Female Superheroes

When we were kids, our heroes were the superheroes we saw in books or in the movies. They wore capes and masks, and saved the world with their powers…super-strength, invisibility, the ability to fly, super-speed…they could do anything. We flew around our rooms with towels on our backs, making fighting and flying noises. We looked up to them…we wanted to be them.

Then, we got older.

Our heroes were not necessarily the characters on the pages or the screens, but people we knew and learned from, saw from afar and admired, people we looked up to and wanted to be like, just like the superheroes we adored in the books and movies as kids.

Today

Superheroes still exist, some, in the most important of places.

Women’s initiatives and issues in the U.S. and worldwide have become more and more familiar to me as I’ve “grown up.” They became even more prominent and striking, when I entered a field, studied a major, and asserted myself into places that were male-dominated. I consider myself a lucky one, because that never bothered me or stopped me…I actually never hesitated based on that fact. It may have been the extra push I had all along to succeed and help someone else do the same. You could say I had my own heroes along the way. Other women taking the lead, setting examples, and fighting for rights and privileges that should have been shared among everyone all along. They did not fly around wearing capes, but they had a great impact on many individuals and gave us hope. They showed us that with courage and unwavering determination, we could be whatever we wanted to be.

Our heroes are the people we look up to, the people we want to be like, the people we strive to resemble even in the smallest of ways (even though super-strength and the ability to fly are a bit far reaching). In the world of women, I believe this has taken on such an important role. The women who made strides, made changes, and spoke out are the superheroes we have to thank for a world that has women on a presidential ballot, women as CEO’s, women providing for their families or raising one alone…women willing to fight for a world that is equal in every sense. It will be because of these people that every gender-related gap will one day be non-existent.

Just like the stories we read as kids, and remember and look back on fondly as adults, there are sidekicks and silent heroes. The supporters, the ones who go unrecognized…who are just as responsible and worthy of praise for the changes we see. The kids who stand up for each other, when the bully says “you run like a girl.” The office associates, who step in when they notice unfairness. The partners and teammates working collectively, in a group of all kinds of different people. To all the women making even the smallest of ripples…your impact is greater beyond words.

It may seem off to talk about superheroes and capes in a post highlighting the change and progress that has been made over time for women. But as I sat and watched a Captain Marvel commercial, I could not help but think how fitting it was to see another woman playing in this character. I could not help but think of the young girls seeing these characters, the Wonder Womans and the Captain Marvels on their screens and in their lives. Young girls dreaming of being superheroes…and the idea being okay.

I am so grateful to have been raised by strong women, surrounded by women in leadership roles, and by others who were fearless in the pursuit of their goals. It has been a great privilege and lesson each day to learn and grow next to diverse individuals in both gender, skills, backgrounds, and more. I can only hope that one day “First Woman….” will no longer be in the headlines, because it will just be the norm.

I have no intention of shoving any feminist rant down anyone’s throat. My intention is to open just one reader’s mind to how they can do better for reaching a more equal office, classroom, home..life. I will wear my invisible cape of courage in everything I do, in the hope that one day I can give the same inspiration to a young girl with big dreams, just as someone had given to me. To all the superheroes who made these dreams possible, thank you.

We have come so far, but still have so much to do for girls and women around the world.

Who is your female superhero?

Happy National Women’s Month!

Bean

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