Like many of the performing arts, acting has the ability to wring emotions out of us we didn’t even know we had. These emotions are often brought on by the actors and actresses who have immersed themselves in their roles and assumed their characters to the point where their performances move us beyond words.
In a world where women are too often portrayed as damsels in distress incapable of taking care of themselves, it is crucial we remember the ones who have provided us with the image of a strong and empowered woman we have only recently begun to see more of in cinema.
- Arya Stark — Game of Thrones
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To start off strong, we have Arya Stark in one of the more memorable moments of Game of Thrones.
“When people ask you what happened here tell them the North remembers. Tell them Winter came for House Frey.”
— Arya Stark, Game of Thrones
- Cristina Yang — ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
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Next up, we have Cristina Yang from Grey’s Anatomy reminding all of us what is really important:
“Oh, screw beautiful, I’m brilliant! If you want to appease me, compliment my brain!”
— Cristina Yang, Grey’s Anatomy
- Queen Hipplyta and Diana — ‘Wonder Woman’
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The Queen Hippolyta also gives many reminders throughout the movie Wonder Woman. Most memorably and powerfully:
“Be careful in the world of men, [Diana]. They do not deserve you.”
But upon being told by her ~love interest~: “I can’t let you do this,” the real superhero of that film (Wonder Woman, if that was unclear) reminds him: “What I do is not up to you.”
- Blair Waldorf — ‘Gossip Girl’
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Of course, I would be remiss if I did not include at least two quotes provided by the (in)famous and perhaps more-than-slightly morally corrupt Blair Waldorf:
“If you really want something, you don’t stop for anyone or any thing until you get it.”
— Blair Waldorf, Gossip Girl
“I’m not a stop along the way; I’m a destination.”
— Blair Waldorf, Gossip Girl
- Hayley Marshall — ‘The Originals’
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But Gossip Girl isn’t the only popular teen series that brings quotables to the table. The Originals (the spinoff of The Vampire Diaries) has provided us with a strong female lead, Hayley Marshall. And in a face-off with her hostile, thousand-year old baby-daddy, she lets him know:
“Welcome to 21st century custody battles. Moms win them now.”
- Aunt March and Jo March — ‘Little Women’
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The iconic Aunt March from Greta Gerwig’s Little Women assures everyone:
“I may not always be right, but I’m never wrong.”
Empowerment seems to run in that family because when told that she can’t stop God’s will, Jo March replies, “Well, God hasn’t met my will yet.”
- Jessica Pearson — ‘Suits’
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In Suits, more modernly, the formidable Jessica Pearson declares:
“I don’t respond to threats. I make them.”
- Renata Klein — ‘Big Little Lies’
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And to end on a seriously empowered, strong, clear note, we turn to Renata Klein from Big Little Lies:
“I will NOT not be rich.”