Difference between revisions of "Strong female character"
(→Examples) |
|||
Line 45: | Line 45: | ||
| ''[[Loose Girl: A Memoir of Promiscuity]]'' || 2008-06-03 || Biography || Kerry Cohen describes how she fell into and overcame sex addiction. | | ''[[Loose Girl: A Memoir of Promiscuity]]'' || 2008-06-03 || Biography || Kerry Cohen describes how she fell into and overcame sex addiction. | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | ''[[Spirited Away]]'' || 2001-07-20 || Film || Chihiro grows from being a selfish brat to a strong caring young woman. | + | | ''[[Spirited Away]]'' || 2001-07-20 || Film || Chihiro grows from being a selfish brat to a strong caring young woman. Despite being the villain, Yubaba is pretty strong too. |
|- | |- | ||
| ''[[A Wrinkle In Time]]'' || 1962-??-?? || Fiction || Meg Murray grows as a character with help from her mother and the three old ladies which are also pretty strong. | | ''[[A Wrinkle In Time]]'' || 1962-??-?? || Fiction || Meg Murray grows as a character with help from her mother and the three old ladies which are also pretty strong. |
Revision as of 16:51, 10 September 2019
A strong female character, to me, is a character in fiction or a person in non-fiction who is important to the work, either because she sees beneficial growth, successfully solves problems, or is a valuable asset to a team. The character doesn't actually have to be physically or emotionally strong, she just has to be a meaningful asset to the work. This applies to books, films, video games, and other forms of media.
Despite the fact that women make up half the population, writers frequently regulate women to side kicks, window dressing, damsels in distress, and sometimes leave them out entirely. Unfortunately, so much media fails to meet this incredibly low bar that media with a strong female character is a noteworthy trope, so I've added it as a category in my Wiki.
Most video games which feature a playable female character also meet this criteria. However, when the female character is a minor player in a large playable cast, or completely interchangeable in a party of characters, I don't view them as "strong."
Examples
These are works which feature a strong female character that are important to me. For a complete list, see the strong female character category.
Title | Released | Media | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl | 1947-??-?? | Biography | An extremely important work. |
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. | 1970-??-?? | Fiction | Margaret deals with various coming-of-age problems. |
Bridge to Terabithia | 1977-??-?? | Fiction | Leslie teaches Jess it's okay to be friends with a girl. |
Contact | 1985-??-?? | Fiction | Ellie is an important astronomer. |
Daria | 1997-03-03 | TV Show | Daria, Jane, and Jodi are each strong. |
Final Fantasy VI | 1994-04-02 | Video Game | Terra, Celes, and Relm are strong. |
Freedom Planet | 2014-07-21 | Video Game | Lilac and Carol are both strong. |
Funny Girl | 2014-11-06 | Fiction | Barbara works hard to not be stereotyped. |
The Goats | 1990-07-01 | Fiction | Laura complements Howie and they make a great team of equals. |
Gone Home | 2013-08-15 | Video Game | Sam slowly becomes a fleshed-out human being as you read her old journals. |
Good Omens | 1990-05-01 | Fiction | Anathima Device is a strong character, and, to a lesser extent, Agnes Nutter and War. |
The Handmaid's Tale | 1985-??-?? | Fiction | Offred doesn't let the bastards grind her down. |
Howl's Moving Castle | 2004-09-05 | Film | Sophie, though a child, shows the wisdom of her cursed self. |
In the Unlikely Event | 2015-06-02 | Fiction | Most of the female characters are strong. |
Kiki's Delivery Service | 1989-07-29 | Film | Kiki exhibits growth and independence. |
Little House In the Big Woods | 1932-??-?? | Fiction | Laura, Mary, and Ma are all important characters. |
Loose Girl: A Memoir of Promiscuity | 2008-06-03 | Biography | Kerry Cohen describes how she fell into and overcame sex addiction. |
Spirited Away | 2001-07-20 | Film | Chihiro grows from being a selfish brat to a strong caring young woman. Despite being the villain, Yubaba is pretty strong too. |
A Wrinkle In Time | 1962-??-?? | Fiction | Meg Murray grows as a character with help from her mother and the three old ladies which are also pretty strong. |