But then we've all observed our kids casting themselves in any number of imaginary roles.
And that forms them to a certain degree as kids
And I'm sure as adults too.
I know I got inspiration from the (at the time relatively few) adventurous , and self assured female characters that I read about as a girl
Definitely a case of
"Well if they can, so can I"
And that's definitely carried on even in terms of nowadays.
Younger women than me, having heard about some of the things I've done, have said that it's 'inspired' them to do the same.
The stories we hear and tell about 'people like us' have a strong influence, even if only as a backcloth to the rest of our lives.
Everyone is different. I used to read voraciously as a very young kid, everything from the Beano, The Eagle, Treasure Island, Zane Grey and Charles Dickens, but I can't remember getting any inspiration from the characters or thinking they were remotely like me, except in play acting games such as cowboys & indians, because I knew it was not real life. It was fantasy and escapism.
I fully realise that in the past, fictional heroes were almost always men, except in those middle class books about boarding schools or horses and historical/regency novels, so there was less opportunity for role models for girls.
I have always assumed you are a real person, not a fictional character, so young girls taking inspiration from your real life achievements, or the achievements of someone famous like Helen Sharman or Greta Thunberg, is much more likely than being inspired by Wonder Woman or DI Jane Tennison.
