized in all male super-hero comic books.
Of course Steinem then shows the effect of reading Wonder Woman (the first continuously published female super-hero comic) as a child versus the anticipated male super-hero comic books.

She expresses how she felt that she was rescued from feeling the dependent fate on men that came along with reading male super-hero comics and had increased hope that women were finally able to be shown as strong and dependable for a change. When reading a male super-hero comic Steinem feels bored with the plain played out Superman gadgets and is tired of the theme of a male always saving the female, as if she doesn’t have her own power. Steinem admires that the Wonder Woman comic book gives the lesson that everyone may have unknown powers in themselves but you would have to believe in and practice them, this boost her hope in the female culture versus when reading Superman and feeling submissive. Steinem admires that Wonder Woman had different technique than Superman when rescuing because she did not use violence. Steinem feels that Wonder Woman was stronger than Superman because she had the strength and ability of a male super-hero but did not use violence; instead she converted people to peace, self-reliance, and respect for the right of others. To Steinem this is one main key that helps Wonder Woman comics attempt to take away the marginalization of women found in male super-hero

comics.
Steinem then shows how creating a female super-hero impacted women that were adults telling how they felt that they were also rescued in their childhoods by the creation of Wonder Woman and fought to have the original version published in Ms. Magazine. Steinem expresses how passionate they were constantly fighting to persuade the publishers of Wonder Woman to put the original version on the cover of Ms. Magazine. Ms. Magazine was a feminist magazine and Steinem made sure Wonder Woman made it on the cover since Wonder Woman to her was a very good pick.
Steinem furthermore talks about how Wonder Woman becomes a television series and still has the great appeal to young females and how even males were inspired by dressing up as Wonder Woman on Halloween. There were people refusing to leave their TVs on Wonder Woman nights and in the end the writers of Superman comic books even changed their comics to be more like Wonder Woman. This shows that Wonder Woman was a huge inspiration and empowerment to male and female, young and old.