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Wonder Woman By Gloria Steinem Analysis

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In 1995, American journalist and political activist Gloria Steinem wrote the essay “Wonder Woman” and published it as the introduction to her book Wonder Woman: Featuring over Five Decades of Great Covers. Steinem wrote this essay to discuss the promotion of feminism in popular media, especially in comic books. She begins the essay with a tribute to William Moulton Marston’s superheroine Wonder Woman, recounting with a nostalgic tone the hundreds of languid afternoons hiding in a tree and restless nights swaddled in blankets during which her childhood self would eagerly pore over the pages of comic books she had bought herself. Then, she switches to a more earnest tone as she compares the adventures of Wonder Woman with the societal burdens …show more content…

A female child is left to believe that, even when her body is as big as her spirit, she will still be helping with minor tasks, appreciating the accomplishments of others, and waiting to be rescued. Of course, pleasure is to be found in all these experiences…pleasure that should be open to boys, too” (266). This declaration is key to understanding why Wonder Woman is such a revolutionary figure in the comic book business. Not only does Wonder Woman inspire self-respect in women since she is the first major female superhero, rising from a mass of blood, violence, and heroic men in previous comics, but also she relieves some of the coming-of-age pressures many adolescent boys face in social situations with both girls and other guys: controlling their emotions, standing independently, being the one to initiate, and so on. According to Steinem, boys and girls need to be equally represented in media so they both understand the importance of not only helping others and benefiting society but also receiving help from those more skillful. This message embodies the goal of true feminism, to empower women and feminize men to advance

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Similarly, she discusses how many female directors were afraid to even attempt to direct a Wonder Woman film (149). Altogether, Howell argues many valid points along with examples of the gender bias in popular culture. With her focus on DC Comics and their failed attempts to market and produce a film for a character, such as Wonder Woman, was a solid representation of the gender bias that has and continues to exist in popular culture. Charlotte E. Howell argued many great points in her article, “Tricky” Connotations: Wonder Woman as DC’s Brand Disruptor.” Just as DC Comics had

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I remembered when I was young, there were plenty of movie that has girls play dolls and boys play football. These movies were popular among children that day until now, girls were meant to be soft and boys were meant to be powerful and strong. Then one day, I’ve watched a movie that has a girl play in the football team and I were surprised because it’s the first time that I’ve seen a movie that shows girl can be both femininity and masculinity. This movie has a huge impact on young children behaviour and has influenced children in constructing gender roles in the society. ‘Little Giants’ has shown the characteristic of the main character to be abnormal and changing the gender stereotypes in young audiences’ perspective.

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The topic of self confidence is a subject that is heavily discussed when it comes to girls of all ages. Journalist, Stephanie Hanes, examines the current trend of sexualization amongst young girls. In the article “Little Girls or Little Women: The Disney Princess Effect”, Hanes examines the current trend of sexualization amongst girls. She addresses the issue of desiring to become a women too soon. Hanes develops her article by using the literary techniques of pathos and logos to describe the emotions young girls feel when they see images of women with unattainable features.

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In each woman’s encounter with their personal challenge, this goal is expressed in a form specific to them. Audiences see this interest of reaching equal status conveyed through the work and intentions the women produce. The female characters present a side to themselves that, at times, switch the gender roles their society is accustomed to. At other points, women’s abilities to lead in times of distress or confusion establish themselves as the same types of leaders that society grows to associate with men. Finally, the female character’s voicing of society’s unjust contradictory standards for women furthers paints the idea of a movement towards equality.

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Gender Equality Throughout America’s history, women have struggled to obtain basic human rights, gender equality, and general respect from men. These issues continue on into our current day-to-day life and will seem to continue for many years to come. In American literature, there are two women, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Sojourner Truth, amongst many, who voiced their struggles as women in America. Stanton’s piece, “Declaration of Sentiments”, is a revised version of the “Declaration of Independence”, and it outlines the many rights women have been withheld from.

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“The Politics of Muscle,” an essay written by Gloria Steinem, is successful in effectively comparing and contrasting how society's standards implies that there is a difference in strength between men and women. Through the use of different rhetorical claims such as pathos, ethos, and logos, as well as a great deal of subjective and objective claims, Steinem establishes credibility which allows her to create a well-crafted essay. Although, the essay can be perceived as biased since it does not include a great deal of information on the perception of strength on men, its intended audience is women therefore, that aspect does not affect the overall quality of Steinem’s writing. In fact, it only strengthens it considering she expects her audience to share the same opinions and feelings as her. These reasons explain why overall, Steinem does a very good job of persuading the reader to think differently about the perception of women’s strength.

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Amanda Putnam’s essay, “Mean Ladies: Transgendered Villains in Disney Films”, is a compelling piece on gender portrayal and views in Disney films. Putnam opened the essay with a personal anecdote about her daughter. Her daughter wanted a Disney movie without a “mean lady”, as in most Disney films the villains are scary, evil women. The real life evidence strengthened her claim that children are noticing the characterization of female villains in Disney films. The antidote was brought fill circle when she referred back to her daughter in the final paragraphs of her essay.

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Some key points she made were that we should raise our children differently and that gender matters. Adichie 's intended audience would be someone who simply may wonder “Why should we be feminist?”, or anyone who wants to listen. Adichie interprets some effective rhetorical strategies like allusions, and a few analogies throughout the talk. Her humorous tone and anecdotes gave the audience that sense of trust and their laughter let her know that they were really engaged into her topic. She effectively described why she thinks we all should be feminists and how the world would be fairer for men and women.

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During times of crisis, women have been marginalized continuously, and although many would like to think so, conditions for women have not changed much over time. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak both reflect that. Women in literature and in real life who deserve lead roles are often forced into supporting roles. Most people understand this but few acknowledge it. Strong female characters such as Liesel in The Book Thief, Penelope in The Odyssey, and Antigone in Antigone need to be honored the same way strong male characters are.

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In relation to this, feminism encourages “a popular culture which enhances rather than degrades one 's self-respect and respect for others” as well as the “freedom to define social and sexual relationships” (Hyde Park Chapter). This means that feminism inspires one to define their own relations with others and to participate in a culture that bolsters one’s self-confidence and self-reliance. Through Hannah, Morrison voices components of feminism revealed in the above quotes which further develops the book into a feminist piece of literature. Another way that Morrison

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It is her unique personality among fictional characters in children's literature that gives Nancy Drew a continuing place in the market today. “Born” on April 28, 1930, Nancy Drew began her career as a teenage sleuth, and the Nancy Drew Mystery Series remains the longest-running and best-selling children’s mystery series. Nancy Drew was the creation of Edward Stratemeyer, owner and manager of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a writing production that has generated more children’s series than any other publisher to date. Stratemeyer’s description of what would become the character of Nancy Drew illustrates the critical time of change for adolescent girls as new ideas about femininity were being explored. Nancy Drew scholarship tends to fall into either of two groups: those who view Nancy Drew as a positive role model or feminist icon because of her independence; and those who criticize the

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1082 Words | 5 Pages

The portrayal and role depicted in the literature helped women in the long run to gain acceptance and equality in society. The literary contributions made and for women continue to be a springboard for women to gain equality to men. Finally, the accomplishment of these women writers who struggled to publish their fragile poems and stories could spread a template for other women around the word on how they can actually voice out their thoughts and help improve their own rights. Thus, women will continue to gain equality and recognition, and this success will also continuously impact the

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791 Words | 4 Pages

Rebecca West once said, “I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat”; feminism and other social issues are fundamental to literature, with them commonly being a driving force behind both modern and classic works of fiction. Feminism is everywhere, with women still fighting for gender equality in modern day Britain as demonstrated through Emma Watson’s United Nations speech which was broadcasted in September of 2014 where she differentiates feminism from ‘man-hating’. Feminism has developed considerably over time as general attitudes have been swayed through literature, political movements and women’s portrayal of themselves. In 1847, Charlotte Bronte released her novel ‘Jane Eyre’ which was viewed as very radical for its time as Bronte uses Jane to exhibit her resentment towards society. Jane is presented as a morally strong, determined character who, when she falls in love, embraces the notion instead of the label and profits which are associated with it; she states that she “cares for [her]self” and that “more unsustained [she is], the more [she] will respect [her]self” as she is not tempted away from her self-respect.

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1000 Words | 4 Pages

Feminist literary criticism’s primary argument is that female characters have always been presented from a male’s viewpoint. According to Connell, in most literary works, female characters often play minor roles which emphasize their domestic roles, subservience and physical beauty while males are always the protagonists who are strong, heroic and dominant (qtd. in Woloshyn et al.150). This means that the women are perceived as weak and are supposed to be under the control of men. Gill and Sellers say that feminist literary criticism’s approach involves identifying with female characters in order to challenge any male centred outlook.

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Thus liberal feminists were aware of the fact that education and communication in the hands of few leads to the control of many, which again leads to subjugation and hierarchical relation (particularly with respect to women). ‘The intent of liberal feminism in education is to remove barriers that prevent girls reaching their full potential, whether such barriers are located in the school, the individual psyche or discriminatory labor practices (Aker, 1994). Liberal feminists work under broadly three themes with respect to education and these are: ‘equal opportunities’, ‘socialization and sex stereotype’, and sex discrimination (Aker, 1994). Liberal Feminism approaches equal opportunities in terms of ‘equal means the same’ (Byrne cited in Acker, 1994) and argued that ‘separate educational provisions for girls has usually meant inferior facilities and restricted features. Thus they demanded for the co-educational schools, where both sexes get equal opportunities to develop their

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