Kindness Under Fire: The Female Superhero—Not So Liberating

by Marilynn Chadwick

I will readily admit I love superhero movies. Today’s superhero movies have given us quite a rush of female superheroines splashed across our screen—a far cry from the helpless damsel in distress of years past. Perhaps these fit, strong females will provide our daughters with better role models and higher self-esteem?

Better think again. Just when we suspected these hard-hitting heroines were saving us from our outdated images of women, this new breed of female superhero might be making things worse. A recent study shows that instead of giving women healthier views about themselves—and especially about their body images—the new superheroines may be doing just the opposite. Researchers are concerned about the impact of powerful females who have perfect bodies and perform impossible tasks (defeating bad guys and saving the world—all while wearing sexy costumes and spiked heels).

Instead of feeling empowered, women who watched these superhero images reported a dramatic drop in self-esteem and dissatisfaction with their own body images and physical appearances. Thus, while the roles for women have evolved from the helpless victim to mighty protector, these superheroines may be undermining rather than improving women’s perceptions of themselves and their bodies.

There seems to be no end to the pressure upon women today to be perfect, much of it self-imposed. Social media has only fueled this flame. Women now have the added challenge of keeping up with the unrealistic digital world of their social media friends. No wonder the major emotion people report while on social media is envy.

At their very core, I believe women are wrestling with a spiritual problem. Which takes us right back to the most important task we have on earth—one that is foundational to becoming a woman of valor: training our heart to hear God’s voice. Let’s not lose sight of the fact that it was her “fear of the Lord” that was central to the character of our Proverbs 31 woman of valor. Her deep faith in the Lord energized her life. That’s why our foundation must be built on the solid rock of our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Our Kindness Under Fire series is adapted from Woman of Valor by Marilynn Chadwick. Click here for more inspiration or to order a copy of Woman of Valor.