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 the most recognizable Mexican painter of the past century. That bold brow, traditional Mexican garb and piercing stare are undeniably Frida in a way that makes her completely unique among other artists. She’s also one of the most widely portrayed Mexican figures of all time. Her image adorns everything from tee-shirts and jewelry to murals and makeup. Her image is so recognizable that flower crowns, red lipstick, and ungroomed eyebrows will forever have an association with the artist.

To add to the Frida imagery in our world, a new mural featuring the famous artista has just been unveiled in Mexico and she has never looked better.

Painted by Irish artist Fin DAC, the mural portrays Frida Kahlo in bold primary colors and traditional Mexican dress.

Twitter / @la_linea

The artwork is named “Magdalena” and is located in Guadalajara — the capital of Jalisco. In the mural, Frida is represented with a full-body image, hands placed together in front of her as if in prayer. Vibrant flowers and butterflies adorn her like a crown in true Frida fashion.

She wears a huipil (a multicolored blouse traditionally found in southern Mexico), a pink shawl and a long blue skirt accentuated with various-sized skulls. The ten-story mural also depicts the artist with a blue mask across her eyes. This is artist Fin DAC’s signature that he adds to all of his pieces and works to enhance the dark stare that Frida gives viewers.

The artist responsible for this mural has lots of experience creating urban art in Latin America.

Twitter / @BrasilEFE

Between 2012 and 2017, Fin DAC visited Latin America several times. He created six murals total in Colombia and Brazil during that time. This is his first time creating art in Mexico. The artistic is known for his style — called “Urban Aesthetics” —  and has made art on the streets of five different continents. His images also include women dressed in the native costume of their countries and are finished with his signature mask.

The artist explained the reasoning for his attention to national traditions to Mexanist. He said:

“No matter the culture and nationality for me, I am more interested in the type of clothing typical of each place, each country and each place has something to offer and show in this sense.”

For Fin DAC, the choice to depict Frida on this wall was an easy one. The artist explained that her own artwork always sought to exalt the women it depicted — much like his own. Frida’s own famous way of dressing always incorporated traditional Mexican costuming too so the decision to paint the famous Mexican for this piece was “almost obvious” to the painter.

The artist was invited to create this mural as part of celebrations for the Despertares Impulsa dance festival.

Instagram / @findac

Created by famous Mexican dancer, Isaac Hernández, the Despertares Impulsa dance festival began as a way to gather and stimulate the creative industry in Mexico. With the backing of the Mexican National Institute of Fine Arts, the event offers performances, workshops, lectures, master classes and meet and greets. The festival also offers opportunities for free auditions to different international dance companies.

Fin DAC was invited to create this piece by the director of Despertares Impulsa. The image was painted on a wall facing Chapultepec Avenue — a busy street that receives lots of traffic in the urban area. Fin DAC choose this location purposefully for this reason.

“When you see a spectacular advertising pole,” he said, “You see an image trying to sell you something you don’t need, but it makes you feel like you want it. (On the other hand) when you see a piece of art on the street it brings you a moment of happiness and peace, nothing from the advertising you see will make you happy, but art can definitely do it.

The mural was officially unveiled on July 15th, 2019 as part of the festival’s celebrations.

Twitter / @findac

The unveiling comes at a time of year significant to Frida fans. July 6th was the 112th anniversary of the artist’s birth. The 65th anniversary of her passing also happened this past month on the 13th of July. As such, this beautiful mural is an appropriate gift to honor the late Mexican artist.