Why the Supergirl Trailer Is Awesome for Women and Girls

Some background on me: I was a huge Lois & Clark fan. That’s how the owner of this site and I met. I went on to become a huge fan of Smallville, until about the 5th season when I gave up on it. I like watching The Flash, Gotham, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; I gave up on Arrow after about 6 episodes. I hated the first 20 minutes of the David E. Kelley Wonder Woman pilot so much that I didn’t watch the rest. I am a mom; I do not have time to slog through 6-8 episodes for “the show to get good.” I have dishes to do. And pictures of my kids to post on Instagram. #priorities

I enjoy watching shows with strong female characters (see: Parks & Recreation, Scandal, Alias, Elementary, The Mindy Project, Jane the Virgin, Agent Carter). I love TV. I am a mom in her 30s to an 8-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl. I am married to the arguably the biggest comic book geek ever (it really is a tie between my husband and the owner of this website). I am interested in more TV that I can watch with my kids.

Supergirl, if it executes a full-length episode as well as the 6-minute trailer I saw, could fit the bill. Some reasons why it gives me hope for real, smart girl girls who want to see themselves on television:

She made the decision to become Supergirl on her own. Obviously the shadow of Superman is going to loom heavily on Kara, both on the show and in real-life media and critiques. One of the first images in this trailer is baby Kal-El. But it was important to show her as someone who didn’t want to ride on her family member’s coattails, or be coaxed into it by said family member, or even be drawn to it for fame and fortune. It is okay for girls to want something bigger than themselves, and to make a difference in the world.

Her costume and makeup doesn’t look like a chauvinist sex fantasy. No offense to most of the comic book artists out there, but: Many of you really don’t know what a woman should wear when she’s exerting lots of energy, contorting her body, and moving a lot. As a mom who doesn’t usually wear makeup, and whose regular outfit is Toms, a nursing shirt, and yoga pants: This version of Supergirl’s costume is awesome. She looks comfortable. Her skirt is short, but longer than your average cheerleader’s. It looks like something she can kick butt in, without flashing a breast or butt crack. Her boots’ heel looks about as tall as Dean Cain’s.* (Yes, I did watch that closely. I mean: Dean Cain. Am I right?)

There are several main characters who are women. I am sick of supposed “female shows” that have one female main character and everyone else is male. (I’m looking at you, The Mindy Project.) You know you might be watching a feminist TV show when you’ve seen the main character interacting with other women at work and at home. The only feminine character this show might be missing is a mother figure, but maybe we’ll get Laura Benanti (Alura Zor-El, Kara’s Kryptonian mother) in some flashback scenes. Laura Benanti is pretty awesome. I know this because in that live version of The Sound of Music, she played Frau Schrader and she was the warmest presence on screen. As Frau Schrader. Anyway. We also have an adoptive sister and Calista Flockhart as Cat Grant. A friend told me Calista will probably steal every scene she appears in. I wholeheartedly endorse this. Especially if she espouses the virtues of being a girl. And a smart girl at that. Hurray for the Evolved Ally McBeal!

Not every man her age appears to be in love with her. Okay, so there’s the one guy who appears to have been friend-zoned. And admittedly, I haven’t read any spoilers and don’t know what’s going on with her and Jimmy – excuse me, JAMES Olsen. But there were no clips of men objectifying her, only men who spoke to her like she is an adult. Maybe the general was being a little condescending. But he’s a general. A general might also be condescending to Superman.

It’s not just for kids. When my 3-year-old watched the trailer, she was confused. “But. Supergirl is supposed to be for kids!” This Supergirl has real emotions and acts like a normal 20-something. She seems a little emotionally stunted, but you would be too if you had to hide your true self all your life. (And on that note, does she tell EVERYONE SHE KNOWS she’s Supergirl? Sheesh!) I’m looking forward to seeing this girl (woman) grow and mature as she explores being Supergirl. We’ve come a long way from Lois & Clark, which seemed to have an identity crisis because it came off sometimes like a romantic comedy that had elements of cartoon-ish villainous subplots thrown in. I think the success of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter (along with all of the superhero movies that have been released in the past decade) have shown that it’s not just children and teens who watch superhero shows and movies. And it’s possible to write a superhero movie with characters that have real emotions and lives but just also happen to live in a world with a superhero in it.

All in all, I was a little skeptical about this series, but I believe the recent successes of Arrow, The Flash, and Gotham have shown that superhero shows from the DC universe can be complex and entertaining. This family will definitely tune in to watch when it premieres.

* Eeeeee! Dean Cain plays Fred Danvers, Kara’s dad in this! And Helen Slater, the Kara from the Supergirl live-action movie, plays her mother.