I noticed there are a lot of super hero movies out within the last couple of years – possibly a reflection of the Iran conflict. Most these films seem to highlight the male gender as the super hero. These heroes of course are strong and willing to defend us at any cost . However, very few super hero movies even suggest a female lead – and if they do their appearance seems just as important as their super powers, e.g., the movie Cat Woman. “It is often argued—and accepted—that women, being the “gentler sex”, and typically being the main care givers in society, are less aggressive than men. (http://www.globalissues.org/HumanRights/WomensRights.asp). This character was made from the Batman movie and series where she was an anti-hero and love interest of Batman. However, in 2006 a movie “My Super Ex-Girlfriend” was out and grossed $22,530,295 in the United States (Wikipedia.com). This movie was not your typical super hero story. At the beginning it’s a love story and Jenny confesses to her new love that she has super powers. He is not totally interested in her because she can be clumsy. Things get ugly when Jenny gets jealous and uses her super powers on her now X-boyfriend. She becomes very bitter and neurotic and stalks her X. My question is why can’t a female be seen in a legitimate super power role without appearing neurotic or clumsy and out of place or a beauty? “Even when the newspapers do cover powerful women such as Oprah Winfrey, the stories often focus more on women’s appearance and personal lives than on their success and power” (p.269, Wood). The media just won’t have a powerful woman just be powerful and not be filled with too many flaws or appearance concerns to be valid – not even a super hero. For instance I am reminded by Alex’s post several weeks ago that has to do with Hilary Clinton…Every moment Hillary was in front of the camera was magnified. What she wore and her hair style were just as important as what her issues were in the media. And the moment she showed a little emotion – which I think was forced on her by the media, she was deemed too sensitive and not a candidate for president. She could not win. “Women’s professional status can be erased by on-air comments that demean women’s professionalism and emphasize their sexuality” (p.268, Wood). I am not saying her issues were one’s I believe in or not, however, I feel that the media had a big part in pulling her credibility apart to invalidate her goal for the presidency. The bottom line is that the media reflects our history but also affects how we see and interpret things. Therefore media does have a responsibility to show women in more positive roles for the current media consumers; and so that as children grow and interpret gender they can also see the possibility of a woman president.