I am frequently asked who had the biggest influence on my life, but I am increasingly unwilling to share my answer because people are always disappointed. They expect my answer to be my parents, a teacher or an historical figure like Helen Keller or Eleanor Roosevelt; so they are stunned to hear the truth.
I probably need to concoct a good, old-fashioned lie as a response, but shouldn’t one be totally honest about something this important (unless, of course, one’s biggest influence in life is Will Ritson)? So, I tell them that the biggest influence on my life, without a doubt, was the entire array of female television characters from the 1970’s: Wonder Woman, Bionic Woman, Charlie’s Angels, Pinky Tuscadero, Maude — even Laverne & Shirley!
If you were an adult during that era of television, then you remember these characters. And, you may or may not have fond memories of them. But, if you were a precocious 8-year-old girl during that era of television, then you actually were these characters! And therein lies their true influence on my life. While being them, I learned about me.
I spent several years as an Angel. And I wasn’t just any Angel. I was the smart Angel, Sabrina Duncan (Kate Jackson’s character). She was adventurous, so I was adventurous. She was tough and intelligent. During my years as Sabrina, I solved various neighborhood crimes. Missing dogs, stolen bicycles and bullies were all dealt with handily during my stint as an Angel, and I learned how to face problems without fear.
Michigan was never the same after my summer as Pinky Tuscadero. I bet you didn’t know that a yellow, banana-seat bicycle could win a demolition derby. With my dad’s old, red bandana as my scarf, I trained two neighborhood girls to respond to my snap and point maneuver; unfortunately, they quickly realized that Pinky was the only winner in that game. I learned important lessons about leadership and loyalty during my reign as Pinky.
During my short time as Bionic Woman, I gained the knowledge that I could do the same things the boys were doing. In fact, I learned that I could run faster than all of the boys in my grade. I may have been naturally faster than the boys I challenged to races, but I prefer to think that the bionic “Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch” noises I made as I ran gave me the extra power to win.
And, finally, whenever life got me down, I would simply spin in circles, round and round and round, transforming myself into Wonder Woman. I could handle anything as Wonder Woman, including serious matters like the death of my cat, the loss of my best pearly marble in an unfair shootout, and the move to a new school after the second grade. Wonder Woman didn’t let minor setbacks deter her in any way. Of course, I also had to master a lasso during my Wonder Woman days, a skill that came in handy when earning a Girl Scout badge years later.
The bottom line: I watched a wealth of strong women on television during my first ten years of life, and I tried my best to emulate the strengths of every one of them. I was a kid who loved role-playing, and these characters gave me more material than I could ever incorporate into my young life. Real or not, because of them I entered adulthood believing that I could do anything.
