Wonder Women The Untold Story Of American Superheroines

Kapow! Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines offers a nuanced critique of gender and heroism in popular culture as well as a powerful dose of Vitamin F(eminism) for the undernourished. From the birth of the 1940s comic book heroine, Wonder Woman, to the blockbusters of today, Wonder Women! looks at how popular representations of powerful women often reflect society's anxieties about strong and healthy women. Wonder Women! reveals the complicated negotiations girls and women face as they attempt to achieve confidence, strength, and agency in a society often at odds with those goals. Yet it also inspires through its evocative images, upbeat soundtrack, and richly contextualized history of American superheroines--including the everyday wonder women and action girls in our midst. Wonder Women! goes behind the scenes with actors Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman) and Lindsay Wagner (the Bionic Woman), comic writers and artists, and real-life superheroines such as feminist icon Gloria Steinem, riot grrrl Kathleen Hanna and others, who offer an enlightening and entertaining counterpoint to the male-dominated superhero genre. "Wonder Women! hits us right where it counts, offering a nuanced critique of gender and heroism in popular culture... Reveals the complicated negotiations girls and women face as we attempt to achieve confidence, strength, and agency in a society often at odds with those goals." Mary Celeste Kearney, Associate Professor of Media Studies, University of Texas at Austin Wonder Women! goes behind the scenes with Lynda Carter, Lindsay Wagner, comic writers and artists, and real-life superheroines such as Gloria Steinem, Kathleen Hanna and others, who offer an enlightening and entertaining counterpoint to the male-dominated superhero genre. "Wonder Women! hits us right where it counts, offering a nuanced critique of gender and heroism in popular culture... Reveals the complicated negotiations girls and women face as we attempt to achieve confidence, strength, and agency in a society often at odds with those goals." -- Mary Celeste Kearney, Associate Professor of Media Studies, University of Texas at Austin.