Discussing
Wonder Woman and the Search for Female Role Models

While 'Wonder Woman' may present a too-perfect role model, it's still important to see women on the big screen, and in the church.

Male or female, isn't the "super-hero" genre by definition stereotyped and characterized by unrealistic expectations? The "relatable" super-hero story out there, in my opinion, is The Incredibles, super-heroes who like us at middle-age and beyond are beyond our physical peak, like the 29-year-old professional athlete staring at a probable final season, etc. With some training and hard work, I just know I could get back into marathon-running shape . . .

According to a fairly well developed social science, wonder woman may be a more devastating sign as well as a potentially helpful sign for the church. The body of knowledge called family system theory provides a helpful understanding of why a "Wonder Woman" may be both a good and bad thing.
A friend of mine recently underwent a divorce after 30 years of marriage. When asked why, he answered simply: "Men make messes and women clean them up."
Unpack that and realize that many decisions that he had made were perceived by his wife were seem as a mess. She, being 'Wonder Woman' simply fixed than.

I like this article, but I disagree (with both you and the Christianity Today reviewer) that Diana is not relatable. Particularly as a Christian woman, someone who was raised in the church and who then moved to Hollywood to pursue a mission that I believed God was calling and is still calling me to, I found Diana's journey from moral firmness through pain and confusion and despair (all the while holding tenaciously to her beliefs) to a point of confrontation and a new understanding of her mission.

If that's not my life in a female character onscreen... I'm not sure what would be. I'm sure it did not speak that way to others, but that strength of story is there and I value it greatly.

Personally I think that, although Wonder Woman obviously sets some unrealistic goals for women because she's a superhero with incredible powers and skills, I think it's still very good and I agree with it being a step in the right direction. It gives women a strong character to look up to and, even though at times they won't be able to relate to her, they can try to be more like (but of course not exactly like considering she's a demigoddess) Diana and the people behind bringing her story to the big screen. It shows that women can be just as strong or stronger than some of the people around them.