Thursday, July 28, 2011

Lessons from Wonder Woman (T-Minus 233 Days)

I have a profound affinity for Wonder Woman.

I’m not entirely sure when it started, but over the years, it went from being a quirky appreciation to, when asked in a job interview the person I most admire, a deep-rooted respect. At a bit of a loss for an answer, with little hesitation I told the interviewer Wonder Woman, rationalizing it with her tagline "beautiful as Aphrodite, wise as Athena, stronger than Hercules and swifter than Mercury."

How can you possibly find fault in that? Even though I decided not to take the job, in many ways that was a profound moment as she became the strong, independent female role model I was searching for, as crazy as it may sound. Driven by the potent combination of love and strength, Wonder Woman’s powers include superhuman strength, flight, speed, stamina and agility. And not to mention, sexiness.

In addition to the respect, many tokens of the quirky appreciation remain. I have collected a WW mug, watch, bracelet and, yes, underwear and bra, in the last few years and confidently rock all of them on a regular basis. I also have a WW business card holder, which until recently had been misplaced for a few years, hidden in a seldom-used bag.

It was the re-discovery of this item that got me thinking about my idol and everything I have learned from her, the highlights of which I will now share with you … without even having to use the Lasso of Truth.

 FIVE THINGS I LEARNED FROM WONDER WOMAN (because I love lists so much)

1. Own your convictions.
There are causes I care about deeply, but sometimes it’s not enough to just care. You have to actually do something about it. Day in and day out, superheroes fight for what they believe in, rarely wavering. WW’s character was created during World War II and designed to give some female muscle in the fight against the Axis military forces and a variety of other supervillains. Though her origin and foes changed with the times and different authors, a tireless dedication to being a “distinctly feminist role model whose mission was to bring the Amazon ideals of love, peace, and sexual equality to a world torn by the hatred of men," at least according to a 2007 article by Philip Charles Crawford "The Legacy of Wonder Woman.”

2. Beauty through muscle.
In a 1943 issue of The American Scholar, William Moulton Marston, the creator of Wonder Woman, wrote: “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.”

To that, I say, Amen.

3. Stay level-headed.
In a crisis, it doesn’t do anyone any good to freak out. My mind constantly wanders and is completely over-active when it comes to mental “what if…” situations. While this can be annoying, the times those “if” situations happen, I know what to do because I have already thought through all possible avenues. Wonder Woman knows what to do without all the prior planning, which is easy when you have bullet-blocking bracelets and an invisible airplane to fall back on. Regardless, she is one calm woman under pressure.

4. Challenge yourself.
It’s never good to rest on your laurels. I think complacency is my biggest fear in the world and I know Wonder Woman would never let herself enter such a state. She continually evolved and, even though she was graced with the metahuman abilities of six Olympian gods and goddesses, she never stopped training and dominated in several forms of combat. In fact, at one point, Wonder Woman surrendered her powers and her alter ego Diana Prince had to start from scratch and tirelessly trained in martial arts and weapons skills and learned everything from espionage to mythology.

5. Be a vixen.
Sparks once told me the minute I sucked him in was the first time he saw me in full-on business suit with impractical high heels and a “don’t give me bullshit” expression on my face. To be honest, this is probably when I feel sexiness because I know I at least appear to be confident and in control. There is something to be said, however, for what goes on underneath the buttoned up daytime persona of Diana Prince. Panties with stars and knee-high red boots, for example.

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