Finding a role model among the many female movie characters that are merely stereotypes, archetypes, and caricatures can be a challenge. In many films, women are relegated to being damsels in distress or sidekicks, and in some cases, somehow both. Then, in response to a lack of strong women on screen, women were finally portrayed as action heroes, but evidently no one told those directors that strong does not equal violent. Though seeing women save themselves instead of waiting for a man to save them shows progress, the gratuitous violence seems like it’s designed for men to watch, not for women to be empowered by. So, here is a list of ten female movie characters that really are role models:
10. Marisa Ventura, Maid in Manhattan
This movie is essentially Jenny from the Block working her tail off to take care of her son and achieve her dream, wrapped up in a Cinderella story. Marisa shows the importance of hard work, and that the right person will like you for who you are, not how much money you have.
9. Cher Horowitz, Clueless
First things first, let’s acknowledge that we all want Cher’s closet. Now that that’s out of the way, Cher doesn’t really have a lot of problems, but even her privileged “problems” she handles with indefatigable positivity. Cher is just a happy, optimistic person that you can’t help but find yourself rooting for despite her obvious privilege. She’s also confident, self-aware, and a good friend.
8. Tracy Flick, Election
Tracy is an overachiever to the extreme, and even with all of the obstacles that her teacher throws in her way, she still stays focused on her goal of becoming class president. Tracy’s ambition is admirable, as is her determination to succeed. In too many circumstances, ambition in female characters is portrayed as inappropriate somehow or inconvenient for male characters. Tracy is unapologetically ambitious, and it is clear throughout the film that Mr. McAllister is sabotaging the election to punish Tracy for causing his best friend to lose his job, rather than because he dislikes her ambition.
7. Princess Mia, The Princess Diaries
This movie provides hope for all of us awkward girls out there. Mia struggles with coming to terms with her new identity, something that a lot of girls can identify with, even if they aren’t a princess. Eventually she gains confidence and grows comfortable with who she is, leading to the happy endings in both this movie and its sequel.
Special mention goes to this awesome lady:
6. Buffy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
She literally slays vampires. How’s that for girl power? But more than that, she remains remarkably cheerful for someone who is constantly fighting the undead. She always has a witty comeback and she proves that cheerleading can be useful off of the football field.
5. Layla Williams, Sky High
In a movie where everyone has superpowers, it isn’t really a big deal. But Layla has superpowers, and she’s nice to Warren Peace, even though no one else is. Just because he’s angry all the time, doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve to be treated like a human being. The school makes a distinction between heroes and sidekicks, but Layla treats everyone the same. And then she saves the day, like a real hero.
4. Kat Stratford, 10 Things I Hate About You
10 Things I Hate About You takes Shakespeare’s play The Taming of the Shrew and turns it into a teen comedy. The title “shrew”, Kat Stratford, is a sassy, sarcastic, feminist extraordinaire who marches to the beat of her own drum. Unlike the play, Kat is never really “tamed”, but her iconic sonnet at the end of the film shows that she has learned to express her emotions.
3. Elizabeth Bennet, Pride and Prejudice
Fortunately for those of you who aren’t fans of reading-or just don’t have the time-there is a film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice in which you can see the strong female protagonist that is Elizabeth Bennet (but you really should try to read the book sometime). In an era when women had little control over their own lives, Lizzie fights for the right to marry a man of her own choosing and proves that she is just as smart and strong as any man.
2. Hermione Granger, Harry Potter
Hermione Granger may be one of the smartest movie characters to ever appear on the big screen, but she also makes sure to show how much to her there is. She’s an incredibly loyal friend, she’s brave, resourceful, and caring, and she doesn’t fall into the often used stereotype of using logic exclusively at the expense of acknowledging her emotions.
1. Elle Woods, Legally Blonde
And of course Elle Woods is number one on the list! In the fifteen years since its release, Legally Blonde has inspired a legion of smart girls who love pink (this author very much included!) by giving them a role model who proved those things weren’t mutually exclusive. Elle remained true to herself and ignored everyone who tried to tell her she wasn’t good enough. And in the end, she used her smarts to save the day—while wearing head-to-toe pink.