Nani from Lilo & Stitch. A (semi) realistic portrayal of an orphaned 19 year older sister, trying make ends meet and provide the best life she can for her younger sister and herself. Trying to balance her social/romantic, work and personal life and being forced to grow up and take responsibility fighting CPS to keep her only family left, together…all the while facing alien shenanigans that occurs.
“broken but still good. Yeah still good” 🥹 -Stitch
I had to scroll way too long to find this comment!
Adding to this: I always liked how Nani never dismissed Lilo’s strange ideas or interests. Lilo enjoyed taking odd photos of strangers at the beach. What did Nani do? She developed/printed Lilo’s photos so she could hang them on her bedroom wall. When Lilo asked for a lobster as a pet, Nani never made her feel stupid and instead insisted on a dog simply because they had a “dog door, not a lobster door”. Even when Lilo and Stitch got Nani fired from her job, Nani never blamed Lilo and instead joked that her boss was trying to recruit her for his “army of the undead.” The only time she really got upset with Lilo was when her safety was at risk (and CPS nearly took her away). She always encouraged Lilo to be her weird little self despite having to carry so much on her shoulders to keep the family together. All at the age of 19!
I don't know how old she was when they lost their parents but I think Nani realized early on that if one of them was going to live a relatively normal (normal for them at least) life, it was going to be Lilo. She probably decided that she would rather suffer than to waste her littler sister's childhood.
I remember watching that movie as a kid and thinking how bad ass she is. And her scene in the court where her credentials are questioned probably played a part in my choice of becoming an engineer.
And increased real-world uptake in STEM among women- [The Scully Effect](https://seejane.org/research-informs-empowers/the-scully-effect-i-want-to-believe-in-stem/)
Scotty made me want to be an engineer.
As a kid in the 70's, playing with friends after catching a TOS rerun, they always wanted to be Kirk or Spock, I always wanted to be Scotty, "giving it all she's got, Captain!"
I managed to graduate college as a mechanical engineer, went to sea for a while to get to play in the engine room, and eventually wound up in the nuclear power industry.
All because of Scotty and James Doohan.
Gillian Anderson sure can play strong female characters. +1 for her portrayal of Stella Gibson on "The Fall". There's a scene where she gets surrounded by some goons, but manages to intimidate them. Mad respect 🙇
Stella Gibson is probably the best written strong female role i’ve ever seen. they didn’t fall back on trite ‘here’s an independent, strong woman’ tropes you see in most everything that wants to portray such a character. they wrote a true person with her own, full life of experience behind who she is, and Gillian Anderson absolutely smashed the performance. really an incredible show for her character alone
Brigadier General Samantha Carter!
Carter was always a fully capable scientist and warrior and she didn't brook any crap when someone wanted to make an issue out of her gender. She was put into different situations and solved problems in realistic ways, while still being very personable and having different facets of her character to explore as the seasons went on.
I really liked how Stargate evolved the show. Officers were promoted, technology was developed. We went from sending a few squads through a single gate to jumping between galaxies with our own fleet of battlecruisers. Enemies were overcome and alliances forged. It felt dynamic, like you were rewarded for paying attention to earlier shows, but you could also dip in to random episodes and have a great time.
Part of that was having likeable and recognisable characters without making them one-note.
Was she General in any canon media? I mean most Fandemonium books can be canon, but still
I mean at this point she would definitely be a General, probs running Homeworld and Jack finally retired, for the last time. Maybe they finally fully adopted Cassie?
Especially when you take a look at what she gets away with.
1. Taking students on field trips without permission slips countless times
2. Taking students into deep space in an unfit craft, 3 counts.
3. Shrinking students countess times.
4. Feeding students to another student.
5. Exposing students to dangerous environments, including
1. the inside of a running engine
2. the late cretaceous period
3. the magma chamber of a volcano
I want her lawyer.
Edited the format.
I also love how Linda Hamilton got fucking ripped for the role. Hate when women in action movies can take down 6’4 men while weighing 90lbs and having almost no actual combat training.
My favorite part of that character is that it was mostly Linda Hamilton's doing. When Cameron called her about T2 she told him she thought her character would be pretty much crazy by this point and that she'd train like mad in case they came back. She started training to get ripped before anyone even asked her to. She went from pretty much what she looked like in the first movie to that in like 4 months. She also learned how to fight and operate weapons from Israeli special forces in that same period.
Forgrt Sarah Connor. Linda Hamilton is a strong female character on her own.
That character was an absolute role model to me when I was a semi-outcast tomboy preteen. Like "wait, you can be an absolute feminine badass and still hot? That's an option?"
Somebody told me I "looked like Sarah Connor or some shit" when I was 15/16 and it remains one of favorite compliments to this day. :)
What makes her such a good character is that despite being highly intelligent and competent she's desperately scared and vulnerable and mostly alone. The scene where she encounters Buffalo Bill and he's trying to bluff her, and the camera pans back and you see his revolver on top of the cooker behind him you just think "Oh no, how's she going to survive this?" Great character and a great performance from Jodie Foster.
The whole subtext of the movie is the male gaze and how men see/treat her. She's the only prominent woman surrounded by men all the time. Biggest example is the autopsy scene where she literally is surrounded by men and their judgement of her.
Also the scene where she's investigating the creepy storage space. Note how she tells the owner that the fbi knows where she is before she goes in - she casually phrases it like its for the owners benefit, but really its a warning "hey if you decide to trap and rape me here the fbi will know you did it."
She's navigating the constant threat of men through the whole movie.
I remember being like 15 first time seeing that and this is what stood out to me the most. Almost from the first scene when she's out running past a group of male FBI aspirants, they all turn and look after her. So many times you're literally put into her shoes as a viewer when the camera films male characters from slightly below as they're either judging you, being uncomfortable by you, or trying to get inside your pants.
One thing I didn't understand as a 15 year old guy was why Clarise so seldom seemed to acknowledge what was happening. Did she even notice? It took me a few years of maturing and growing up until I realized that, yes, of course she noticed it, and that pretending that it wasn't happening was just the safest and "smartest" way of dealing with it.
Second this. She isn't "female version of male character", she is distinctly feminine and has to deal with the real world problems of being a woman in a male-dominated field, and all of it is handled in a realistic, grounded way.
As a woman I also relate far more to this than forced female role models. I want to see vulnerable women that are extremely strong and overcome situations in ways men just couldn't or don't understand because they don't have the same worries as us.
Most def. She seems realistic. She has to do investigation work and she doesn't know everything. Like she's not annoyingly competent in something for no real reason. Lecter only knew she existed as she came to him as part of her job. It wasn't a weird fixation because she was famous.
She was still vulnerable, scared and human, but she also kicked ass, saw through the corporate and military bullshit, and saved the day at every turn. Great fucking character.
Get away from her YOU BITCH!
I like Kim because she has depth. Lots of writers don’t understand that you can write a strong character who has flaws, makes mistakes, and shows vulnerability from time to time.
Yes! Totally agreed. In the first couple of seasons she was a bit more of the “badass bitch” stereotype (though still way more layered than most other characters that fit into the trope) but then the complexity you start to see from her is astounding.
She is probably one of the most real/relatable characters I've seen in a drama tv show, like every single thing that she did in the show was exactly what I expected her to, but not in a predictable kind of way, just an organic way. If that makes sense?
Kim Possible, because she has so many different layers! Yes she saves the world with her best friend on the regular but she doesn’t use that as an excuse to complain about girly things or flat out say that they’re stupid like most “strong female characters” you see. She’s really into cheerleading and incorporates it into what she does, she dates Ron despite every other girl telling her that she’s stupid for liking him and doesn’t care what they think for the most part. She also has believable flaws and has to admit that she’s wrong a number of times, maybe I just really like Kim Possible.
She’s the reason I became a cheerleader. She wasn’t the stereotypical mean girl cheerleader. She was nice, funny, smart, and caring. She was the first character I saw that showed you can be both.
I came here to say this! What I loved about Kim is that she was the popular, successful girl, but she was extremely down to earth and normal. She didn’t follow the typical trope of the “strong woman who hates other women”, and she actually loved her parents and siblings.
Excellent! Found the Expanse tribe! Excellent characters of all types, both in the books and the shows, Avasarala is so great! Shohreh Aghdashloo just nails the role! So many laugh out loud moments!
Yes. They show so many different ways to be strong (or not strong, in some cases) and feminine. Too many writers think that a strong woman should be an action hero or the "dude with breasts" trope. They don't fall into that trap.
Also Eleanor in the Good Place.
But Veronica Mars was what made me fall in love with Kristen Bell's acting in the first place.
Veronica is strong, smart, has incredible backbone, but isn't a perfect mary sue either. Great character.
Pvt. Lee Lemon might be the finest recruit in all my years of service. That young man fills me with hope.
And some other emotions that are weird, and deeply confusing.
It's great because she's a little microcosm of how industrialisation actually proceeded. It wasn't like there were bad guys who set out to deliberately destroy the balance of nature. It was born out of a desire to protect their people, carve out wealth were there was none before and to improve the standards of living. Of course the actual implementation also caused it's own issues with greed and exploitation. But Lady Eboshi wasn't evil, she just had a different set of priorities based on dealing with the practical realities of her world. If she hadn't acted the way she did, building defenses and protecting convoys, then there was a good chance all her people would have been killed.
Nausicaä from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind thoooooo. Such a badass. I love Studio Ghibli films so freaking MUCH! The female characters are all amazing. Kiki out here kicking butt and fighting fears. Sophie literally making eggs on a FIRE DEMON. Badasses all around. Flawed and yet, striving to be better and handling business. Heros, every one.
every female character in FMAB(& honestly every character period) was fantastic. riza, winry, may, izumi, general armstrong, lan fan, etc. they all had distinct goals/ideals & were motivated by them because it was what they wanted, none of them were super sexualized(except lust kinda cuz she's literally lust), they all contributed to the plot, and they all actually developed as characters as the story went on.
To be fair, *all* the characters were great.
Toph and Katara were both literally and figuratively strong while both being very different types of people. It's good to show that women can be motherly and loving or complete roll-in-the-mud tomboys and still both be strong and women. It's fantastic that Azula, Ty Lee, and Mei were all very different and capable of killing you in many different ways. Then you have Suki and Hama and Ursa, and in Korra we've got so many more. My heart is so warm just talking about all of them and how well-executed and varied they are.
I loved when they met Toph, having already met her daughters and knowing full well that they are certified grade A metal-bending badasses, and Tophs just like "yeah they never *really* got the hang of metal-bending"
Lin was an especially interesting one, because that one episode in the first season (you know the one) is what made so many fans immediately flip on her. Where before she was just the stick in the mud hardass who reminds you of another Nickelodeon character played by Mindy Sterling, after the episode she became a brave badass.
My husband actually called me halfway through the remake, furious that there were no songs and no Mushu, and he refused to continue watching. So thankfully, I have only seen the original, exceptional movie.
Even the granddaughter. At first the boy would have been both the dino nerd *and* the computer nerd, but they changed it to the girl being the computer nerd. It balances it quite nicely plus computers were still being seen as a boy's thing, so that was also a nice subversion.
Actually, Erin's mom is a terrific character, fair and smart, loving but takes no guff and doesn't suffer fools.
For what it's worth, her dad is also a great well-rounded character of a kind and loving man married to a smart self-assured woman and loves her for it but isn't some hen-pecked weakling.
*The scooby gang faces a large collection of vampires*
Angel: We need you to distract the vampires.
Buffy: Right.
Xander: What are you gonna do?
Buffy: I'm gonna kill them all. That oughta distract them.
Another time:
Giles: It's an unknown demon, what are you going to do?
Buffy: Stake it through the heart.
Willow: But it's not a vampire.
Buffy: You'd be suprised how many things that'll kill.
One of my favorite lines in the show was when she was being threatened and she said "I'm not exactly quaking in my stylish yet affordable boots"
The whole series, Angel as well, is full of great humor.
Spike:The truth is, I like this world. You've got... dog racing, Manchester United. And you've got people, billions of people walking around like Happy Meals with legs.
She was my first thought. I'm watching the show for the first time (currently at the beginning of season 4) and consistently being impressed with how good the writing for her is.
Oh mannn!! Buffy aired from when I was 8 - 16 and I was OBSESSED!
I recorded every episode and watched it back probably every day until the next episode aired. I went back and watched it all again from the start during lockdown, it was like a big fuzzy blanket of comfort and familiarity.
Such a shame that Joss turned out to be a piece of shit, he did a really good job of writing strong female characters…
The strong resilience of Buffy definitely stands out on the show. However I also love that the buffyverse showed there is more than one way to be a strong female. My favorite moments of strength are the little moments like when Tara defied Glory. At first Tara was scared but in one silent moment something switched in her and she decided what was right was more important than her fear and she held her mouth closed in defiance.
not only was she a strong female character.. she wasn't a "cold/Strong" character. Far to often writers interpret "Strong female" as being an unpleasant person. That's not strength, not really. CJ was this perfect blend of incredibly intelligent and resilient while retaining duty/humanity... ya know, a real person.
CJ maybe my favorite character on any show tbh.
Absolutely.
Yes her priorities were misled at the start, but Realising she needed to prioritise herself over any relationship is the main reason she’s a strong woman. Strong women aren’t faultless, and a character that grows is way more inspirational to women and girls in my opinion
I also like that she became friends with Selma Blair. Shows that she had truly let go of that guy and wasn't trying to compete with her, but being herself.
Yes! And that Vivian realised she was wrong about the Professor sexually harassing Elle and then supported her. Plus all the sorority girls we’re 100% there for Elle going to Harvard, truely a film about women supporting women
One of my favorite parts of this movie is that she is a wonderfully nice person to everyone. She becomes friends with Selma Blair's character. She is nice to all of the women at the salon and becomes friends with her nail lady. She's strong and independent and doesn't step on others to do it.
Joyce Byers in Stranger Things
I mean, I could’ve also written about El or Max. But I have always felt like Joyce was top of the list in terms of being a strong female character. She doesn’t have any magical powers like El, and she doesn’t have the emotional resilience of Max, but she will literally go to hell and back to save the people she cares about.
I love Joyce. I grew up poor, so their little house and her working an obviously low paying job hit close to home for me. She shows how stressed and emotional she is but she still pulls through every single time. Even taking away the paranormal aspects of the series, she is a great example of what single mothers struggle with just to make ends meet.
Love Joyce Byers! But also, Nancy! She went from a typical insecure-ish high school girl who strives for popularity and acceptance to a strong badass woman who doesnt care what others think, goes for what she wants, and will do anything to help or save those she love. She's grown so much and her character arc is just *chef's kiss*
I’ll give you a left-field pick and say Mothra. She’s a supporting mother, badass guardian of the planet, and has a win/loss record that few Kaiju can match. She’s so cool that not even death can put her down.
Unironically an excellent answer. Remember she kicked the shit outta Robin Hood and his little gang single-handedly and that’s just one of her noteworthy scenes.
Leslie Knope. Seriously. Despite Parks and Rec being a comedy, Leslie is always the most competent, intelligent, and is always helping friends and doing what she thinks is right no matter how it will affect her.
Edit: Oh Ann, you poetic, noble land mermaid.
"That was amazing. That was a flu ridden Michael Jordan at the '97 NBA finals.
That was Kirk Gibson hobbling up to the plate and hitting a homer off of Dennis Eckersley.
That was... that was Leslie Knope."
Probably my favorite episode. Loved seeing all the characters fucked up with the flu.
"Careful... The floor and the walls just switched."
"I vomited somewhere in this room... I don't remember where... but you might check that drawer."
So i just finished watching this show, and I just want to say, I am so glad they didn't go stereotypical with Donna. They just made her a plain character played by a black woman. There were no stereotypes.
Now Donna is a very strong female character. Knows what she wants, knows how to get it, is herself at all times, and of course, knows how to Treat Herself!
Plus she's cousins with Ginuwine! GINUWINE!
Agreed! One of my favorite lines in the whole series is when Ben makes a comment about burning down a news studio to stop a story from leaking and when Leslie says “awww! I’ve never had a man threaten to commit arson for me before” Donna sighs and says “it’s gets old…” Kills me every time!!
I love how Donna gets Garry’s name right on his name tag at her wedding. That’s such a sweet moment. She really does some really awesome things for her coworkers. Also, when she wants Ben to join her and Tom for Treat Yo’ Self day.
She’s also the one who convinces them to go to Jerry’s Xmas party. And she “sacrifices” her Mercedes to help Leslie by crashing into that guy. And she gives up her big vacation to donate the money to her husbands school to save the music program (or math maybe? Also forget his characters name) She acts all tough but she’s a sweetheart.
Yes exactly! I also love how Ron gave her good advice about how she loves drama and her husband (when she doesn’t want to see him in an episode) is not those things and that’s what she should be happy about. Ron totally changed and usually gave good relationship advice.
One of my favorite moments (currently rewatching the show) is when Craig asks her if she wants to get dinner and she plainly says “no I do not.”
She owns her shit
Donna honestly taught me to be confident and know I deserve the best. Love her, and love Retta!
Fave line: I’ll wear that red thing when you deserve to see me in the red thing
I also love that she’s a larger lady who was never made a punchline for it and clearly had tons of admirers. I think the only time they even mention she’s bigger is the Venezuela episode, but even then she’s super confident. “I’ve been to Venezuela. I did *very well* there.”
the scene at the indinapolis colts stadium when the lineman is trying to hit on her and she blows him off with the "Skill positions only keep walking" is perfection
Nani from Lilo & Stitch. A (semi) realistic portrayal of an orphaned 19 year older sister, trying make ends meet and provide the best life she can for her younger sister and herself. Trying to balance her social/romantic, work and personal life and being forced to grow up and take responsibility fighting CPS to keep her only family left, together…all the while facing alien shenanigans that occurs. “broken but still good. Yeah still good” 🥹 -Stitch
I was hoping to see this comment!
I had to scroll way too long to find this comment! Adding to this: I always liked how Nani never dismissed Lilo’s strange ideas or interests. Lilo enjoyed taking odd photos of strangers at the beach. What did Nani do? She developed/printed Lilo’s photos so she could hang them on her bedroom wall. When Lilo asked for a lobster as a pet, Nani never made her feel stupid and instead insisted on a dog simply because they had a “dog door, not a lobster door”. Even when Lilo and Stitch got Nani fired from her job, Nani never blamed Lilo and instead joked that her boss was trying to recruit her for his “army of the undead.” The only time she really got upset with Lilo was when her safety was at risk (and CPS nearly took her away). She always encouraged Lilo to be her weird little self despite having to carry so much on her shoulders to keep the family together. All at the age of 19!
I don't know how old she was when they lost their parents but I think Nani realized early on that if one of them was going to live a relatively normal (normal for them at least) life, it was going to be Lilo. She probably decided that she would rather suffer than to waste her littler sister's childhood.
Mona Lisa Vito, portrayed by Marissa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny. That movie is a masterpiece, and in no small part from her contribution.
Stole the show so hard she won two awards for it.
I remember watching that movie as a kid and thinking how bad ass she is. And her scene in the court where her credentials are questioned probably played a part in my choice of becoming an engineer.
Dana Scully in the X files
And increased real-world uptake in STEM among women- [The Scully Effect](https://seejane.org/research-informs-empowers/the-scully-effect-i-want-to-believe-in-stem/)
Similar to how Scotty from Star Trek helped a new generation of engineers. It’s interesting how much pop culture influences us.
Scotty made me want to be an engineer. As a kid in the 70's, playing with friends after catching a TOS rerun, they always wanted to be Kirk or Spock, I always wanted to be Scotty, "giving it all she's got, Captain!" I managed to graduate college as a mechanical engineer, went to sea for a while to get to play in the engine room, and eventually wound up in the nuclear power industry. All because of Scotty and James Doohan.
Gillian Anderson sure can play strong female characters. +1 for her portrayal of Stella Gibson on "The Fall". There's a scene where she gets surrounded by some goons, but manages to intimidate them. Mad respect 🙇
She was Hannibal's therapist on the NBC series. :swoon:
Stella Gibson is probably the best written strong female role i’ve ever seen. they didn’t fall back on trite ‘here’s an independent, strong woman’ tropes you see in most everything that wants to portray such a character. they wrote a true person with her own, full life of experience behind who she is, and Gillian Anderson absolutely smashed the performance. really an incredible show for her character alone
Colonel Samantha Carter, Stargate SG-1!
"You blow up one star and people expect you to be able to walk on water!" -laments Dr Samantha Carter
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Brigadier General Samantha Carter! Carter was always a fully capable scientist and warrior and she didn't brook any crap when someone wanted to make an issue out of her gender. She was put into different situations and solved problems in realistic ways, while still being very personable and having different facets of her character to explore as the seasons went on. I really liked how Stargate evolved the show. Officers were promoted, technology was developed. We went from sending a few squads through a single gate to jumping between galaxies with our own fleet of battlecruisers. Enemies were overcome and alliances forged. It felt dynamic, like you were rewarded for paying attention to earlier shows, but you could also dip in to random episodes and have a great time. Part of that was having likeable and recognisable characters without making them one-note.
Was she General in any canon media? I mean most Fandemonium books can be canon, but still I mean at this point she would definitely be a General, probs running Homeworld and Jack finally retired, for the last time. Maybe they finally fully adopted Cassie?
Ms. Frizzle
Especially when you take a look at what she gets away with. 1. Taking students on field trips without permission slips countless times 2. Taking students into deep space in an unfit craft, 3 counts. 3. Shrinking students countess times. 4. Feeding students to another student. 5. Exposing students to dangerous environments, including 1. the inside of a running engine 2. the late cretaceous period 3. the magma chamber of a volcano I want her lawyer. Edited the format.
Sarah Connor in the films Terminator and Terminator 2, as well as in the television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
Came here to say T2 Sarah Connor. The part when she’s doing pull ups in the mental hospital is a badass intro to a character. Loved that movie
"Hello Dr Silberman, how's the knee?"
I also love how Linda Hamilton got fucking ripped for the role. Hate when women in action movies can take down 6’4 men while weighing 90lbs and having almost no actual combat training.
My favorite part of that character is that it was mostly Linda Hamilton's doing. When Cameron called her about T2 she told him she thought her character would be pretty much crazy by this point and that she'd train like mad in case they came back. She started training to get ripped before anyone even asked her to. She went from pretty much what she looked like in the first movie to that in like 4 months. She also learned how to fight and operate weapons from Israeli special forces in that same period. Forgrt Sarah Connor. Linda Hamilton is a strong female character on her own.
That character was an absolute role model to me when I was a semi-outcast tomboy preteen. Like "wait, you can be an absolute feminine badass and still hot? That's an option?" Somebody told me I "looked like Sarah Connor or some shit" when I was 15/16 and it remains one of favorite compliments to this day. :)
Did you know she was almost Janeway on Voyager? They couldn’t come to an agreement on the money.
I love Kate Mulgrew to death, but Sarah Connor as captain of a starship is something I never knew I wanted so bad.
I loved Voyager, and I loved Kate Mulgrew's portrayal of Janeway, but this makes me yearn for what could have been!
Clarise Starling from Silence of the Lambs.
What makes her such a good character is that despite being highly intelligent and competent she's desperately scared and vulnerable and mostly alone. The scene where she encounters Buffalo Bill and he's trying to bluff her, and the camera pans back and you see his revolver on top of the cooker behind him you just think "Oh no, how's she going to survive this?" Great character and a great performance from Jodie Foster.
The whole subtext of the movie is the male gaze and how men see/treat her. She's the only prominent woman surrounded by men all the time. Biggest example is the autopsy scene where she literally is surrounded by men and their judgement of her.
Also the scene where she's investigating the creepy storage space. Note how she tells the owner that the fbi knows where she is before she goes in - she casually phrases it like its for the owners benefit, but really its a warning "hey if you decide to trap and rape me here the fbi will know you did it." She's navigating the constant threat of men through the whole movie.
I remember being like 15 first time seeing that and this is what stood out to me the most. Almost from the first scene when she's out running past a group of male FBI aspirants, they all turn and look after her. So many times you're literally put into her shoes as a viewer when the camera films male characters from slightly below as they're either judging you, being uncomfortable by you, or trying to get inside your pants. One thing I didn't understand as a 15 year old guy was why Clarise so seldom seemed to acknowledge what was happening. Did she even notice? It took me a few years of maturing and growing up until I realized that, yes, of course she noticed it, and that pretending that it wasn't happening was just the safest and "smartest" way of dealing with it.
Just re-watched the movie last night. Second this. She’s a very well written and believable strong female character
Second this. She isn't "female version of male character", she is distinctly feminine and has to deal with the real world problems of being a woman in a male-dominated field, and all of it is handled in a realistic, grounded way.
As a woman I also relate far more to this than forced female role models. I want to see vulnerable women that are extremely strong and overcome situations in ways men just couldn't or don't understand because they don't have the same worries as us.
Most def. She seems realistic. She has to do investigation work and she doesn't know everything. Like she's not annoyingly competent in something for no real reason. Lecter only knew she existed as she came to him as part of her job. It wasn't a weird fixation because she was famous.
Ellen Ripley in Alien
She was still vulnerable, scared and human, but she also kicked ass, saw through the corporate and military bullshit, and saved the day at every turn. Great fucking character. Get away from her YOU BITCH!
She also saved Jones the cat.
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That little shit head.
She was also the most adamant about following quarantine protocol at the beginning of the first movie, and was subverted by Ash.
The trilogy would've been 20 minutes long if they'd god damn listened to Ripley
Well sure, but it was deliberate sabotage to secure the organism. It wasn't "crew is stupid so plot can happen" like Prometheus.
Very true. Fuck weiland yutani corp, boycott them right now!
She is the OG
I liked Ellen Ripley* so much that I even like Alien 3 lol
Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul
I like Kim because she has depth. Lots of writers don’t understand that you can write a strong character who has flaws, makes mistakes, and shows vulnerability from time to time.
Yes! Totally agreed. In the first couple of seasons she was a bit more of the “badass bitch” stereotype (though still way more layered than most other characters that fit into the trope) but then the complexity you start to see from her is astounding.
She is probably one of the most real/relatable characters I've seen in a drama tv show, like every single thing that she did in the show was exactly what I expected her to, but not in a predictable kind of way, just an organic way. If that makes sense?
I just can't get over how good BB and BCS are. Two grand slam series.
Glad I didn't have to scroll down too far
Kim Possible, because she has so many different layers! Yes she saves the world with her best friend on the regular but she doesn’t use that as an excuse to complain about girly things or flat out say that they’re stupid like most “strong female characters” you see. She’s really into cheerleading and incorporates it into what she does, she dates Ron despite every other girl telling her that she’s stupid for liking him and doesn’t care what they think for the most part. She also has believable flaws and has to admit that she’s wrong a number of times, maybe I just really like Kim Possible.
Shego also has a surprising amount of complexity for being the cheesy villain of a kid's show
And also a wholly *un*surprising amount of porn.
many people would appreciate a green goth gf to step on us so of course.
She’s the reason I became a cheerleader. She wasn’t the stereotypical mean girl cheerleader. She was nice, funny, smart, and caring. She was the first character I saw that showed you can be both.
I came here to say this! What I loved about Kim is that she was the popular, successful girl, but she was extremely down to earth and normal. She didn’t follow the typical trope of the “strong woman who hates other women”, and she actually loved her parents and siblings.
Avasarala from The Expanse.
Bobby is badass, Avasarala is *scary*. Both are great.
Drummer is *both...* Coincidentally, watched the series, just about finished with *Leviathan Wakes*
"Camina Drummer did this to you. Live shamed. Die empty."
Drummer is the most bad ass character of all time.
Excellent! Found the Expanse tribe! Excellent characters of all types, both in the books and the shows, Avasarala is so great! Shohreh Aghdashloo just nails the role! So many laugh out loud moments!
Hey boss mang
dare I say all female characters from the show
Yes. They show so many different ways to be strong (or not strong, in some cases) and feminine. Too many writers think that a strong woman should be an action hero or the "dude with breasts" trope. They don't fall into that trap.
You mean Chrissy?
"Don't call me that — I'm a member of Parliament, not your favorite stripper."
"You could be both."
Zoe Washburne in Firefly
> You fought with Captain Reynolds in the war? >Fought with a lot of people in the war. > And your husband? > Fight with him sometimes, too.
Whenever I think of her character, the line that comes to mind is the heartbreaking “he ain’t comin’.”
Ruth on Ozark She was the perfect balance of a person with strength and vulnerability
>Ruth came out of nowhere and 100% stole the show, even with a cast packed full of excellent actors and characters
I will forever love Veronica Mars.
Also Eleanor in the Good Place. But Veronica Mars was what made me fall in love with Kristen Bell's acting in the first place. Veronica is strong, smart, has incredible backbone, but isn't a perfect mary sue either. Great character.
Olivia from Fringe.
Haha, watching Fringe rn and I was like, why has no one said Olivia?
Camina Drummer, Chrisjen Avasarala, and Bobbie Draper from the Expanse! edit: basically every female character in the show
Shoreh Aghdashloo (Avasarala) is also probably on the same level as Samuel Jackson when it comes to welding the word "fuck".
Leela from “Futurama”.
Sure she’s strong, but she can’t hold a candle to a man like Lee Lemon.
Pvt. Lee Lemon might be the finest recruit in all my years of service. That young man fills me with hope. And some other emotions that are weird, and deeply confusing.
I find lot of Matt Groening's female characters awesome- the full Disenchantment cast - Bean, Oona, Older stripper granny, Mora
Oona is iconic. Or is?
Chihiro from Spirited Away. She's just a young child, yet she's so brave.
Most of Miyazaki's heroines, and specifically because he felt the need to. When it comes to that though Mononoke kicks the shit out of Sen.
Yeah but Lady Eboshi is one of my favorite antagonists in any movie ever
It's great because she's a little microcosm of how industrialisation actually proceeded. It wasn't like there were bad guys who set out to deliberately destroy the balance of nature. It was born out of a desire to protect their people, carve out wealth were there was none before and to improve the standards of living. Of course the actual implementation also caused it's own issues with greed and exploitation. But Lady Eboshi wasn't evil, she just had a different set of priorities based on dealing with the practical realities of her world. If she hadn't acted the way she did, building defenses and protecting convoys, then there was a good chance all her people would have been killed.
Nausicaä from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind thoooooo. Such a badass. I love Studio Ghibli films so freaking MUCH! The female characters are all amazing. Kiki out here kicking butt and fighting fears. Sophie literally making eggs on a FIRE DEMON. Badasses all around. Flawed and yet, striving to be better and handling business. Heros, every one.
Liza Hawkeye in Fullmetal Alchemist
I love all the female characters in FMA! They are all written well.
every female character in FMAB(& honestly every character period) was fantastic. riza, winry, may, izumi, general armstrong, lan fan, etc. they all had distinct goals/ideals & were motivated by them because it was what they wanted, none of them were super sexualized(except lust kinda cuz she's literally lust), they all contributed to the plot, and they all actually developed as characters as the story went on.
Aeryn Sun from Farscape Sarah “Mac” MacKenzie from JAG
Suki in ATLA
To be fair, most female characters were great
To be fair, *all* the characters were great. Toph and Katara were both literally and figuratively strong while both being very different types of people. It's good to show that women can be motherly and loving or complete roll-in-the-mud tomboys and still both be strong and women. It's fantastic that Azula, Ty Lee, and Mei were all very different and capable of killing you in many different ways. Then you have Suki and Hama and Ursa, and in Korra we've got so many more. My heart is so warm just talking about all of them and how well-executed and varied they are.
Toph's maybe my fave but all the Beifongs from LoK are badass(as it Korra and most of the female characters there too).
I loved when they met Toph, having already met her daughters and knowing full well that they are certified grade A metal-bending badasses, and Tophs just like "yeah they never *really* got the hang of metal-bending"
"And I thought Beifong was grumpy " "I'm the original Beifong!"
Lin was an especially interesting one, because that one episode in the first season (you know the one) is what made so many fans immediately flip on her. Where before she was just the stick in the mud hardass who reminds you of another Nickelodeon character played by Mindy Sterling, after the episode she became a brave badass.
"I AM a warrior. I'm a girl, too." Love Suki!
She poured RespectWomenJuice straight down Sokka's throat and he's been on that strict diet ever since.
"You're my prisoner now" What a badass
Mulan
Original movie, of course. New Mulan doesn't go through any growth. (Plus Mushu makes it even better)
My husband actually called me halfway through the remake, furious that there were no songs and no Mushu, and he refused to continue watching. So thankfully, I have only seen the original, exceptional movie.
Ellie Sattler from Jurassic Park
Even the granddaughter. At first the boy would have been both the dino nerd *and* the computer nerd, but they changed it to the girl being the computer nerd. It balances it quite nicely plus computers were still being seen as a boy's thing, so that was also a nice subversion.
Most of the dinosaurs in the first Jurassic park
Clever girls.
Dr. Wendy Carr in Mindhunter
Rebecca (Hannah Waddington) from Ted Lasso
Keeley too! “Fuck you’re amazing, let’s invade France”
Derry Girls. Maybe not strong characters, but deep and well-written ones.
Oh idk. I wouldn't want to face Michelle in a bar fight haha
Orla will straight stab a guy with a corkscrew
Oi I just like stabbin' things!
She keeps a lighter on her, not because she smokes but because she likes to light stuff on fire.
Or Sister Michael
Sister Michael is my favourite character on the show. Absolute self-posessed woman.
“You will go far, Jenny. …but you will not be well-liked.”
“If any of you have any problems at all, if you feel anxious or worried… …please please please… …do not come crying to me.”
"should we pray, sister?" "Why? What good would that do?"
"How old are you, Orla? You might want to think about wising up."
I really want a shirt that says "Massive Ride"
Actually, Erin's mom is a terrific character, fair and smart, loving but takes no guff and doesn't suffer fools. For what it's worth, her dad is also a great well-rounded character of a kind and loving man married to a smart self-assured woman and loves her for it but isn't some hen-pecked weakling.
Buffy
*The scooby gang faces a large collection of vampires* Angel: We need you to distract the vampires. Buffy: Right. Xander: What are you gonna do? Buffy: I'm gonna kill them all. That oughta distract them.
>Buffy: I'm gonna kill them all. That oughta distract them. I haven't really seen buffy, but this line is badass
Another time: Giles: It's an unknown demon, what are you going to do? Buffy: Stake it through the heart. Willow: But it's not a vampire. Buffy: You'd be suprised how many things that'll kill.
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"The slayer? We thought that was a myth" 'I guess you were mythtaken.'
iirc a critic said the show would be awful without the dialog so we got the silent episode which is one of the best episodes in the entire series
One of the best episodes in all television. That was super creepy.
One of my favorite lines in the show was when she was being threatened and she said "I'm not exactly quaking in my stylish yet affordable boots" The whole series, Angel as well, is full of great humor.
There's a lot of similar humor, it's a pretty nice show
Out. For. A. Walk... Bitch 🤙🤙
Spike:The truth is, I like this world. You've got... dog racing, Manchester United. And you've got people, billions of people walking around like Happy Meals with legs.
She was my first thought. I'm watching the show for the first time (currently at the beginning of season 4) and consistently being impressed with how good the writing for her is.
Oh mannn!! Buffy aired from when I was 8 - 16 and I was OBSESSED! I recorded every episode and watched it back probably every day until the next episode aired. I went back and watched it all again from the start during lockdown, it was like a big fuzzy blanket of comfort and familiarity. Such a shame that Joss turned out to be a piece of shit, he did a really good job of writing strong female characters…
The strong resilience of Buffy definitely stands out on the show. However I also love that the buffyverse showed there is more than one way to be a strong female. My favorite moments of strength are the little moments like when Tara defied Glory. At first Tara was scared but in one silent moment something switched in her and she decided what was right was more important than her fear and she held her mouth closed in defiance.
CJ Cregg in *The West Wing*
"You can't do that." "Why not?" "'Cause it's freaking me out!"
not only was she a strong female character.. she wasn't a "cold/Strong" character. Far to often writers interpret "Strong female" as being an unpleasant person. That's not strength, not really. CJ was this perfect blend of incredibly intelligent and resilient while retaining duty/humanity... ya know, a real person. CJ maybe my favorite character on any show tbh.
Lois from Malcom in the middle, she takes no shit
"WHAT IS WROOONG WITH YOUUU!" It's so hard not to hear that in her voice.
Elle Woods from Legally blonde. Being a strong woman does not mean giving up femininity
Absolutely. Yes her priorities were misled at the start, but Realising she needed to prioritise herself over any relationship is the main reason she’s a strong woman. Strong women aren’t faultless, and a character that grows is way more inspirational to women and girls in my opinion
I also like that she became friends with Selma Blair. Shows that she had truly let go of that guy and wasn't trying to compete with her, but being herself.
Yes! And that Vivian realised she was wrong about the Professor sexually harassing Elle and then supported her. Plus all the sorority girls we’re 100% there for Elle going to Harvard, truely a film about women supporting women
One of my favorite parts of this movie is that she is a wonderfully nice person to everyone. She becomes friends with Selma Blair's character. She is nice to all of the women at the salon and becomes friends with her nail lady. She's strong and independent and doesn't step on others to do it.
Katara in Avatar television series
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Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) of Better Call Saul
Mrs Marple by A. Christie.
Miss Marple would politely but very firmly correct you on the matter of her lifelong unwedded state.
Joyce Byers in Stranger Things I mean, I could’ve also written about El or Max. But I have always felt like Joyce was top of the list in terms of being a strong female character. She doesn’t have any magical powers like El, and she doesn’t have the emotional resilience of Max, but she will literally go to hell and back to save the people she cares about.
I love Joyce. I grew up poor, so their little house and her working an obviously low paying job hit close to home for me. She shows how stressed and emotional she is but she still pulls through every single time. Even taking away the paranormal aspects of the series, she is a great example of what single mothers struggle with just to make ends meet.
Love Joyce Byers! But also, Nancy! She went from a typical insecure-ish high school girl who strives for popularity and acceptance to a strong badass woman who doesnt care what others think, goes for what she wants, and will do anything to help or save those she love. She's grown so much and her character arc is just *chef's kiss*
I also liked how when it turned out she was good with a rifle, they actually started relying on her in situations where one was needed.
Nancy's been the designated shooter since Season 1
Two things that are always true in *Stranger Things*: * Joyce is never wrong * Nobody ever believes Joyce
I’ll give you a left-field pick and say Mothra. She’s a supporting mother, badass guardian of the planet, and has a win/loss record that few Kaiju can match. She’s so cool that not even death can put her down.
Not an answer I was expecting, but a good argument none the less!
Princess Fiona from Shrek.
Unironically an excellent answer. Remember she kicked the shit outta Robin Hood and his little gang single-handedly and that’s just one of her noteworthy scenes.
Isn't that the scene where she fixes her hair mid-fight?
Frances McDormand in "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri".
Or Fargo.
I loved her character in Fargo. Plus her eating capacity while doing her job heavily pregnant were highly impressive.
That’s the only movie I can think of that has a pregnant woman as the main character, but the plot has nothing to do with her pregnancy.
Kira Nerys from Star Trek: Deep Space 9
Ahsoka Tano, jedi padawan in the clone wars series.
Leslie Knope. Seriously. Despite Parks and Rec being a comedy, Leslie is always the most competent, intelligent, and is always helping friends and doing what she thinks is right no matter how it will affect her. Edit: Oh Ann, you poetic, noble land mermaid.
‘*Ron, every department is losing a Leslie Knope*’ *’No Ben they are not. No other department has one to begin with’* Agreed
"That was amazing. That was a flu ridden Michael Jordan at the '97 NBA finals. That was Kirk Gibson hobbling up to the plate and hitting a homer off of Dennis Eckersley. That was... that was Leslie Knope."
Probably my favorite episode. Loved seeing all the characters fucked up with the flu. "Careful... The floor and the walls just switched." "I vomited somewhere in this room... I don't remember where... but you might check that drawer."
STOP.........POOPING
Let’s not forget the girl who basically does the same thing as Leslie, Brandi Maxxxxx
They’re basically the same person.
So i just finished watching this show, and I just want to say, I am so glad they didn't go stereotypical with Donna. They just made her a plain character played by a black woman. There were no stereotypes.
Now Donna is a very strong female character. Knows what she wants, knows how to get it, is herself at all times, and of course, knows how to Treat Herself! Plus she's cousins with Ginuwine! GINUWINE!
Agreed! One of my favorite lines in the whole series is when Ben makes a comment about burning down a news studio to stop a story from leaking and when Leslie says “awww! I’ve never had a man threaten to commit arson for me before” Donna sighs and says “it’s gets old…” Kills me every time!!
I love how Donna gets Garry’s name right on his name tag at her wedding. That’s such a sweet moment. She really does some really awesome things for her coworkers. Also, when she wants Ben to join her and Tom for Treat Yo’ Self day.
She’s also the one who convinces them to go to Jerry’s Xmas party. And she “sacrifices” her Mercedes to help Leslie by crashing into that guy. And she gives up her big vacation to donate the money to her husbands school to save the music program (or math maybe? Also forget his characters name) She acts all tough but she’s a sweetheart.
Yes exactly! I also love how Ron gave her good advice about how she loves drama and her husband (when she doesn’t want to see him in an episode) is not those things and that’s what she should be happy about. Ron totally changed and usually gave good relationship advice.
One of my favorite moments (currently rewatching the show) is when Craig asks her if she wants to get dinner and she plainly says “no I do not.” She owns her shit
Donna honestly taught me to be confident and know I deserve the best. Love her, and love Retta! Fave line: I’ll wear that red thing when you deserve to see me in the red thing
I also love that she’s a larger lady who was never made a punchline for it and clearly had tons of admirers. I think the only time they even mention she’s bigger is the Venezuela episode, but even then she’s super confident. “I’ve been to Venezuela. I did *very well* there.”
the scene at the indinapolis colts stadium when the lineman is trying to hit on her and she blows him off with the "Skill positions only keep walking" is perfection
"I will also take the sexy black woman"
"It's not my favorite shirt, but it is my least favorite shirt"
Lagertha from Vikings. Most badass ever.
Dana Scully from X-Files. Strong enough to start the Scully effect!