Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and if you are anything like me you are single this time of year. It can be a drag, seeing all the dates and social media posts about love and relationships…It is everywhere. Even when you turn on Netflix or Hulu to distract yourself, you’ll see rows upon rows of romcoms and romance. But here is a list of women who truly empower what it means to be single and strong. These are the women I am looking up to this holiday for inspiration on loving myself, being successful, and kicking butt…and looking killer while doing so.
- Holly Golightly — Breakfast at Tiffany’s
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Holly Golightly lives alone in New York and her bestie is a cat, but that doesn’t mean she’s not a successful woman who refuses to settle. She is a classic example of what it is like to be single in a big city, but she is so fashionable and never lets being single keep her down. With such a relatable main character, this movie is great for Galentine’s night.
- Elizabeth Gilbert — Eat Pray Love
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I don’t know about you, but I would love to travel the world and experience at least half of what Elizabeth did in this movie. Would I be terrified to travel on my own with no friends or spouse? Yes, but honestly, what better time to travel than now? No marriage holding you back, no kids limiting your experience…My outlook on travel is to do it as young and as soon as possible while you have little responsibility holding you at home, whether it be relational or financial.
- Elle Woods — Legally Blonde
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Talk about a power move! This girl turned her break-up into inspiration to become a Harvard law school graduate. In movies, after every break up the girl goes through some sort of makeover, but Elle took it to the next level and pushed herself farther than anyone expected. She proves that you don’t have to choose between intelligence and beauty.
- Sex and The City
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Alright, for this one I’m going to go through why each of these main characters should be admired. And yes, I think all four of them deserve to be placed on the list of iconic independent women, and here’s why.
Miranda Hobbes — She’s a successful lawyer thriving in a white-collar, cutthroat boy’s world. She is also a mom, which is a huge job, and she breaks the stereotypical motherhood mold by maintaining her career. She also proves that she does not need a man to do any of it, and if she has one it is because she wants him.
Charlotte York — She’s a hopeless romantic, loves love, and is always in love…Yes, I started this article talking about being single, but not cynical. She truly teaches us to never give up on something you love and to share nothing but positivity.
Samantha Jones — She taught us all to put ourselves first and to never compromise yourself for any guy. Not to mention her confidence…it is unbreakable. We should all love ourselves to that extent and never settle for anything less than we deserve.
And of course, Ms. Carrie Bradshaw herself, a successful New York love and relationship columnist who was featured in Vogue and wrote her own book. She proved that life goes on even after you get dumped and that you may have multiple soulmates in life who are there to teach you important lessons.
- Wonder Woman
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This one is for all my nerd girls out there! There are so many comic universes with powerful women doing some kick-ass stuff, but Wonder Woman and the Amazons were groundbreakers. They live on the hidden island of Themyscira and govern themselves without any trouble from men. It’s paradise, basically (and literally was called Paradise Island when it first appeared in the comics). I mean, a world with no men sounds a bit like paradise to me! No drama, no fights, and no attempts to impress anyone. And what do they accomplish without men? Everything. They are the strongest warriors on earth with a completely functioning society and a government with zero issues.
- Leia Organa — Star Wars
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From Princess Leia to General Leia…She is now sort of a Disney Princess, which is so cool because she was always one of my favorite princesses growing up. She lead a rebellion to overthrow the evil Galactic Empire — every feminist’s idol! Leia was technically rescued by a pair of handsome men in the first movie, yes, but she very quickly established that she was just as capable of doing the rescuing as she was of being rescued. We all know she probably could have done it on her own, too. Leia was also a princess who fell in love without losing her identity. She is a princess, a mom, a war general, a major leader in the Resistance, and the Force is strong with her.
- Christiana Yang — Greys Anatomy
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Christina is powerful because she wants to be seen for her brains instead of her beauty. Shonda Rhimes also used her character to express that it is absolutely okay for a woman to not want a baby and to want to focus on herself and her own career. Not only is she powerful herself, but she also supports other women.
My favorite quote by Christina is, “Have some fire. Be unstoppable. Be a force of nature. Be better than anyone here, and don’t give a damn what anyone thinks. There are no teams here, no buddies. You’re on your own. Be on your own.” And of course, when doubtful sad, stressed, confused, or anything at all, always live by these next few words: “Shut up. Dance it out.”
- Kat Strafford — 10 Things I Hate About You
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Kat Strafford is so incredibly smart and wise beyond her years, while still undergoing the pains and struggles of high school relationships. She is also self-aware; she knows what she likes and what she wants and isn’t afraid to be who she is. Kat never tries to please anyone but herself, especially not a guy. She never changes to fit into societal norms of attractiveness in appearance or mentality. This is another perfect Galentine’s movie, plus, it doesn’t hurt that Heath Ledger is the leading man.
- Cher
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The rich man herself! I mean, come on, let’s take a minute to obsess over and relate to her infamous interview answers. In a 1996 interview, Cher was asked if she had once said “a man is not a necessity, he is a luxury,” to which she replied, “Like dessert, yeah.” The interviewer asked her if she meant that to sound mean and bitter, and Cher gave the perfect response: “Not at all! I adore dessert! I love men! I think men are the coolest. But you don’t need them to live.”
Here’s to loving ourselves this Valentine’s! Whether or not we have a man, we know that we are whole enough to never need one. If you need to step away from love stories, try celebrating these women instead.
I’m going to leave you with a quote from Sojourner Truth’s “Aint I a Woman” speech: “If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.”