There were still many characters that fit that mold, and there still are today, but that wasn’t the only option anymore. A shift began, and many women in superhero comics broke away from their old ways to become more independent.This change happened everywhere in popular culture as the women’s liberation movement gained momentum, and in most fields, this change was gradual. In America on Film, Benshoff and Griffin write that “films of the late 1960s and early 1970s did slowly begin to deal with contemporary issues facing women [and] tentatively celebrate women’s independence and touch on other feminist issues.” The film industry didn’t turn completely feminist all of a sudden, but a steady change was set in motion. The old model was fading away.It was a slow turnaround for teen romance novels too. Linda Christian-Smith finds that in this era more female lead characters wanted some control of their lives. They were frustrated with traditional gender roles and keen for more independence.
