dhaskoi:

You won’t be Supergirl forever, is what Cat wants to say in
that moment, when Kara comes dangerously close to revealing how personal the name Cat chose really is to her.  You are not trapped within
that name for life – you can reinvent yourself (god knows Cat has, gossip
columnist to talk show host to CEO, failed wife to successful mother).  But for now, just for now, it will be
useful.  Yes it will make people
underestimate you.  Yes it is a
diminutive – and despite Cat’s own speech on reclaiming these words the truth
is that the insult never really goes away; it’s better to dispose of it than
pander to it.  But it makes you
friendly.  It makes you seem safe,
accessible – an ally.

Little girls will stare up into the sky and dream of being
you – a girl like them, except that this girl flys.  They will play
Supergirl in schoolyards and parks and at home.
No boy will tell them that they can’t play because only boys can be
Superman – and who knows how many boys will want to be Supergirl?
More than a few, Cat suspects.

It will buy you the time and goodwill you will need,
stumbling through these early days of learning to be a hero.  It will guard against fear and suspicion you
do not deserve.  So yes, for now, be
Supergirl.

It is a beginning, but it is not nearly all that you will
be.

In time you will be so much more.