As a Netflix junkie, a bibliophile, a proud advocate of girl power and a hardcore procrastinator, my logical course of action during pre-finals week was to compile a list of ten of my favorite fictional heroines, in no particular order. I understand that there are some rather glaring exclusions (Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games, Wonder Woman, etc.), but I purposefully chose women who don’t have that whole superpower-action hero thing going for them, because I don’t think a woman needs the added element of violence or coercive force in order to prove or reiterate her strength. These ladies kick ass without, you know, actually kicking anyone’s ass:
Hermione Granger (J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series)-
Hermione Granger is basically every middle school bookworm’s spirit animal. Resourceful and an excellent problem-solver who doesn’t suffer any fools (500 points to Gryffindor for slapping the silly out of Malfoy in Prisoner of Azkaban, amirite), Hermione always has a plan (and another one in case Plan A doesn’t work out). She’s also compassionate, as illustrated in one of the most bizarre and hilarious HP plotlines when she becomes a house-elves’ rights activist in Goblet of Fire, and fiercely loyal to her friends. She is also too busy saving the wizarding world every semester to brush her hair. Personally, what I like best about Hermione is how unapologetically intelligent she is: she’s right, she knows it, and she’ll correct you if you don’t. Because it’s totally Wing-gar-dium Levi-oh-sa, not Levi-oh-sar. Duh.
Leslie Knope (NBC’s Parks & Recreation)-
A proud citizen of the fictitious small town Pawnee, Indiana, Leslie Knope is part of her local government’s Parks & Recreation department (hence the show’s title) amd passionate about making Pawnee the best place it can be. Played by the hilarious Amy Poehler, Leslie is energetic, almost scarily upbeat, and organized (PowerPoint presentations, color-coded binders, and pros-and-cons lists are made for basically everything). Her thoughtfulness and detail-oriented nature, aside from making her amazing at her job, also make her a wonderful friend and getting her presents a stressfull, impossible task because she literally gives the best gifts ever. Focused, competitive, and a proud feminist, Leslie Knope proves that women don’t make good politicians; they make great ones.
Elizabeth Bennet (Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice)-
Regardless of how you feel about Jane Austen novels (this book was once rather charmingly described to me as “amusingly boring”), it is a truth universally acknowledged that Elizabeth Bennet is kind of awesome. She isn’t the prettiest (Jane) or most talented (Mary) of the Bennet sisters, but she has a wicked sense of humor, keen powers of observation, and doesn’t believe in getting married for money or convenience. And, yes, she is the Prejudice being referred to in the title (her bad first impression of the brooding, intense Mr. Darcy biases her) but she eventually realizes she misread him and made a mistake. And then everyone lives happily ever after, but not before she totally shuts him down when he proposes in a scene that I may or may not have seen a dozen times on YouTube. Want some ice for that burn, Darce?
Scarlett O’ Hara (Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind, adapted into an MGM film)-
How do I begin to describe Scarlett O’ Hara? “Controversial” is a good word, but I think “massive bitch” is the right way to start. Scarlett is fiery, spoiled, self-absorbed and in for the shock of her life when her charming Southern upper class world is turned upside down by the Civil War. She scrapes her way back to the top by lying, manipulating, and slapping a lot of people. Although I’m not a fan of her tactics, her pining over a man who is married to her best frienemy for basically the whole movie, or the fact that she, you know, believes in slavery, Scarlett is tough, independent, and a survivor who works hard to get exactly what she wants and doesn’t apologize for it (although maybe she should apologize to the people she slapped?). Also, homegirl knows how to rock a serious bitch face.
Úrsula Iguarán Buendía (Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude)-
García Márquez once described Úrsula as the perfect woman: hardworking, practical, the quintessential matriarch who rules over her household with an iron fist. While her husband is off being useless, she not only clothes, feeds, and raises her children (and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, etc.), she also completely rebuilds her home at least twice using money she earned from running a successful candy business from her kitchen by herself. Úrsula doesn’t put up with nonsense (and she’s not afraid of laying down the law or giving anyone a piece of her mind, including her grown-ass children) and has enough strength of character to keep the huge, insane Buendía clan together. At least until their crazy kicks in, but that’s another story.
Daenerys Targaryen (George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, adapted into HBO’s Game of Thrones)-
Ah, Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, Queen of the Andals and the First Men. After being forced into an arranged marriage by her horrid older brother in order for them to haul ass back to their rightful kingdom, Dany made the best out of a pretty bleak situation by 1) making her husband completely fall in love with her using what her mama gave her, 2) learning the Dothraki customs and language in basically three chapters, and 3) proving that it is she and not her brother who is the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. Apart from having some spectacular hair days, Dany is diplomatic, patient, and goes from being a pawn in her brother’s plan to an important player in the game of thrones with her own loyal following/freed slave army behind her before you can say, “Also, she’s got dragons”. Daenerys just goes to show you: why would be a princess when you can be a khaleesi?
Joan Holloway-Harris (AMC’s Mad Men)-
Probably one of the most complex, evolving characters on Mad Men, there’s something about Joan Holloway that leaves you in awe of her: with her soft, breathy voice and sweet smile, she lulls all of the ad execs into believing they run the office while she’s the one actually pulling the strings. Cool, calm, and collected (except for a few times she’s lost her temper and thrown things and, let’s face it, it was amazing), Joan knows exactly what to say and do in every situation, both professional and personal, hence her unofficial role as office advice-giver and problem-solver. Because she is an attractive woman in a male-dominated office environment, she is subject to lewd comments and sexual harassment (seriously, do they not have a Human Resources department at Sterling-Cooper?) that she handles by herself with grace and aplomb. Perhaps one of the things I like most about Joan is that even though she wants to be taken seriously by her male counterparts, she never feels the need to embrace masculine ideals in order to be considered an equal.
Samantha Jones (HBO’s Sex & the City)-
Although Sex & the City focuses mostly on Carrie Bradshaw’s escapades as a thirtysomething looking for love in Manhattan, it’s one of her best friends, the fearless and foul-mouthed Samantha that always captivated me. Something about her unflinching honesty and her absolute confidence in herself and her friends is admirable, and so is the way that she doesn’t ask permission or apologize for her (very) active sex life. She throws things at people while screaming insults at them, never feels the need to conform to anyone’s idea of settling down and having a family, and calls even her most beloved friends out when they’re being unreasonable all the while running her very successful PR firm and downing Cosmopolitans. While wearing four-inch heels and never breaking a sweat. Done.
Elle Woods (Legally Blonde)-
Elle Woods embodies “that girl” who is often dismissed as a bimbo because of what she looks like without anyone taking a closer look at what she’s got to offer. Determined, focused, and disciplined with a sunny disposition, Elle is the only female character (including Enid, the hardcore feminist who has a PhD in Women’s Studies) that doesn’t make catty comments or engages in other hostile behavior towards other women. In fact, she remains nice to them even though they’ve often insulted her. Elle doesn’t apologize for or modify her physical appearance all the while getting into Harvard Law School, winning a case while still a student, and proving that being blonde and wearing pink doesn’t make you an airhead. Elle Woods shows that it is the way you live your life and not the way you look that defines you as a person.
Emma Bovary (Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary)-
A lot of inner turmoil happened before I chose to add Emma Bovary to my list. On the one hand, Emma is a charming, unrepentant dreamer whose lifelong search for love, happiness, and fulfillment through extramarital affairs was both daring and scandalous for her time. On the other hand, she’s selfish, materialistic, and flings herself into relationships with men in order to entertain herself from everyday ennui (that’s French for “she thinks her life is super boring”). At the end of the day, I had a hard time including her because I think she depended too much on what men thought and did (especially compared to the other ladies on my list) but then I decided that I had no right to exclude her because more than independent, more than tough, women in movies, television, and literature should be complex and layered just like women are in real life. And she is. So that’s that.
*Photo Courtesy:
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