Women superheroes are constantly drawn with unrealistic bodies and clothing that is barely considered practical even for walking around your house, much less fighting crime, dodging bullets, and saving the planet from intergalactic menaces.That argument is completely valid and not one I necessarily disagree with; however, I want to propose a new way of looking at it, of perhaps bringing some power back to us gals and our scantily-clad representatives.

Superheroes are supposed to represent the ideals of humanity. They give us something to strive for, they appeal to the hero in all of us, strong, powerful, smart, beautiful. They are the modern day version of polytheism, gods and goddesses among us, and yet, they have very human characteristics: they die, they get married, they eat, they have day jobs. They are ordinary people who are placed in extraordinary situations and in some cases, they get a little boost that gives them extraordinary abilities. Who doesn't dream of finding out they are more? More than the mundane job and the feeling of being cogs in a machine? More than just someone's wife, or mother or husband or father? More than the screaming child in the backseat or the rude person that just made your day worse because some people just like to see the world burn?

Superheroes allow us a glimpse for better or worse, into that life.

With all that being said, is it any wonder that our heroes, who represent the epitome of humanity, would also be beautiful as well as kick ass? Especially the women? And furthermore, since superheroes represent our ideal selves, would they not be designed with those in mind? For example, the well built athletic male superhero (Superman, Captain America, Bruce Wayne) with the six pack abs and the broad shoulders and the always perfectly coifed hair that looks like they raided the entire Garnier line at a CVS? The athletic women with a slender frame, flat stomach and legs and boobs for miles? Batgirl, Wonderwoman, Supergirl, Black Widow...to name a few. Don't get me started on Power Girl. And how do they stay that perky? What is their secret, dammit!

Female superheroes have always, at one point or another, come under fire for the way they are designed and for their outrageous and impractical costumes. Given the recent awareness of the exploitation of women, which is highly disturbing and problematic, it is easy to understand the demand for a fully clothed female superhero. Or at least one that defines being fully clothed as not wearing a jacket over a corset and some fishnets (I'm looking at you, Black Canary) She is fighting crime after all, not going to a college Halloween party on Greek row.

Now we get to the point where I enter this conversation and present you with hopefully a new and not entirely unwelcome view. Well, this week we scratch the tip of the iceberg anyway. Why, do we as women, look at our female heroes as somehow less than their male counterparts because of clothing? Before you lead me to the stocks, hear me out.

I am not disagreeing with the impracticality of the costumes. Nor am I disagreeing with the implications and the problems that they highlight, rather, I am searching for a way to take some female power back and to take our heroes back without condemning them for being the brainchild of some lonely fanboy. The truth is is that their male counterparts are also the brainchild of some lonely fanboy. Let's be real here.

For a guy to be heroic, does he really have to look like this:

Is a pair of abs and a clearly defined V, along with some clothes that clearly show that off, really necessary for heroics? Anymore than this:

The answer, is a resounding no.

Neither design is necessary to save the world, or on a smaller scale, the city you reside in. Yet this has been the trend since comics first came to life in the thirties and forties. The characters represent the ideal views of both femininity and masculinity, and rather condemn, we should embrace.I'm serious ladies, embrace your female superheroes. Embrace them for the beautiful, magical, creatures that they are, and understand that their design characteristics, while used for ill, can also be used for good. They are more than their wardrobes, and worthy of being feminist icons.

Batgirl later becomes the information broker, Oracle, leader of an all girl crime-fighting group called the Birds of Prey. She not only is a computer wiz, she is an expert fighter, using weapons known as Escrima, despite having a tragic story in which she is gunned down by the Joker and rendered paralyzed, Wonder Woman routinely fights the Greek god Aries and wins. Oh yeah, she's also a leader of her people. Storm is a Priestess who can control the weather. She can literally make it rain. Black Canary and Elektra, two of the worlds best martial artists.

One of the reasons I love them so much is that they all do this while being completely and utterly feminine. These are not ladies who feel that they need to act like men to be tough. These are women who are aware of their bodies and their sex appeal, who know how to move in seemingly impractical get ups because of that awareness (and just to point out something: how practical are capes? Has anyone literally tried to do anything with a long ass cape? The fact that male superheroes don't strangle themselves on a regular basis is impressive) Also, before we huff about the costumes our heroes wear, let us think about the way women are dressed at the gym today. Let's look at our active wear. Do we really need to have leotards and leg warmers and tight pants to run on a treadmill when a tee shirt and sweats will do just as well? No. The answer is no. We do it because as women, it is a form of embracing our power and our femininity and our bodies. Or because quite simply, we like the way we look when we put them on.