This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, March 5, 2013 - Does hearing the name Wonder Woman conjure a mental picture of a tall, muscular woman with broad shoulders, a cape, short skirt and boots? Depending on what generation you are from your perception of this superheroine might vary. “Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines” explores this character and uses her to examine our culture’s stance on powerful women. This film will be shown on March 6 at the History Museum as part of the Community Cinema series.
From Wonder Woman's creation in the 1940s as a radical superhero in World War II she was reincarnated in the 1960s as a fashion boutique owner and then was resurrected by feminists and the women of Ms magazine. Wonder Woman’s legacy continues today — despite the fact that she has yet to make it into a blockbuster film like Batman. The film looks at how popular representations of this woman often reflects anxieties in our society about women's liberation.
In a press release, Director Kristy Guevera-Flanagan talked about her movie, “I loved the idea of looking at something as populist as comics to reveal our cultural obsessions and, in particular, how women’s roles have changed over time. The narratives of our most iconic superheroes, told and re-told over decades, boldly outline our shifting values. For some it’s Lara Croft, for others it’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but we all need those iconic heroes that tell us we have the power to slay our dragons and don’t have to wait around to be rescued.”
The film will be used to springboard a panel discussion led by Roseann Weiss, director of community art programs & public art initiatives at the Regional Arts Commission following the film. The panel will include:
Mikal Shapiro – Go Go Global Girls
Local filmmaker with a new Web series: “A reverse-reality TV series about the human girl animal as she learns to channel her imagination for planetary good. Whatever that means.”
Lyndsey Scott – Superhero Bike Ride
With wheels spinning and capes flying, the Bicycling Superheroes ride self-contained, usually on month-long journeys every year, spreading goodwill through spontaneous acts of service in small towns and big cities around the country and the world.
Pete Coogan – Institute for Comic Studies
Promoting the study, understanding, and cultural legitimacy of comics.