1. Meg from Hercules
“I’m a big tough girl. I tie my own sandals and everything.” She isn’t like some of the other princesses; she refuses to be a damsel in distress. She is her OWN person and that quality is what makes her Meg.
2. Hermione Granger
Can’t forget Hermione. She is extremely smart, and if it weren’t for her, it’s very unlikely Harry Potter would’ve accomplished a lot of the things he did. She’s needed and she’s strong and kind too, going so far as to erase her parents’ memories of her just to protect them.
3. Katniss Everdeen
She is literally the girl on fire from Alicia Keys’ inspiring song about girl power. Where to even start with her? She volunteered herself and sacrificed her life for her sister. She takes a risk to help out Rue in the Hunger Games, recognizing aspects of her sister in Rue. She leads a rebellion and fights against the Capitol and all of its selfish schemes, and that takes courage.
4. Bea Schumacher
Bea is a character in a newer novel called, The One to Watch. I thoroughly enjoyed the book as Bea is a blogger who takes a stand against dating reality TV shows and their unrealistic promises for love. She also gets chosen to be the lead on Main Squeeze, which is very similar to being the Bachelorette in today’s world. Bea is a plus-sized model and I applaud the author because there needs to be more diversity in body sizes of characters. However, it shouldn’t be a big thing. Bea should be seen equally to other characters; her body size does not have anything to do with her being a kickass character. It’s the fact she had the confidence to speak against reality shows and speak out for many others.
5. Jane Eyre
She can be found in a classic. It’s my favorite classic, I love it! Jane is a feminist and I’ll let this quote speak for itself: “Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts, as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, to absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex.” There is a love interest in her story, but she does not need him. In fact, Rochester, her love interest and master of Thornfield hall, goes blind, and Jane marries him and metaphorically becomes his eyes. So the woman becomes the master in the end, the one to care for him.
The message: As a romance writer, it’s my goal to create and inspire others to follow me in writing stories with female characters where the importance and happy ending isn’t dependent on a man. Not only that, but I want to make stories different with diverse characters and different plotlines. Romances don’t have to be heterosexual, they don’t have to be cliche or happy at the end, etc. I LOVE Hallmark movies, but let’s start a new kind of Hallmark.