Female empowerment in comics and movies has become more of a topic in recent years. We saw an explosion of traction for the topic when Wonder Woman came out. Somehow women felt that they were represented better than they had been before. I saw all of this, and it meant nothing to me. And apparently, that makes me bad at being a woman and a traitor to my gender. I constantly heard about how I was such a horrible person because I didn’t see the movie as empowering and I didn’t want to support other women. But, I heard these things from people who knew nothing about my relationships with other women. They purely based what they knew about me on my opinion opposing theirs.

When everyone saw Wonder Woman and lost their minds, I found it perplexing. I didn’t think that I needed comics marketed to me based on genitalia. And I didn’t think that seeing the movie made me happier to have a vagina. In actuality, seeing all of these women who all of a sudden felt so amazing about it made me a little embarrassed. Are we so easily swayed that it only takes a female lead to make us happy? And how is she so amazing to everyone? She wasn’t a woman who was raised in this world and became an equal through adversity. She was a woman who was raised in a male hating culture that suppressed men. So, we are happy with suppression, as long as it is men being suppressed by women? Why does it have to be one keeping the other down? Why can’t we just be happy with equality?

I remember when feminism was about equality. We just want to be treated with respect and civility. You don’t have to pander to me because I’m a woman. And you don’t have to think I’m less than you because of it, either. Few things in the world make me feel as good as when I am treated like one of the guys. When I come across a guy who accepts that I’m a nerd without questions about my gender, it makes me feel respected and equal. And that to me is feminism. That to me is acceptance. And that to me is equality. I don’t want to be treated better or worse than anyone. I want to be treated equally to everyone.

So, when I hear about women who need comics created a specific way to make them happy it makes me sick. I enjoy male characters as well as female characters. And there are plenty of female characters that are strong and great role models. There are plenty of female lead characters that are strong, as well. And there are plenty of great fight scenes with women in film. There are even plenty of great films directed by women. So, if those are the things you love about Wonder Women, why not support Katherine Bigelow who was the first female director to win an Oscar? Why not watch Alien and cheer on Ripley?

I do enjoy reading storylines that are different from everything else you see, so it would be nice to see more LGBT stories in comics. However, I don’t want it in some contrived format that is an obvious marketing plot. I want it to be organic and work well with the characters and the plot. I want to hear about a story I haven’t before. And, most importantly, I want it to be good. Don’t serve me up lip service, just so that you can say that you did it. Show me something with heart and intention. Otherwise, I’ll rip it to shreds like very other crap comic that only writes what it thinks you want to hear to get your money.

Better yet, love being a woman for what it is. Being a woman. I LOVE being a woman because I love my body (even with all of its flaws). I love the genitalia I have and am able to love those with different reproductive organs, the same as I have alike. None of that matters to me. What matters to me isn’t so much what’s between your legs as whether or not you agree that Han shot first. If you need something to make you excited about yourself, you have bigger problems than female lead comic characters in a film.