For the most part, my childhood heroes were male. But when I found out there was a Bionic Woman sequel to the Bionic Man series I was thrilled. I thought it was cool that there was a strong, superhuman woman that could do superhuman feats — rescuing people, catching the bad guys, and saving the world. And Jamie Somers (as she was known in the real world) didn’t even kowtow to her counterpart and onscreen boyfriend, bionic man Steve Austin.

Even as a young girl, though, I did notice that Jamie had her blonde, confused moments, and I was disappointed because I wanted her to be 100% strong. As a young girl I identified with physically strong characters which generally happened to be men. But in the Bionic Woman and Wonder Woman (who I also admired) I could see strong women. They made me feel it was okay to want to kick ass, to win over a boy with my physical prowess and to keep from crying — or all three at once.

-Jane McGill

For more information, check out the Bionic Woman Files.

Come back tomorrow to learn about a fictional heroine who created her own adventures in one of New York’s most famous hotels.

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