Girl, 11, demands DC Comics features more female superheroes – so they draw her as one
Rowan's parents say she has always been interested in gender equality issues
Your support helps us to tell the story
As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.
Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.
Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election
Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
DC Comics responded to a girl’s request for more female superheroes by drawing her as one – but she said their replies haven’t appeased her need to campaign for gender equality.
Rowan Hansen had wrote a letter to the creators of Superman and Batman to express her upset by saying: “I love your comics but I would love them a lot more if there were more girls.”
“Please do something about this, girls read comics too and they care,” the 11-year-old from Champaign, Illinois, added according to NBC’s Today show.
A DC Comics artist drew Rowan as a superhero complete with her blonde bob hairstyle and spectacles with a burgundy and yellow outfit to help her fly over a dandelion field.
Previously, they sent out tweets saying that they’re “working hard to create more superhero fun for girls” but she had said that, even though she appreciated the responses, her quest to see more girl characters was not over.
“It was really, really cool, because they’re so big and important people,” she said of the tweets.
“But I thought ‘I don’t want people to think, “Oh, yeah, OK, they responded to her. Now it’s over.” I want people to keep trying to make this happen, because it’s really important to me.”
Her parents Jim Hansen and Renee Trilling said that Rowan has been aware of gender inequality for years.
Mr Hansen told Today: “[She’d ask], ‘Why does Wonder Woman always have to be caught by Superman? Why doesn’t Wonder Woman ever catch Superman?’
“I was like, ‘These are good questions.’”
Rowan was inspired to write the letter after she received 12 Justice League figures for her birthday – of which 10 were male and only two were female.
The DC Comics drawing now takes pride of place over the mantelpiece in the family home.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments