March is Women’s History Month, which means it’s girl power time!! Of course, every day is time for girl power, but this month especially. There are countless amounts of iconic female characters we have all loved and looked up to. Over the years, I have had my fair share of favorite female role models. From Star Wars to 13 Going on 30, here are 10 fictional female role models you need in your life.
Princess Leia
First up is everyone’s favorite space mom! Princess Leia was one of the first introductions I had to a powerful female lead. Seeing a woman leading the space wars and an entire galaxy was something extremely special I had growing up. A lesson Princess Leia taught me was to stand up for myself as a woman. Leia was a lead character in this series, which is rare, especially for a movie that came out in the ‘70s. She taught me that even with all of the men around you, it is still important to stand up for yourself as a woman.
Leslie Knope
Not necessarily the leader of the galaxy, but definitely the leader of Pawnee. Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation is easily one of the funniest characters I have ever encountered during my long running of binging TV shows. Among the many lessons Leslie taught me, one of the biggest ones is that no task is too small. Leslie put her all into each and every project she dove into, even if it was something that seemed silly. I aspire to put in that much effort to something so tiny.
Jessica Day
My true spirit animal at heart. Jessica Day is funny, awkward, loveable and sweet all wrapped into one! I’ve never really been good in the boy department and I think this is something my girl Jess can totally relate to me on. Somehow, she makes every situation into a huge mess, which of course, makes the show that much funnier. For an awkward personality like mine, Jess was a saving grace. She taught me to try to not care too much about what people think. I’m still learning how to be good at this one, but Jess makes it a little easier! She may be awkward with the guys, but she still got her happily ever after and it’s SO adorable.
Captain Marvel
Yet another space girl boss! Despite the controversy from the men who don’t like her too much, Captain Marvel is one of my all-time favorite Marvel characters. I promise you, she could single handedly defeat Thanos and I would not at all be surprised about it. She’s easily the most powerful superhero in the MCU, plus she’s a girl, which makes her that much more powerful. Miss Carol Danvers no doubt taught me how to be a powerful woman, even though I’m still learning this one too, I think we all needed a Captain Marvel in our lives. Plus, how could you go wrong with Brie Larson?
Rachel Green
Rachel Green will forever be my first girl crush. So, most Friends fans actually really dislike Rachel as a character, which I’ll never understand but oh well. As much as I love each of the six of the friends, Rachel taught me the most. She went from relying on her father’s money, and being a spoiled daddy’s girl to completely supporting herself and her kid, all while getting her dream job in Paris. She had the most amazing character arc in the show, almost making a complete 180 in her habits. I learned the most from her over the years, and I will forever be proud of her character arc.
Elle Woods
How could she not be on my list! Elle Woods went from the stereotypical blonde sorority girl to being one of the most successful lawyers at Harvard. Plus, she did it all while wearing pink…now that’s impressive. Elle really went against all odds and proved everyone wrong. She set a goal for herself and stopped at nothing less than achieving it, which is something I’ll forever try to live by. What…like it’s hard?
Hermione Granger
Hermione is similar to Princess Leia, as they were both female characters alongside multiple male characters. Hermione was always the smartest in the room, which is opposite of a stereotype that women often receive. From her smarty pants comments to Ron and Harry, to her amazing book smarts, she was unstoppable.
Jenna Rink
She really did live the dream life, huh? Or maybe just my dream life. Even though Jenna was thrown into the whole “living as a 30-year-old” thing, she gave it her all. As the head of a huge magazine company, basically with the brain of a 13-year-old, she was unbelievably talented. Her quirky sense of style and humor was always something funny throughout the entirety of the film. However, her ability to run a best-selling magazine company at such a young age is inspirational.
Brooke Davis
Brooke Davis is another one of the powerful women who I have looked up to. I discovered Brooke much later than the rest of these girls, as I didn’t start binging One Tree Hill until about two years ago. Almost like Elle Woods and Rachel Green, Brooke was a popular, mean girl in high school. She was the captain of the cheer squad and somehow always got her way. She developed her own fashion line, which later turned into multiple stores and a multimillion-dollar company. She really showed me how far passion can go, and how you can do so much at such a young age.
So that concludes just a portion of the powerful girl bosses I have grown up with. I’d be honored to be half as amazing as they are when I grow up. Each of them has taught me a different life lesson that I have carried with me since watching the iconic movie or tv show they were in. It has been an honor to grow up with these powerful women, and I am thankful for them this month and every month.
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