Ever since Wonder Woman came out two weeks ago, every news source, blogger, water cooler coworker, neighbor, and Facebook friend you haven’t talked to in 6 years, has something to say about it. Whether it be overwhelming praise, judgments on the levels of feminism the movie actually portrays, or even rare criticism of the film, like most movies, everyone has an opinion. But I’m here to talk about the views that you don’t see Reddit threads or think-pieces for; I’m here to talk about the kids.

First, I’d like to highlight what many of these posts and articles online are consistently pointing out (and are right about) since certain facts are indisputable.

Now, what were Wonder Woman’s numbers?

Patty Jenkins directed Wonder Woman - only the second female director ever to have a budget over $100 million The screenplay writer and all three story-by writers were men. There were no female writers for this movie. Of course, Gal Gadot as Diana is a (powerful!) female protagonist.

So yes, the 2016 statistics above are shocking. And yes, Wonder Woman does an excellent job at breaking through those barriers. And yes (a third time), Wonder Woman probably should have had a female writer.

Does this mean female directors and protagonists will achieve a greater equality in Hollywood as a direct result of this film? Maybe, maybe not - you can debate it all you want. Because while you’re praising or critiquing Diana’s stance on feminism mid-movie, the child next to you is doing something much more powerful: imagining themselves as her.

Role Models.

Role models have always played an important role for children. If you ask a child what they want to be when they grow up, they usually name an occupation (or person) of someone they have seen doing that exact thing. For me? I wanted to be a veterinarian ,because the veterinarian I knew made my dog and my hamster magically feel better. She was amazing.

So when director Patty Jenkins retweeted a note from a kindergarten teacher about her students’ reactions, I was incredibly delighted.