[The one about a controversial hoodie]
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| Helen Slater as Supergirl [1984] |
Today I am wearing my
super hero hoodie. I love it. It provides both physical warmth and inner
strength with its iconic bright blue, yellow and red colours. When I wear my
hoodie I am empowered. I walk down the street and women quietly smile at me.
Girls stare in awe. On the flipside of things little boys and grown men stop me
in the street and say things like “Hey! You’re a girl. Why are you wearing a
Superman jumper?” “Shouldn’t you be wearing a Wonder Woman top?” “Hey, it’s
Superman!” comments such as this make me feel like I’ve accidentally wandered
into the men’s toilet [and believe me I know, as in a desperate moment I have
actually done that]. It’s as though by wearing this one garment I’m defying the
imaginary laws of gender.
Now don’t get me
wrong. I love Superman. One of many highlights of my 80s childhood was watching
Christopher Reeves play Superman, opposite Margot Kidder on the silver screen.
Another important highlight was seeing Supergirl come to life in the form of
Helen Slater. The much slated [Yeah, yeah! I’m a terrible one for puns]
Supergirl film moved me because there was an example of a girl-woman taking
control of her life and becoming a peaceful and powerful person. Plus she could
fly and wear a cape, how cool was that!
Supergirl shouldered
responsibility and saved the world without the interference/help [depending on
how you want to look at it] of a man. Not even her cousin, Superman was around
to patronise her. And even though, along the way, there were men treating
Supergirl as a sexual plaything, she stood her ground and pushed back.
But that was then
[1984] and this is now [2014] and okay, so maybe not everyone is going to
remember Helen Slater’s Supergirl. Surely though with Supergirl appearing in
other more recent television programs, she would not have fallen completely
into a pop cultural black hole. Or did she?
At the end of it all
a thought will continue to badger this girl-woman. Why after all this time will
some guys feel the need to question my right to wear a symbol of power and
strength? Let’s face it, that’s at the core of this hoodie pickle. I feel like
they’re telling me that the super symbol does not belong on a female.
I may never
understand the psychology behind this gender stuff. But no matter how many
times I am stopped in the street by the opposite sex I will continue to wear my
super hoodie till there’s nothing left of it. If nothing else I want my
daughters to believe that Supergirl exists and that she belongs in that hoodie.
