when i was a little girl i wanted to be harry potter. not hermione, i did loved her, but i wanted to be harry. the hero, the chosen one, the special one. when i saw star wars, i wanted to be luke skywalker. the gentle hero, the beacon of hope. when i saw iron man, i wanted to be tony stark. the one that learns from his mistakes and works on being a better version of himself.
i didn’t need to be a boy to be able to feel powerful and inspired by their stories. when i saw wonder woman, and when i now see captain marvel, i feel capable, powerful. i feel like kindness, empathy, wit, perseverance, all traditionally feminine traits, are all qualities that define a hero. i love that they’re women. but that’s only a part of what makes them powerful.
when men say they can’t relate to ww or cm, they are the problem. i see heroes. i see role models. if i see steve rogers and i see a hero, but they can only see carol danvers from a distance and as a pair of boobs, they are the problem.
let’s not pretend otherwise. they need to learn that heroes come in all genders, shapes and sizes. it’s time to tell their stories. it’s time to teach little boys to love heroes like captain marvel, the same way i loved harry potter.
Heroes come in all genders, shapes and sizes.