In honor of International Women’s Day and this month being Women’s History Month, here is a list of ten powerful female characters that helped shape girls into strong women. Some truly remarkable female characters have been showcased throughout film in both animated and live-action movies, and they have truly shown how powerful women can be. These ten strong female characters are not the only female characters who have shown incredible power, and it was seriously difficult to only pick ten. In no particular order, here are ten characters that gave girls around the world some amazing role models.
1. Maria – The Sound of Music (1965)
Maria is a remarkable woman for many reasons. She not only stood up to her future husband and taught him how to cherish and love his children, but she brought happiness into the entire Von Trapp family’s lives. She stood strong against Hitler and his followers with her family and changed their lives forever.
2. Princess Leia – Star Wars (1977)
Princess Leia may technically be a princess, but she knows how to hold her own. Not only was she one of the Rebel Alliance’s greatest leaders, she fought side by side with many others on the battlefield. She is an incredible hero who became an icon for women and girls around the world.
3. Hermione Granger – Harry Potter Series (1997)
Hermione Granger is the smartest witch of her time, and clearly the mastermind behind a bunch of Harry’s plans. Not only is Hermione incredibly smart, she is dedicated to helping the less fortunate (house elves) and clearly the one who keeps Ron and Harry in line. Without her, the trio would never have made it past First Year.
4. Mulan – Mulan (1998)
Mulan is an incredible example of compassion and showing that once you set your mind on something, there is no limit to how powerful you can become. Mulan is incredibly smart, and willing to risk her life in many ways for the life of her father. Although she had never fought a day in her life, she is willing to go off to the army to save her father, and quickly learns and masters all of the things she is taught there. She became the hero of China because of her incredible wit and strength.
5. Elle Woods – Legally Blonde (2001)
Elle Woods started off her film as a woman with no purpose other than to secure her perfect husband. Throughout the film, it becomes clear that Elle is capable of so much more. Not only does she get into Harvard, she wins her case in court and uses her unique skillset to prove to everyone that she was more than just a dumb blonde.
6. Jess Bhamra – Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
Jess Bhamra is a wonderful example of how far someone will go to do something that they love. Jess is amazing at soccer, and although she is forbidden by her family to play it, she does so anyways because she knows that is what she loves. Her family does not see soccer as a very ladylike pastime, but Jess is determined to continue her passion. In the end, Jess finds a way to have both her soccer dream and the support of her family.
7. Miranda Priestly – The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Although Miranda is undoubtedly not the nicest of characters, she is an incredible role model towards women. She shows that women are able to have a high position of power in a company. Miranda is deemed evil because of her attitude and snarky comments, but in reality these are the things that brought her to the top of the pyramid and kept her up there. She understood that the world was not created for powerful females, and she had to break through the glass ceiling any way she could. In the end, Miranda’s softer side is shown, and the audience can understand the troubles of her life and humanize her.
8. Leigh Anne Tuohy – The Blind Side (2009)
Leigh Anne is a remarkable character who shows how powerful the strength of motherhood can be. She shows that a mother is a strong woman who is more than just the person who births a child; she takes care of them, protects them, and ultimately shapes their life completely. After Leigh Anne took in Michael without knowing anything about him, she gave him a family, motivation and helped guide him to success.
9. Tiana – The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Tiana is one of the perfect examples of how a Disney princess can be more than just a beautiful girl waiting for her prince. Tiana was not waiting for her prince, she was working her butt off to achieve her goals and get her own restaurant. Tiana is one of the most hardworking and determined characters ever, and she motivates women all over the world to dream their dreams, but work as hard as they can to achieve them.
10. Minny Jackson- The Help (2011)
Minny is an incredibly powerful character. Battling racism, an abusive relationship, and the inability to get a job, Minny is able to stay a strong and supportive woman throughout the entire film. Minny raises all of her children and works extremely hard to bring money home to her family. Even though she has very very little of her own, she helps both her employer in her desperate time of need and concedes to relaying stories of her time as a maid for Hilly’s Novel even though that could get her sent to jail.
All photos are from IMDB.