40 Celebrities We Need To Keep Safe From 2016

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – MAY 24: Honoree Lynda Carter attends the 41st Annual Gracie Awards at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 24, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Alliance for Women in Media )

17. Lynda Carter

Every journey starts with a single step, and my path to geek culture and feminism both started with Wonder Woman. Of all the women who have played the Amazonian princess over the years, from Susan Eisenberg to Gal Gadot, Lynda Carter is the most iconic.

Before she donned the famous star spangled uniform, Lynda Carter was a beauty queen trying to get a music career started. After winning Miss World USA, she took acting classes in New York and appeared in a few TV shows and B movies. Within a couple of years, she landed the role that would change her life (and mine.)

I was just a kid when the Wonder Woman TV show made its debut. Even though it only aired for three seasons (all of which I have on DVD), it had a lasting impact on me. Back then, I would spin and spin until I became dizzy the way Diana Prince did when she transformed into Wonder Woman. Anyone who knows me now knows that I am obsessed with Wonder Woman. T-shirts, keychains, Funko Pop figures, pint glasses…if it’s got Wonder Woman on it, I either own it or want it.

Because of her role as Wonder Woman, I’ve been a fan of Lynda Carter for decades. She’s still acting, appearing in TV shows, movies, and theater as well as doing voice-over work. Her loyalty to DC runs deep, leading her to a role in Smallville several years ago and a role as the President of the United States in the upcoming season of Supergirl. She’s still singing too, and has spent the past several years singing in jazz clubs across the country. She also wrote and recorded some original songs for the Fallout 4 soundtrack released last year.

Lynda Carter, my first and favorite Wonder Woman, is a beautiful woman inside and out. She’s only 65, so let’s hope she’ll be around for another 30 years.

-April

Next: Tina Turner