Girls need role models. Not just role models who inspire them to be good wives and mothers, but role models who teach them to be captains of industry, do ground breaking research, and maybe even fight bad guys.
Wonder Woman does all of those things for girls—and for boys for that matter—in ways that amount to much more than just punching fascists. Wonder Woman quickly became the highest grossing live-action film ever made by a female director, not to mention that it’s the first female-led superhero film in years. Fans of all ages and genders have been praising the powerful female hero since the movie’s release last month.
But at San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend, it became clear just how much Wonder Woman has meant to an entire generation of little girls. In a video that has gone viral, Wonder Woman lead Gal Gadot greets a little fan who so overwhelmed by meeting her hero that she burst into tears. In the video shared by Variety, we see Gadot’s reaction to the small cosplayer. She is immediately comforting, and tells the girl, “Now we are friends so there is no need to cry anymore, right? We are together.”
.@GalGadot shared a moment with a young Wonder Woman cosplayer while signing autographs with the Justice League at San Diego @Comic_Con pic.twitter.com/KZhucQd0yC
— Variety (@Variety) July 22, 2017
The moment quickly wedged itself in fans’ hearts, inspiring others to share and highlight particularly heartwarming moments inspired by the capable warrior.
https://twitter.com/jesslkeefer/status/869655602049437696
This @Comic_Con, there are so, so, so many little girls dressed as a Wonder Woman and other Amazons. That movie is changing the world a bit.
— Gail Simone 💙💛 (@GailSimone) July 23, 2017
@GalGadot is an all-around role model and real-life Wonder Woman. These movies are so important. Female leads are SO important. https://t.co/ggTUnCkwgY
— Amy🎗️ (@Amy_Dess) July 24, 2017
@GalGadot is an all-around role model and real-life Wonder Woman. These movies are so important. Female leads are SO important. https://t.co/ggTUnCkwgY
— Amy🎗️ (@Amy_Dess) July 24, 2017
A woman who said she’s the little girl’s mother also responded on Twitter, saying that Gadot had provided a memory for her daughter that would last forever.
That was my daughter. She was so happy to meet her that she was tearing up. Gal was so sweet to her. Memories of a lifetime!
— Danica Dreamer (@DanicaDreamer) July 23, 2017
The interaction may seem pretty benign, but to little girls who have seen a boatload of male heroes save the world, it means a lot to have a female hero in the mix. The message Wonder Woman delivers to her young fans is simple, clear, and oh-so-important: The world out there is tough, ladies, but so are we.
H/T Buzzfeed