girlslovesuperheroes:

I meet a lot of awesome little kids at conventions, and honestly, they are one of my favourite parts of those weekends. They give the best reactions — Batgirl fans throwing out the classic “EEE!” when they see our Batgirl, little girls climbing all over our Wonder Woman and tugging at her lasso, mini Supergirls putting their fists up to look strong. Girls love superheroes, and I delight every time I see little girls at conventions.

One of my favourite moments was when a girl proudly informed me that Martian Manhunter was her favourite superhero. Of all characters, Martian Manhunter, this great hulking green guy with a funny outfit, was beloved by a tiny little girl. She and her sisters bickered over who was the best in the Justice League right in front of us. I loved it. Five minutes later, our Batgirl had a brief conversation with a little girl about strength and being powerful. I’ve gotten dating advice from eight year olds –– “Kara, don’t see bad boys. Bad boys aren’t good.” Wonder Woman has crossed bracelets with many Wonder Girls. I’ve held tiny baby girls in teeny Superman rompers and been awed by the number of girls who proudly proclaim they met the real one that day. How could anyone think that superheroes are only for boys?

I have pictures of many of the kids we’ve posed with, talked to and played with, but I don’t feel right posting a face picture of someone else’s kid online. This one, however, I can share. This girl was pretty awesome — she marched right up to me at Wizard World Toronto 2011 and had her dad fish out a pen and a printed out picture of Supergirl to get my autograph. She schooled me when I stumbled over the spelling of her name, and then she marched off to play in Adam West’s Batmobile. There was just something so matter-of-fact about her love for these characters that she’d have planned in advance to get an autograph from Supergirl.

I couldn’t stop smiling the rest of the day.

Girls who love superheroes are the best part of being a superhero on weekends.

-Jenn