While Stan Lee was the force behind many of the most popular superheroes out there — from Iron Man to Black Panther — it’s clear that the vast majority of them are men.
This leaves girls and women with only a handful of heroes that look like them like Wonder Woman, Super Girl and Captain Marvel.
But a new study from BBC America and the Women’s Media Center found there’s a real-world connection between young girls seeing female superheroes on the big screen and their view of themselves and what they are capable of. From lacking confidence to not pursuing certain types of careers, girls — particularly teenage girls — will often describe themselves as not brave or listened to.
The Show spoke with Courtney Thomasma about this, she’s the vice president of research for BBC America and was one of the leaders on the project.
