Wonder Woman. Regardless of your age, you know who she is. And for those of us that are of an older generation more seasoned vintage, when we think of Wonder Woman, the mental image that is conjured in our brains is that of Lynda Carter’s portrayal of her.
Wonder Woman made her debut in December of 1941, the creation of American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marsten. She was the first female superhero, and Marsten created her to embody what he felt was the war era’s unconventional, liberated woman; one who would not seek to triumph with firepower but with love. That love, though, he saw as a wholly powerful thing. “Not even girls want to be girls so long as our feminine archetype lacks force, strength, and power,” he said.
Since she splashed onto comic book pages, Wonder Woman, as a character, has taken a number of twists and turns, but there has always been a consistent theme of nurturing and fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves. She is strong-willed and, though she prefers peace to war, does not hesitate to go into battle if necessary. We all should be so confident!