WONDER WOMAN

Marion Pellicano Ambrose

I recently posted “I am Wonder Woman, I wonder where my keys are, I wonder how I gained weight, I sometimes wonder why I wonder” on my Facebook page. I received a few “me too’s” from friends of mine. It made me start to think about it little differently.

Wonder Woman was born in 1941 during the era of male superheroes. Originally she fought the Axis Powers of WW II and later evolved into the crime fighter she was most famous for being. She was the first woman superhero to be admitted into the League of Justice, and showed that a woman could not only aspire to be the equal of a man, but in many cases she could be superior. She attributed her success to the ability to utilize her brain power. (Of course her super strength, lasso of truth, and ability to run at 80 mph didn’t hurt either!)

There were many times in my life that I felt like I was battling evil bosses, I mean forces, who I knew I beat both in IQ and ability. When I first moved to Florida, it was too late in the year to get a teaching job so I worked in a jeans factory. The boss was an egocentric, demanding, unreasonable sexist who treated the “girls” like dirt. I was amazed at the way they took his abusive language and demands. Then I realized that they had no choice. They weren’t trained for another job and desperately needed the money for their families. I knew this was a short term situation for me and refused to let him treat me this way. When he tried his tactics on me I turned it right around on him and , if I say so myself, adeptly tore him to shreds. The next day my supervisor called me in the back for a “talk”. I knew I was about to get the boot. Instead, she asked me if I was interested in a manager’s position. The boss was impressed with me and thought I was a prime candidate to manage the store.  I was shocked, and wished I could have taken it if just to  help the other women to improve their working conditions, but I was hell bent on getting a full time teaching position.

I’ve also had my own experience with the lasso of truth. Most teachers will tell you the same thing. We really do have eyes in the back of our heads and we know when a child is lying. Honest! I admit, it’s more experience, education in psychology and child development, and teacher’s intuition rather than a magic rope! If you watch the show “Lie to Me” you’ll learn some of our techniques. Moms also seem to have this same super power, so never lie to your mom!

I’ve discussed this with many of my friends, and I can tell you that women, at least the ones I know, have become adept at deflecting things with our silver bracelets! Actually, we don’t have the magic jewelry, but we’ve had to learn to let some pretty mean comments bounce off us. These comments may come from husbands (not mine thank God), our friends, or colleagues, but most often come from our children.  Someone may tell you that you look “older” or that your jeans make you look “fat” but nothing wounds more than having your child say they hate you. Unfortunately, almost all of my friends have had this experience. We’ve learned to let these comments ping off our heart-protecting bracelets and always, always forgive, even if we can’t forget.

So now that I think about it, most of us are Wonder Women! We’re the generation of “I can do it.” Look at Barbara’s Soul Food, it’s our reminder that we are empowered and we can achieve our goals. So fellow women, put on your golden tiara, your shiny red boots and lots and lots of red lipstick, and show the world the Amazons we really are! We are Wonder women!