Dear Marvel, DC, and all the other comic book makers,
And mostly to all the movie producers -
Today I was blessed to be able to see Diana Nyad complete her what-will-become-legendary swim from Cuba to the Florida Keys.
As far as I know, one news channel carried the finish live.
Why?
Is it because female superheroes are supposed to be stacked? Is it because a woman who is strong enough to complete something so rigorous should not be hailed? Rather, instead, we teach our sons and daughters to fear what isn't beautiful, and ignore the truly amazing and inspiring people that should represent what Truly Is Possible?
Or is it because we've conditioned a society to pay money to see what 'perfect' and even 'ideal' is?
I have an idea.
Let's base a new generation of superheroes on the men and women in America whose superpowers involve selfless acts of courage, feats off incredible emotional strength, and the rarely found magic of creativity.
It is an act worthy of superheroes when someone does something amazing for someone else, then stands on the sidelines.
There are no newspaper articles. There is no news coverage or paparazzi. There is no makeup, CGI, or plastic surgery. Years down the road, someone might ask "Hey didn't you..."
The tragedy of all this is that there is no recognition, no accolades...
No honor conferred to a task worth remembering.
You (the movie producers and graphic novel writers) don't put these amazing men and women THAT ACTUALLY EXISTED in front of our sons and daughters to aspire to true greatness.
Instead, the news focuses on the bombers and what latest Hollywood movie we can expect.
No truth in inspiring things.
So, in closing, Hollywood I challenge you. Bring me a heroine that I can point to a on the screen and tell my daughter "See her, baby? She was a real superhero. Let me tell you about the amazing things she did. She. Was. Strong. In every way a woman should be. She was inspiration."
Hollywood, give me a superhero that I can show my son and tell him "See that? Powerful does not mean rich or politically allied. It means that you always treat others with respect, and live to lift others up when they fall. But that most of all, you are a gentleman."
True power is not a magical gift. It is victory over incredible odds, then taking that victory and helping others in their own struggles to achieve their own victories. Without seeking accolades.
So, in your anticipated silent response, Hollywood, I will continue to find the people who are everyday extraordinary and teach my children that's what it means to be a superhero. Not some pretty boy with a team of support that turns stories into reality, or some stuffed shirt version of the perfect woman, who doesn't do anything without screaming or crying.
I will teach my children that the real superheroes are the ones who turn reality into a story to be told to our children and our children's children. The legends in my own time, whose faces are rarely known.
Mommy (struggling superhero to two amazing children)
