Since the first movie was made, all the story of Cinema has been dominated by men. Women were always portrayed differently from them: we were always fragile, submissive and obsessed with the idea of getting married and having kids.
In all kinds of movies, women felt for the stereotype – unlike men, that had different parts in each movie but were always the brilliant, heroic ones. Men always saved the day, and women were always (and only) by their side.
The most ironic thing is that even those movies that were made ‘’for women’’ had men saving the day. Those romcoms that we love to watch in rainy days only have a happy ending if the female character finds a man. How crazy is that?
In this list, I introduce to you seven of the most brilliant women in movies. These ladies saved the day by themselves and showed us strength, heroism and feminism. Some of them are even the protagonist in the movie, and others just stole the spotlight. (The list was not definitely in any particular order cause I believe they are all equally important).
1. Princess Leia (Star Wars)
Image Source: IMDb
A long time ago, Carrie Fisher portrayed Leia Organa of Alderaan in an iconic sequel called Star Wars. It caused a huge impact not only in pop culture, but also in the lives of millions of girls. Leia was not only a princess, she was an incredible badass and revolutionary – she even turned herself into a general later. She always took charge and was known to be rebellious and questionative. Just like a girl should be. The coolest part is that she is not even the main character, but she stole the whole show all the time. We all should just call her General Leia, cause she was more than just a princess.
2. Elle Woods (Legally Blonde)
Image Source: IMDb
In Legally Blonde, Reese Witherspoon played Elle Woods. Elle was basically the stereotype of a superficial blonde, but to prove that she was more than her looks she entered Harvard to study Law. The plot twist is that she adored the course and worked hard to show her skills. She not only proved a point to everyone that underestimated her, but she also found herself to be an incredible lawyer and an independent woman.
Yes, I am aware of the romcom kinda of vibe, but I still think that Elle is iconic, and she showed young girls that there’s more in life than just impress a boy.
3. Claireece “Precious” Jones (Precious)
Image Source: IMDb
This was probably one of the darkest and most important films I’ve ever seen. Gabourey Sidibe played Precious, a young girl that was constantly abused by her father. She suffered from all kinds of abuse and violence, but the film mainly focus on the negligence of society over her. When her second pregnancy was discovered, she changes to a different school, finding the hopes to change her life.
She had the opportunity to change her life and she did. Precious is a really inspiring movie with an incredible strong character, and that’s why everyone should watch it.
4. Wonder Woman
Image Source: IMDb
I know it’s a cliché, but the most important female superhero MUST BE on this list at any giving point. Gal Gadot played Diana Prince on the 2017’s movie and it was a total blackbuster. It was the first movie with a strong female character leading it. Diana was not in the sides, she was in the spotlight all time long: she saved her own species and that’s why she should be in here. Everyone knows how sexist the Geekie universe can be, and Wonder Woman came to prove they are all wrong.
5. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)
Image Source: IMDb
The Harry Potter series brought us so many stories to tell, but I bet you none of them would be as important if it wasn’t for Hermione. Emma Watson played this brilliant young girl for such a long time and we still can’t forget her. Hermione was the one LITERALLY saving the day. She knew every spell and when all the guys were just not taking the class seriously, she already knew what they were supposed to learn. If it wasn’t for Hermione, Harry would never know his own potential. It would make more sense to me if it was the Hermione Granger’s series at least for once.
6. Mulan
Image Source: IMDb
If we are talking about powerful woman and their representation, we should talk about Disney’s princess (at least a little bit) because they are the ones influencing young girls all around the globe – and that’s why we should mention Mulan. She entered the army disguised as a man to save her country. There isn’t anything more badass than this.
7. Holly Golightly (Breakfast At Tiffany’s)
Image Source: IMDb
Last but not least, I introduce to you Audrey Hepburn’s most iconic character. Holly was not only incredible charming, but confident in all aspects of her life. All Holly wanted was to become independent, and to reinvent herself from the person she once was. She represents a different kind of heroin, not saving us from physical wars but representing us in an ordinary way. She was a strong, intelligent woman – pretty easy to recognize in ourselves. And guess what? She still is one of the most iconic female characters from all time.
I know that thinking like this, we start to realize how many powerful characters were portrayed by woman, and they are so much more than seven.
Yes, there are plenty of incredible actress but how many of them are acting in interesting movies, with interesting/deep parts? How many of them are black, lesbian, asian or latinas? These are all important questions for us to ask when we live in a sexist world.
We need to praise and give more opportunities to our girls in the industry – actresses, producers, directors and so much more.
Even a list of 50 female characters would not be enough to the number of movies that exist (and to the numbers of men taking charge). So from now, let’s just admire the incredible women in cinema, and create more and more lists to remember then.