Lynda Carter has forever written her name in Hollywood history thanks to her role as Princess Diana, also known as Wonder Woman and Diana Prince. She played the iconic superhero in a TV show that ran for four years (1975-1979), but her legacy lives on. She was born in 1951 in Phoenix, Arizona. Besides being a great person and an actress, she is also known for being a singer, songwriter, model, and beauty pageant titleholder. Having been born close to the border, it comes as no surprise that she has Latino heritage. 

Here are some of the reasons that make us say that she is the best Wonder Woman in history (sorry, Gal Gadot, absolutely no disrespect to you!). Reading her story one can’t stop but think of the words that Antiope told Diana in the Wonder Woman movie: “You are stronger than you believe. You have greater powers than you know.”

She is genuinely a good human being.

Just take this photo as an example. Here, she is all smiles with her successor, Israeli sensation Gal Gadot. She doesn’t seem to be too fussed about pasar la batuta and is like the aunt we all wish we had in wishing happy birthday to the new Mujer Maravilla. 

She is proud of her Mexican heritage.

Yes, that’s right. Her full name is Linda Jean Córdova Carter! Her dad has Irish-Scottish heritage, and her mom Juanita was the daughter of a Mexican family. 

She married the love of her life, a romantic role-model for us all.

Just a few human beings are lucky enough to find the love of their life. Lynda married talent agent Ron Samuels in 1977, but the marriage only lasted five years. She then met her everything: lawyer Robert A. Altman, who she married in 1984. After the wedding, she left Hollywood in 1985 and moved to Washington. The couple has two children: James and Jessica. 

She embodied women’s new role in society.

Lynda has always been a great supporter of women’s rights, and she takes every opportunity, such as International Women’s Day, to sat so. After all, she embodied an amazing female superhero in a day and age when women were trying to break free from the manacles of traditional gender roles. 

She is an ally of the LGBTQ+ community.

Carter often attends Pride Marches and has used her standing as a cultural icon in the United States to speak out against discrimination. She was the Grand Marshal for the 2011 Phoenix Pride Parade and the 2011 New York Pride Parades. She had the same role in the 2013 Capital Pride Parade in Washington. She has said: “Every gay reader understands the secret self that is full and wonderful and has longing and tenderness and a desire for connection to other people. I think that arguments against gay marriage are just ridiculous! Who cares? People want to get married for the same reason I wanted to get married. They want to do it in front of their friends and family.” 

She is super friendly with fans.

Even if she left Hollywood in 1985 to raise her family, Lynda Carter is currently a constant feature in fan conventions and Comic-Con events across the country. She is truly different from many of those arrogant celebrities who see fans as a necessary evil. Lynda, on the contrary, is happy to sign autographs and smile for the occasional fan selfie. We love you, Lynda! 

She has recovered from alcohol and drug addiction and helps others stay on the wagon.

Showbiz brings many pressures and temptations both to those who are looking for a breakthrough and for those who have established a career. Lynda is a recovering alcoholic who found the strength to quit due to her husband’s unmovable support. She stated in an interview: “After 18 years of recovery, I live every day with immense gratitude. I am forever thankful for my family and friends who stood by me and encouraged me… and for those who helped me heal.” This requires true superpowers and belief in oneself. Good for you, Lynda! She has been sober for 20 years and often speaks at events where she encourages others to find their inner strength and do the same. 

She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame since 2018.

It kind of sucks that a new version of Wonder Woman had to come out in the cinema for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to give Lynda Carter her much deserved Hollywood Walk of Fame star. It happened on April 3, 2018, and it was unveiled by Patty Jenkins, the director of the 2018 fantastic superhero feminist extravaganza Wonder Woman. 

Boys had Superman, girls had the much cooler Wonder Woman.

It must have sucked to be a girl in the pre-Wonder Woman era when it comes to role models. Boys had plenty to choose from, with the alien Superman being perhaps the most famous of them all. Wonder Woman was much, much cooler though: she belonged to an ancient tribe of Amazon warriors who lived in a matriarchy, and she passed as Diana Prince, a slightly geeky but also a sexy woman. Superman is a nerd in comparison, and don’t get us started on lame Clark Kent. 

She was a hipster before hipsters existed.

We mean, just look at how she wears those big frames and that cute choker scarf. Giving us Williamsburg vibes from the past! She was goofy and cute and amazing in her 1970s incarnation of Princess Diana. 

She was a body positivity queen.

In this day and age when the fashion and entertainment industry promotes unhealthy ideals when it comes to body type, it is a good idea to remember Lynda Carter and how sure she was of her womanly body. Bodies come in all shapes and sizes, and Lynda Carter just was comfortable in hers. Frame this kickass quote: “My only interest in women’s clothes is what’s underneath them.” 

And now she wears her wrinkles with grace and pride.

There are few things more empowering than a woman who fills at ease in her body. Carter is 67 and looks stunning: she wears those wrinkles as signs of her wisdom and maturity, as a testament of the many obstacles she has faced in her life, such as recovering from addiction. 

She was a beauty queen and for good reason: brains and looks, she has it all.

Before becoming a Hollywood celeb, Lynda first captured the country’s imagination as a beauty queen. Carter won a local Arizona beauty contest in 1972, and then went on to win the title of Miss World USA in that same year. 

She has an awesome explanation of why Wonder Woman is an ageless symbol of girl power.

She says that contrary to other female superheroes, Wonder Woman actually understands female identity. Of other superheroes, she said: “they’re not showcasing any of the tremendous dichotomies that women possess in term of softness and toughness, sweetness and grit, inner and outer strength.” And yes, our dear Princess Diana shows all of these qualities!

READ: Wonder Woman Isn’t The Only Latina Superhero To Be On Display At The Smithsonian In Washington

Frida Kahlo is an iconic member of the Latino community. As an artist, she continues to inspire millions of people from around the world. She stood up for herself and her sexuality in a time when people just didn’t allow for people to be themselves. Kahlo is a controversial figure at times but, overall, she shows the world that we can do anything we want as long s we have the drive and determination to get there.

Her style is one thing everyone remembers about the artist. She was a fashion icon without trying. Everyone has seen Kahlo in her floral crowns and dresses. We also know her in her suits and cropped hair. Her drastic changes in her style were all intentional.

Frida Kahlo first started dictating her dress based on her deformities and injuries.

Kahlo was the victim of several health issues that altered her body. To hide these imperfections, Kahlo altered her clothing to create illusions that hid the physical manifestations of her health issues.

One clothing alteration Kahlo relied on was a heel on her right shoe.

As a young child, Kahlo contracted polio in her right leg. The disease, which has been largely eradicated in the world thanks to vaccinations, caused her right leg to be smaller than her left leg.

She also layered her socks to help hid her right leg.

Her ingenuity with her clothing and her vision on how to create the form she wanted you to see is very telling. Her art was something she clearly always felt.

Young Kahlo would also wear her suits to challenge society.

She refused to be defined by society and the mainstream vision of femininity and womanhood. She wanted to be defined as herself and wearing a suit provided the artist with a way to stand up for herself.

Diego Rivera was a major factor in how the artist portrayed herself to the world.

When Rivera and Kahlo were together, Kahlo wore flowers in her hair and traditional Mexican dresses. She offered Rivera what he thought was beautiful.

Kahlo’s life without Rivera saw her living as the opposite of his desires.

When Rivera, who was frequently cheating on Kahlo, was out of Kahlo’s life, she would wear suits and cut her hair short. She knew that Rivera disliked her looking like this so she intentionally did so to displease him when they were apart.

Kahlo’s style evolution was cyclical and ever-changing. She constantly blurred the line between femininity and masculinity always leaving society scratching their heads.

Watch the video of Frida Kahlo’s style below.

READ: For Frida Kahlo’s Birthday This Is An Ode To All Of The Cakes Made In Her Honor