Wonder Woman of the Week: Jane Fonda

In the early 2000's a wave of commercials touted a fictional "most interesting man in the world" as a faux spokesman for a Mexican beer company- but recent memories of those commercials had me thinking about what real life woman alive today could be considered the most interesting woman in the world. And after spending days in thought, there was only one name that came to mind- someone sophisticated, but respected among all walks of life (from actors to warlords)- who is well traveled- not just to resorts but to war zones and impoverished neighborhoods across the world- someone who has marched on picket lines, crafted brutal political satire, developed impeccable art (loved by both academics and the masses), and who possesses a level of charisma that should have launched them into a career of being a cult leader- but who instead uses that charisma to help people without judgement. The most interesting woman in the world- and our Wonder Woman of the Week- is Jane Fonda.

Jane Fonda is an award winning actress with decades of work behind her starting with a series of films in her late 20's and early 30's that traded on her sex appeal including cult classic Barbarella in whichFonda portrays a woman not sexually liberated nor sexually victimized, but a sexually liberated woman whose entire personality is built around a science fiction world in which women are sexually free by default- a choice Fonda herself made and which made the film the cult classic it became. Fonda approached every role in her life the same way which included work in social and political campaigns. Fonda was a firm anti-Vietnam War activist who traveled to North Vietnam to meet with the NVA Army, led protests in support of the Black Panther Party, marched in parades in support of LTBGQ+ civil rights after the death of Harvey Milk, traveled to Palestine and Israel to meet with activists from both groups, and so much more.

Fonda earned respect from everyone who met her- probably because of her personality built on quietly demanding people accept her for who she is- even her enemies. Even today, Fonda is on the frontlines of protests against the Trump administration, the unregulated use of AI in the arts, environmental destruction, and Native American civil, environmental, and land ownership rights. On top of all of that, Fonda was arrested in 1970 when she became a target of the Nixon Administration, and uses her mugshot from the arrest as a personal badge of pride.