By now, we’ve all heard the news that “Wonder Woman” is breaking international records and Hollywood’s assumptions about female superheroes and the heroic female directors that bring them to screens.
But it might have been hard to measure the film’s impact on viewers, especially the blockbuster movie’s youngest ones, and how they feel about a female superhero.
Now, thanks to a viral Tumblr post from a kindergarten teacher documenting how her students reacted during the opening week of “Wonder Woman,” we have some insight into how the kids growing up in “Generation Alpha” — born after 2011 — view gender in a world where “Wonder Woman” is on movie theater screens across America.
Within a week of the movie being released, a boy who was obsessed with Iron Man told his teacher that he had asked his parents for a new Wonder Woman lunchbox, according to the teacher’s note.
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A little girl in the class said that when she grows up, she wants to speak hundreds of languages like the character Diana in the film. The same girl also traded her entire “Beauty & the Beast” themed birthday party in for a “Wonder Woman” theme just days ahead of the celebration, swapping out an old fashioned, patriarchal fairy tale for a new, empowered story.
One tough little student refused to answer to any name other than Wonder Woman, while another asked permission to wear the Wonder Woman uniform so she could be prepared to save the world, the teacher shared.
The list goes on, with boys and girls alike showing that the very idea of a female superhero has changed old notions of power and heroism, and empowered young girls — even in their kindergarten classrooms.
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“Consider this your friendly reminder that if this movie completely changed the way these girls and boys thought about themselves and the world in a week,” the teacher wrote on Tumblr, “imagine what the next generation will achieve if we give them more movies like ‘Wonder Woman.’”
The Tumblr post made the rounds on the internet after it was posted; “Wonder Woman” director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot both retweeted it.
“My producer just sent me this... ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! This makes every hard day worth it. Thank you to whomever wrote it!!” Jenkins wrote.
Wow the last paragraph really gave me the chills.
— Gal Gadot (@GalGadot) June 11, 2017
So true. So powerful. Gives me a huge drive to dive in and work on the next one..🙏🏻 https://t.co/mI4hYfbNkV