Difference between revisions of "Strong female character"
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| ''[[Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl]]'' || 1947-??-?? || Biography || Anne shows resilience in the face of extreme adversity. | | ''[[Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl]]'' || 1947-??-?? || Biography || Anne shows resilience in the face of extreme adversity. | ||
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+ | | ''[[Anne of Green Gables]]'' || 1908-??-?? || Fiction || Anne grows from child to young woman while never giving up her dreams. | ||
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| ''[[Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.]]'' || 1970-??-?? || Fiction || Margaret copes with various coming-of-age problems. | | ''[[Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.]]'' || 1970-??-?? || Fiction || Margaret copes with various coming-of-age problems. | ||
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| ''[[Contact]]'' || 1985-??-?? || Fiction || Ellie is an astronomer who is instrumental in the first contact with an alien race. | | ''[[Contact]]'' || 1985-??-?? || Fiction || Ellie is an astronomer who is instrumental in the first contact with an alien race. | ||
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− | | ''[[Daria]]'' || 1997-03-03 || TV | + | | ''[[Daria]]'' || 1997-03-03 || TV Series || Daria, Jane, and Jodi are each strong young women who mature through the series. |
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| ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'' || 1994-04-02 || Video Game || Terra, Celes, and Relm each overcome adversity. | | ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'' || 1994-04-02 || Video Game || Terra, Celes, and Relm each overcome adversity. | ||
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| ''[[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. | | ''[[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. | ||
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+ | | ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' || 1987-09-28 || TV Series || Dr. Beverly Crusher, Commander Deanna Troi, Guinan, and Dr. Katherine Pulaski are all strong characters. | ||
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+ | | [[Star Wars (universe)|''Star Wars'' series]] || 1977-05-25 || Film || Princess Leia Organa is a strong character in the original trilogy, despite being objectified. | ||
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| ''[[A Wrinkle In Time]]'' || 1962-??-?? || Fiction || Meg Murray grows as a character with help from her family 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 family and the three old ladies which are also pretty strong. |
Revision as of 09:20, 11 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 in a positive way. The character doesn't actually have to be physically or emotionally strong, she just has to be a meaningful asset in her own right. I view a female character as "strong" if she shows beneficial growth, successfully solves problems, or is a valuable asset to a team. I do not view a female character as strong if she exists primarily to help a man or as a goal for a man to achieve. 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. The strong female character trope can be applied to books, films, video games, and other forms of media.
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 | Anne shows resilience in the face of extreme adversity. |
Anne of Green Gables | 1908-??-?? | Fiction | Anne grows from child to young woman while never giving up her dreams. |
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. | 1970-??-?? | Fiction | Margaret copes with various coming-of-age problems. |
Contact | 1985-??-?? | Fiction | Ellie is an astronomer who is instrumental in the first contact with an alien race. |
Daria | 1997-03-03 | TV Series | Daria, Jane, and Jodi are each strong young women who mature through the series. |
Final Fantasy VI | 1994-04-02 | Video Game | Terra, Celes, and Relm each overcome adversity. |
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 and achieve a shared goal. |
Gone Home | 2013-08-15 | Video Game | Sam slowly becomes a fleshed-out human being as you uncover and read through her old journals. |
Good Omens | 1990-05-01 | Fiction | Anathema 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 aged 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 grows from an immature child to an independent young woman. |
Little House series | 1932-??-?? | Fiction | Throughout the series Laura grows, matures, and becomes independent. Mary and Ma are also strong characters to a lesser extent. |
Loose Girl: A Memoir of Promiscuity | 2008-06-03 | Biography | Kerry Cohen describes how she fell into and overcame sexual 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. |
Star Trek: The Next Generation | 1987-09-28 | TV Series | Dr. Beverly Crusher, Commander Deanna Troi, Guinan, and Dr. Katherine Pulaski are all strong characters. |
Star Wars series | 1977-05-25 | Film | Princess Leia Organa is a strong character in the original trilogy, despite being objectified. |
A Wrinkle In Time | 1962-??-?? | Fiction | Meg Murray grows as a character with help from her family and the three old ladies which are also pretty strong. |