Since I was a little kid, I've been watching superhero movies. However, they were always the one's with batman or superman as the lead with their ladies on the side. Subconsciously, we were all seeing these powerful women as simply being sidekicks and being dependent on their male counterparts. The female characters were sexualized and portrayed as being someone that would show up after a fight to congratulate their significant other on a job well done. As children, we didn't notice these things; We were just excited to watch our favorite heroes defeat the bad guys just in time to save the city.

I was about 10 years old when I got my first comics. Except, instead of starring the well-known males that I had grown to love, my father had gotten me Supergirl (Superman's significant other) comics. I mean, I was in shock! I was never into comics that much despite them being popular among the members of my household. I had watched the Spiderman movies a countless amount of times but I felt no connection to it while my brother aspired to be just like Peter Parker. However, Supergirl made comics relatable and I read the same three editions over and over. Of course I knew that I obviously couldn't be just like her but, she showed me that women can be just as strong as, or stronger than, their boyfriend.

While female characters are still being sexualized and depicted as beautiful women with unrealistic proportions such as tiny waists and large breasts, they are teaching young girls everywhere that you don't need to rely on the men in your life. From the time girls are little, they are constantly bombarded with questions about boyfriends and weddings instead of being taught that they can be independently sufficient. Characters being depicted as independent and self-sufficient are contradicting the typical Disney angle on women being a 'damsel in distress' and teaching young girls to believe in themselves. After watching characters like Harley Quinn who can take out her enemies, male or female, it's hard to imagine that women are powerless individuals.

At the end of the day, these are fictional characters that have unrealistic abilities. However, the message females are subconsciously receiving from these characters are still wildly empowering.As these female characters, today, hit the big screen i hope that young girls are starting to aspire to be like them similarly to how boys have been with characters for years. SO, for all you ladies reading this, know that you are not weaker than your male counterparts. You can defend yourself (and look good while doing it!) and you should believe that you are capable of being more than just a romantic interest.