Godless Mom in the Bible Belt

I'm trying to remember when women in pop culture became kick-ass strong.

As a child I remember watching Linda Carter doing the Wonder Woman thing, although her version of ass kicking was rather tame and downright comical by today's standards. There was Erin Grey as Col. Wilma Deering in the Buck Rogers series, but she always needed someone to save her butt when things got really tough. Princess Leia was cool, and while she was handy with a blaster most of her role was administration and command.

I think it was the summer of 1986 when Sigourney Weaver brought us Ripley for the second time around in Aliens. Brave, intelligent, level-headed and buff yet still very much a female. There were no excuses made for her strength, she wasn't an Amazon or genetically modified. She was just an ordinary woman in extraordinary circumstances and she rose to the occasion and opened up a can of whupass!

Every since then we have had a string of physically, mentally and emotionally strong female lead characters. Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy, Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow and Milla Jovovitch as video game heroine Alice to name just a few. The Disney Channel even has Kim Possible, a kid's cartoon version of the same type of character.

Now, here is where my thoughts have taken me. Are these pop culture characters a good type of fictional role model for our young girls? I'm on the fence with this one. On the one hand they are independent and rely on their wits and personal strength to get themselves and those for whom they are responsible out of sticky situations. How can that be a bad thing? On the other hand these women very definitely rely on warfare, weapons and slaughter to achieve their goals. This is not something that I want my little girl thinking is okay or admirable.

I grew up in a time when toy guns were as common as Barbie and cops and robbers was a staple in every child's play repertoire. I can't count how many times I "shot" one of my friends with a toy gun, yet I didn't grow up to be gun totin' she devil. In fact I rather fear guns and have no desire to ever own one, let alone shoot one. My point being that just because a child sees violence on TV and takes part in pretend violence in play doesn't mean that they will grow up and continue that behavior into adulthood. Most of us learn the difference between entertainment and reality at a young age.

I guess the most important thing I can do is try to be the best role model I possibly can be, try to live life honorably and honestly, without using wooden stakes, crossbows or flame-throwers to defeat my foes. Hopefully by the time Liz is old enough to watch this sort of pop culture heroine the values of peace and understanding will be a larger part of her heart than any desire to blow things up.