Why is being annoying a woman’s greatest sin? I’ve watched the internet clamor for more complex and nuanced characters, then tear them apart once they have them for years. It’s an exhausting and ongoing double standard. It’s always “We need more women in the media” and “I support women’s rights and wrongs” until it challenges what we deem a “good” woman to be. It’s as if nothing we do is good enough anymore both on and off-screen. How can we authentically embody the full unapologetic and complex spectrum of being a woman in the media when we have to censor the parts that aren’t complex in the way society wants? I’m not saying we have to love every female character in the media just because, but can’t we try to understand them?
1. Belly Conklin: The Summer I Turned Pretty
Why do we hold characters on a screen to a higher standard than people in real life when we’re both just people? Belly is a polarizing protagonist, defined by her realistic, messy, and sometimes selfish journey through love, self-discovery, and adolescence. Yes I agree that throughout the series she made some questionable decisions, but the issues with the love triangle shouldn’t all be pinned on her. Let’s not forget it takes two to be in a relationship. In my opinion she’s the ultimate teenage girl: romantic, stubborn, reactive, but also passionate. Anyone in her position would have made just as many mistakes and I’ll stand by that.
2. Amy March: Little Women
Maybe being the youngest sister myself I’m a little bit biased. Amy and Jo are two sides of the same coin: Amy yearns to be accepted into high society, while Jo rejects it. But they also share ambition, a love of the arts, a need to be loved and a desire to find their place in society. Their passion is what drives them as characters, the only difference is that while one of them is praised, the other is criticized.
3. Eloise Bridgerton: Bridgerton
Eloise Bridgerton is a character that’s often criticized both on and off screen. Many believe Eloise is self-centered, privileged, and judgemental. While I agree she does have her moments, she’s simply a product of her environment and upbringing. In my opinion, she just wants to be understood. In such a rigid and backwards society, of course she wants people to accept her. She’s a complex and intellectually curious character who challenges Regency-era gender norms and expectations. She just wants other women to represent themselves, to have hobbies that are their own and not for a man, essentially to do things that bring them joy. While she may not understand that this type of thinking and action isn’t feasible for everyone, she’s learning as she goes because she’s still a teenage girl. Her approach is often harsh or flawed, but she does have good intentions.
Female characters deserve the same empathy and understanding we extend to real people, rather than being reduced to their most frustrating moments. Characters like Belly, Amy, and Eloise remind me that growth, flaws, and contradictions are what make women on screen feel real and human. If audiences truly want nuanced female representation, then women in the media must have the freedom to be messy, imperfect, and even “annoying” without condemning them for it. I, for one, am loving the representation.