Wonder Woman: From Super Hero to Feminist Icon

Former Miss Georgia USA, Tiffany Fallon, made the cover of Playboy magazine in 2005. This created controversy from women all over the country. Playboy has been gracing naked women on their covers for years, so why all the fuss now? Tiffany Fallon made the cover of Playboy with her body painted as Wonder Woman. This fictional character has long been a symbol of feminism, so many women were offended to see their most respected of all superheroes treated as eye candy in a men’s magazine. This incident prompted me to reflect on how the comic book icon evolved from super strong Amazon from Paradise Island to a symbol of feminism for American women.

My first exposure to Wonder Woman was the live-action TV series that ran from the mid to late 70′s. Lynda Carter portrayed the super heroine, and like Tiffany Fallon, she was also a former beauty pageant winner (though that’s where their similarities end). To me, Lynda Carter was the strongest woman in the world, and it was because of her, that I became interested in Wonder Woman comics.

Making her comic book debut in 1942, Wonder Woman became the first female superhero. To have a woman routinely save the day was an original and innovative concept. Before Wonder Woman, most females in comic books played minor roles as the male hero’s sidekick (such as Batgirl or Supergirl). It was Wonder Woman who gave young girls a role model in the comic book universe. She was a trailblazer and paved the way for contemporary heroines such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Xena the Warrior Princess. Without her, these other characters might never have existed.

Although Wonder Woman started out ahead of her time in the 1940′s, she wasn’t always a feminist throughout her comic book career. After the creator’s death in 1947, she became less of a feminist. In the 50s, she spent more time obsessing over her boyfriend than fighting bad guys. In the 60s, she was stripped of her superpowers to become a mortal woman. In the 70s, she started a clothing boutique!

Fortunately she returned to her superhero roots with help from Gloria Steinem, America’s most prominent feminist. Ms. Steinem founded Ms. Magazine, and the cover of the 1972 debut issue featured an image of the super heroine with the headline