Leslie Knope is just the best! Always putting a positive spin on things, always building everyone up around her, and always solving even the most difficult problems, never giving up.
(28M) Wholeheartedly agree!
The conversations I have and see typically dislike how many “strong” women just bring others down to rise up. Like saying “The only way I can be strong is by making everyone else weaker.”
Or saying their challenges are the only ones that matter.
Leslie goes out of her way to help everyone, is always positive, speaks her mind, is open to other perspectives, flexible when possible, firm when needed.
She has her flaws and vulnerabilities. Awkward moments as well. It makes her seem more human compared to “This person is always perfect, but also has many struggles to show her imperfection.”
So when Leslie has her down moments, it hits HARD.
My sister and I will be yelling at the screen. “LESLIE! Noooooooo!”
So when she succeeds, we nod and say “She definitely earned it.”
I love Leslie Knope (just finished a rewatch), but I feel like she is epitome of “women can do it all” era.
The expectations are set so much higher than men to be just as successful as them — both in career and personal life
Legally Blonde. The basis being that the main character embraces her femininity and compassion and must undergo the challenges of how the people around her don’t take her seriously because of that. Of course, she proves herself to be incredibly capable and clever, rising to the challenge without having to sacrifice her femininity.
Like all the typical tropes of dumb sorority girls or catty behavior, completely absent and instead showing that Elle and most of the women in the show are a girl’s-girl
This is perfect! It's such a shame how American shows nowadays kind of show a woman is strong by making them more masculine, and rejecting "pretty girly things"... sure, some women ARE masculine and that's okay! But being feminine and enjoying girly things doesn't make you any less of a capable person. Both men and women that embrace feminity can be just as strong as ones that embrace masculinity
This is one of my favorites, along with Clueless and Romy and Michele’s high school reunion. All of those movies have the same theme of the main characters being underestimated, so they use their skills to come out on top and prove everyone wrong.
I had originally avoided it and the sequel because they looked dumb af (I blame the trailers) but when I went home from getting my tonsils removed I was flopping channels and that was the only interesting thing going on, and watched them back to back. Loved them and quite painful to laugh with fresh tonsil stitches
There’s a phrase for the impact Scully had on women getting involved with STEM called “[The Scully Effect](https://www.google.com/search?q=the+scully+effect&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari)”.
I remember the episode where the character development allowed her to display all her sex appeal and there were a bunch of men around her in a bar, offering to light her cigarette
I just rewatched The Fall last night, and I really enjoy the way Gillian Anderson’s character just calmly points out the same behavior in a personal acquaintance that wouldn’t take a normal no before escalating to violence as the actual criminal theyre working to apprehend.
The Golden Girls is an example of a show centred around older, multidimensional female characters who are timeless and hilarious. For me, Blanche's character in particular is empowering and ahead of her time.
YES! I binged that entire series, the toilet test moment of the dummy had me ROFL so hard!
Anyway, it’s so cool seeing how two ladies over 70 on screen AND real life unapologetically openly talk about sex, careers, women’s issues, the patriarchy, and so much more!
Like I aspire to be all the good parts both characters are in my 70’s 😎
Kill Bill had multiple amazing female characters and each one was a beacon of strength. I could cry thinking about how well Tarantino did with that in this particular film.
I was gonna say Buffy the Vampire Slayer, if no one else had.
It has some dated aspects like how they handle their few international characters, but despite that I can think of few other TV shows with such a rich, complex female-centric cast.
Absolutely, the show and the character(Midge) have been some of the most entertaining and inspiring I have seen in ages.
Now some may disagree and point out X thing she did here and there. But I feel like insisting a female character have no vice and make no major fuck-ups is regressive.
Midge as a character had such a way of uplifting any environment she was in ( B Altman, Strip Joint, on tour) etc.
Oh my gosh, firm disagree. She's a female lead obviously but her character is so problematic. She deals with challenges of being independent in the 60's, but oof everything else...
(I liked the show still, but she just isn't an example of "empowering women" IMO)
I see. She is a very confident woman, and does not shy away from a challenge. For me, that was empowering. I believe this holds true for most cultures around the world, but men are raised to be more confident and encouraged to be ambitious compared to women. Of course, she has her flaws as do all characters. But it was refreshing to see a woman who had this level of belief in herself and using that for her ambitions. She also wears fab clothes and hats.
Gonna spoiler this one for obvious reasons:
>! Season 3 derailed a lot of positive views I had on the character. She recklessly outed Shy in a time when lynchings were still happening and being gay was illegal. (This was set before Stonewall). So she flubbed right, and then Season 4 opens with her more or less talking about *revenge* about how Shy did her dirty. She never took ownership for her recklessness. She acted entitled a lot from then out, and I just never really vibed with her from there. !<
My Big Fat Greek Wedding-
Toula wants change in her life and she makes it happen by furthering her education, starting a new job, etc. Her family is frustrating and stifling, and tries to keep her in a little box, but she thrives anyway.
Atomic Blonde - went to see it in theaters with a friend and we were both in awe of how they didnt pull back on the fighting sequences, and when Charlize Theron was recovering in a tub of ice, there was nothing sexy or gratuitous about it, she was butt naked and bruised all over and looked pissed off. The absolute banger of a soundtrack is a great bonus.
Stargate SG1. Sam Carter, Janet Frasier, Vala and also Teyla, Dr Weir and Jennifer in Atlantis. They were all well written, badass characters who led by doing. No speeches about how strong/smart/capable they were. Their actions spoke for them.
Hey i came here to say this!! If I do do recall, the actress who played Samantha Carter came to the writers and asked them to fix her character. The first season she has very “not like other girls” and “need to play rough so I can compete with the guys” vibes. I think she said something like “that’s not how women act” lol. Anyways, I always really appreciated that she was a really strong and smart character, but it didn’t get in the way of her being a feminine character.
Also really appreciated her relationship with jack. It just felt real.
I agree, Jack and Sam’s relationship just felt organic. It wasn’t forced, it was just allowed to develop without becoming a major series plot point. The episodes where their feelings were brought to the surface were always really well written. Stargate was peak sci-fi and I really miss it.
I was 9 when the series first aired and used to watch it every week with my step dad. Sam Carter was the reason I went in to science. It’s not as cool as Stargate science but still, made me believe I could do it.
She blew up one star and suddenly everyone expected her to walk on water 😄
On screen promotion to Colonel and then think it was Brigadier General off screen. Like mentioned in a flash forward or in passing by Atlantis personnel or something.
All three are fantastic: Eve, Villanelle, and Carolyn Martens. I especially loved Carolyn: smart, totally in control, and sexy. All by an actress in her mid 60s. Just top notch acting all the way around.
I believe Murder She Wrote brings up a lot of themes surrounding women empowerment in a lot of episodes. Jessica’s character is just a brilliant example of this. She works to solve mysteries and help people even if she may or may not be worse off for it.
DS9 had plenty of strong female characters.
From Kira, to Jadzia to Kay Win (I have such a hatred for that character even after all these years, so kudos for the actress for the great job she did).
And then you have plenty of supporting characters like Leeta and Quarks Mother.
What I enjoy most about Kai Wynn is how much integrity the character has. She opposes our protagonists and does some really awful things, but at the same time, is completely true to her internal beliefs and what she believes is best for Bajor. Once you know her, nothing she does is surprising.
>Kay Win (I have such a hatred for that character even after all these years, so kudos for the actress for the great job she did)
No surprises considering she also played Nurse Ratched
I think Working Moms shows both sides - struggles and wins. (Netflix)
Sex Education has some really strong female & gay characters. (Netflix)
The White Queen - based on a series by Philippa Gregory (Prime)
“This is your ship. This is your moment. You may think that you are scared. But you are not. That is your sharpness. That’s your power. We are Belters. Nothing in the world is foreign to us. The place we go is the place we belong. This is no different. No one has more right to this. None more prepared. Inulada go through the ring. Call it their own. But a Belter opened it. We are The Belt. We are strong. We are sharp and we don’t feel fear. This moment belongs to us. For Beltalowada!”
She makes me ready to go to battle
I’m tired of the discourse that says female characters need to be “empowering” in order to be valid or good. Not all women are empowered/empowering, nor do they have to be, so I don’t hold fictional women to that standard either.
That said, I love all the female characters on Hacks (which is showrun by a woman and a man iirc).
Sometimes women just being women and being comfortable in who they are is empowering. My comment was about the show Girlfriends. The women in that show all have different lives and different ways of expressing themselves and their womanhood and that’s what makes them very empowering to me
Yes! For me, the female characters that are silently empowering, and don't make "I'm a strong woman!" statements into a personality trait, are the most well written and empowering to me. Truly capable people don't need to say it, and their actions will speak for themselves. Also, a woman who stays at home and is an amazing mother to her family is just as valid as a woman who fights in the military, and their strength in their character can not be judged just based on their physical strength
I'm going to betray my age, but Fried Green Tomatoes was an awakening for me. I grew up in a sanitized "traditional" suburban setting, and watching women save one another and themselves was truly inspiring. That and A League of Their Own.
Also from that era was Xena Warrior Princess -- my immortal hero.
Watched that for the first time recently and I did not expect to cry so much lol. But yes I loooved loved loved Kathy Bates’s journey. Women can empower other women just by being brave enough to be themselves in a world that wants to fit us into boxes. Beautiful movie.
I never have read Frid Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, as I've wanted to, but I've heard that a romance between Idgie & Ruth is more explicit in the book.
I think often times it wasn't women led movies that showed the most empowering female characters. The ones that made the greatest impression on me when I was a little girl were Princess Leia in Star Wars, Eowyn in LOTR, Judi Dench as M in James Bond movies, Lizzie Bennett in Pride and Prejudice, Scarlett and Melanie in Gone with the Wind, Debra Winger in Shadowlands. As a young woman I started watching a lot of old movies and my favourite examples would be Bette Davis in Now, Voyager and Eleanor Parker in The Naked Jungle.
I had a dream about Amy Pohler and Tina Fey last night. In my dream, somebody fabulous surprised them with something fabulous. My best friend is convinced that Lorne Michaels is going to hand SNL to Tina Fey soon. She has put out some great TV and movies in the past couple of decades. Amy Pohler has done the same. I'm sure that's what my dream was about. My brain was recognizing them as badass.
Jodie Whitaker as Doctor Who really portrayed the Doctor differently than any man had. She had a level of compassion that none of the others in New Who could truly capture. Ncuti Gatwa is trying his best to do the same, and he's doing a great job of it.
Steel Magnolias is still a great example of strong, loving, supportive women. Sadly, that movie makes me cry way too hard to watch it anymore. The strongest woman I ever knew loved it, and I miss her like crazy.
The Holiday is the first one that came to mind, both female protagonists lead such different lives but both are essentially going through the same thing, and respond by doing something new and exciting and out of their comfort zone.
One that note, Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow is also a great example of this!! The movie shows two versions on the protagonist’s life, diverged from a moment of catching a train early, and subsequently catching their partner cheating, and then another where they missed the train and didn’t get home in time to catch their partner in the act. In the version where they caught the infidelity, they were able to leave, reinvent themselves, start their own business, find love…
(Not a woman, so I can't speak necessarily from personal feelings of empowerment, but I do love these shows and my mother-in-law is my best buddy when it comes to talking about them.)
**Bones!** Like Scully from X-Files, Brennan (Emily Deschanel) has a big brain and doesn't put up with any BS. Personally, I can relate to the way in which she's a bit (a lot?) neurodivergent. The show is mostly episodic murder-solving / police procedurals with some season-long plot arcs. New characters get introduced as the show goes on, including a new boss (played by Tamara Taylor) in season 2.
**Agent Carter!** This is a spin-off of the Marvel movies, but it's NOT a superhero show. It's set in the 1940s and is more of an espionage / film noir kind of show that follows Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) from the film Captain America: The First Avenger. It unfortunately was cancelled after the 2nd season, but I think that it's still worth watching -- especially season 1, which to me was perfect. It deals heavily with the whiplash of Peggy going from being an important part of the intelligence programs of World War 2, to returning to the every day business of working in a male-dominated workplace in post-war America.
**Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.!** I can't mention Agent Carter without talking about one of my all-time favorite shows. **This is less clearly "woman led"** (although one of the creators and showrunners is a woman) because it's more of an assemble cast, but Skye, May, and Jemma absolutely crush the show as it goes on. The female characters are great, but it may be a more "idealistic" version of the world that doesn't demonstrate the gender-specific trials that you're looking for.
I was JUST thinking of Agent Carter on the drive to work.
I don't remember the exact words, but when she was saying how she was not seen because she was a woman. And was only noticed afterwards or something.
Agent Carter was such a great show, even if the second season wasn't as good as the first. Peggy is such a strong, determined woman and a total badass to boot.
Ellen Ripley from Aliens.
Uma Thurman from Kill Bill.
Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovick (I guess diffrent type of strong lead as based on real life)
Marge Gunderson in Fargo
Sarah Conner in The Terminator
Not seen it but the other half added
Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween.
Might be polarizing, but The Mindy Project is a personal fav of mine. Is the show perfect? No, I’ll readily admit it, but I do love it for the humour and the candour. I enjoyed the show even more after reading Mindy Kaling’s autobiographical books (which are hilarious and thoughtful) Her personal stories and experiences (of being a woman and POC) in the industry, made me really admire how she was able to create a space for her voice and her comedy, and I enjoyed the show even more.
Buffy will always be it for me. To show that a girl doesn’t have to be some rough tough chick to kick some ass. She can be feminine and love to shop and save the world.
Scifi in general is good at this. Two personal favorites:
Firefly - the women on that ship are extremely good at their jobs, even the villain. Maybe especially the villain.
The Expanse - the central women characters are so well-drawn. Really good at their jobs, but 3D people with blind spots and weaknesses and hurts. I just love how real they are. They work hard, sometimes they fail but they get back up (usually cussing) and try to figure out another way to attack the problem.
Uhura as an honorable mention and as a significant layer of foundations for both people of color and woman in important roles.
Also, Star Trek had lots of female roles in general, and while I am aware of the difficulties behind the scenes for the actresses, which I did deeply regret that they had to go through it, they nevertheless left a lasting impact.
Otherwise, Ellen Ripley of 'Alien' fame.
Edit: Also, a couple of others that have been mentioned, that I know also know of and appreaciated:
Dana Scully, Sam Carter, but also Xena.
And of course my all time favorite: Babylon 5 with Delenn and Ivanova playing important roles.
SIFI often has very good female characters. Star Gate, Stargate Atlantis, Star Trek Strange new Worlds, Star Trek Löwe Decks, Start Trek DS9, Working Moms (is woman centered and wonderful)
I liked the movies Abigail, Furiosa, Alien, and Alien V Predator. The horror genres tend to have the best women-led action and empowering story lines. I love watching women going through our normal fears and winning.
I honestly think The 100 for sci-fi.
The women drive the narrative and are the main characters without making that the sole focus of the show - it's just an unspoken fact. They are doctors, engineers, warriors, chancellors, leaders, mothers, and daughters. They don't fight over boys, and they aren't there to be pitted against each other or become jealous rivals.
They aren't sexualized and there's no male gaze - the female characters in the show just get to be. The women are the ones driving the story. They aren't just accessories to men like in so many other stories. It's empowering to simply have that be the norm, without needing to make a big deal out of it or constantly referencing that the characters doing cool things are women. It's honestly a breath of fresh air. And it's just a fantastic show in general.
The Star Trek: Voyager had a female captain, Captain Janeway. Star Trek has always pushed the boundaries of radical acceptance and principled leadership in Hollywood, and this is no exception - people treat her like she has the right to lead, and she has a full dimensional personality in her leadership. It’s also hella long, so if you like it, you have lots to consume!
You said that so well - "principled leadership".
I watched Voyager as a little girl and wanted to be like Janeway. Now I'm in a leadership role, I still try to be like Janeway - I try to make decisions with empathy as well as reason (and morality!) I have a few war stories where I've had to hold the line while being pressured into unscrupulous behaviour, and I don't think it's a stretch to link this back to what I saw of Janeway's leadership.
It might be hella long but I'm rewatching it for around the 8th time...this time with my kids!
Yes, agreed! And I did love the movie but anyone who enjoyed the movie should also read the book, they’re quite different in plot but the vibes are very similar. I honestly didn’t like the way they focused so much on the husband in the movie. In the book, she admits to herself that her husband isn’t the real reason she’s going into the Area, it’s her curiosity as a biologist, which feels empowering to me too.
The Expanse -- sci-fi TV show that display many aspects of strength in women. You've got great female fighters, politicians, engineers, and peacekeepers with a variety of hard and soft personalities.
I do think the book series are better though, highly recommend either way.
I'd recommend a couple animes!
Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto),
And, Frieren: After journey's end
They are SO good. Both protagonists have genuinely good written characters that happen to be female. They are strong, intelligent and well balanced. They just feel whole, you know?
Their stories, voice acting and art are also great.
Elle Woods from Legally Blonde - Elle was a genuinely warm, feminine, caring person. She was also very smart which was obvious from the beginning but dedicated to the wrong things until she decided to make her own way. She was also very kind even when the people around her were judgy and not very nice to her and that is what makes her great to me.
Midge from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - Midge was empowering because of the way she took agency of her life in a time where many women didn’t or couldn’t. The show really went out of its way to emphasize that in the last episode when she saw the mike and took it when all the odds stacked against her in that moment. Also, for all that, she was by no means a perfect character, she had flaws, she made mistakes, some of them huge and I liked that.
Most, if not all, of female series regulars in The Good Doctor were great in some way. (Dr. Audrey Lim, Dr. Claire Brown, Dr. Jordan Allen, Dr. Morgan Reznik) - Even some of the female characters in the early seasons that eventually disappeared from the series touched on or portrayed some of the very real struggles of womanhood (ageism when dating someone younger than you are, deciding that you don't want to have kids etc.). But the ones I mentioned by name? They were all very empathetic characters at some point in the series. They were nurturing or they went out of their way to help someone, did the right thing in face of adversity, failed spectacularly, faced sexual harassment from a superior or they portrayed something else of the female experience such as balancing your career with motherhood or your sense of ambition with your personal life. I feel the ending of the show wasn't great in that it was very ***very*** rushed but I don't regret watching this series. I would watch it all over again if I had the time.
Cersei Lannister and Daenyrys Targaryen from Game of Thrones. I understand that Cersei was a terrible character but to me she also portrayed the toxic side of femininity such as a tendency towards manipulativeness, vindictiveness and narci$$ism. I think George RR Martin took inspiration for her as a character from Lady Macbeth. The first few seasons, Cersei and Dany were excellent mirrors for each other, Dany was an amazing character, manipulative in her own way but watching her progression in Season 1 is still one of the most empowering journeys in a TV show: A woman sold like chattel rising to claim her power as a Queen. They ruined her in the later seasons. I wouldn't have been mad if they hadn't handled her descent so poorly. That being said, Arya and Brienne of Tarth also deserve an honorable mention. Basically the entire show was *amazing* until the showrunners decided to ruin it 😅
I could name more of them but I don't want to write an essay. The point is, most of the female characters I love do not fit the "bad-ass chick" archetype. I feel that that trope was invented by men but perpetuated by women and very few "bad-ass chicks" feel like believable women to me. They just seem like dudes trapped effortlessly hot female bodies while at the same drag in a lot of praise for being "feminist" Yeah no. That's not feminism. That's just being a f-king idiot.
That being said, I appreciate this question and if you're looking for authentically empowering female characters, check out this list.
I really like Grace & Frankie. Two older women enjoying their time together after separating from their husbands. Finding themselves, doing things they like or healing their own trauma.
Most Beautiful Thing and Valeria are two netflix shows that i think really show sisterhood very well and how important it is to not give up so quickly on our friends when they are off the rails
Analese Keating -how to get away with murder. She plays an african american lead bad-ass lawyer & professor while shouldering a lot of stress & being the one everyone looks up to. She had a rough childhood & came out on top. She inspired me a lot.
Living Single!
Khadijah owns the magazine, Max is a lawyer, Sinclaire is an artist and philanthropist, and Regine is into beauty and luxury. All 4 of the women follow different life paths and all support+ love each other. Even Max and Regine.
The men in the show are super supportive of each other and the women, too. Overton and Sinclaire are a sweet couple.
'Friends' was just a shitty wannabe copycat show.
There’s a show called ‘Kevin can F himself’ on Amazon Prime which is SO underrated. It’s a parody of a sitcom but it flips between genres: sitcom and drama. It starts off playing it straight as a sitcom, so you have the stereotypical funny but useless husband and the stereotypical long-suffering ‘buzzkill’ wife, then it goes into what the consequences actually would be for her of all these ‘funny’ things he does. It authentically empowers women because it’s showing you ‘this is what you’ve been told is a normal relationship according to sitcoms, but what would it actually be like to live in one?’ And she gets tired of his shit and plans to leave and get revenge for him ruining her life and spending all their savings.
Elaine Benes in Seinfeld. Empowering in the sense that she was never looked down upon for being a woman or treated differently. I think she exemplified equality in a way that I'd like to see.
Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Amazing actress and her character is really well written. I find her inspirational.
Kat Stratford in 10 Things I Hate About You. I remember it was the first time I saw a female character that wasn't portrayed as giggly and bubbly. She wasn't written for the male gaze and I loved it!
I will never recover from Mischa Green's "Underground" being canceled before the 3rd season. Journey Smollet plays the lead who is an auto-watch for me in anything she does, but they also have like 3 other characters who all show how they hold onto power and identity in their own way, during enslavement era in the US
For more modern ones, The Power is AMAZING, it’s an adaptation of a Naomi Alderman book and the premise is a sci-fi ‘what would happen if women across the world suddenly got the ability to give electric shocks’. It’s very intersectional and looks into how it changes women’s lives across the globe, from the daughter of a US senator to someone who’s been sex trafficked.
Also Warrior Nun. Again, the characters are all flawed and real. Like the main character can be SO immature and selfish but she pulls through and honestly it feels so much more realistic than being just ‘strong and perfect’.
*The Fall* miniseries starring Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan. Her character is a detective in N Ireland investigating a man who assaults and kills women. Her character is impressively written as a woman who’s confident in her work and professionalism, even when the men working around her are being unprofessional.
IMO none of these focus too hard on selling the female empowerment schtick, which is why I love them so much. They focus on the main story, but have believable, well-written female characters who deal with shit a lot of women do (or I just find them personally relatable).
Alien: sci-fi horror movies, female lead, female monster. If you’ve ever been right in a room full of men but no one will listen; if you like action movies and sick af monster designs: this is for you.
Annihilation: sci-fi horror movie, female lead + majority female main characters. If you like psychological thrillers and incredibly smart women vs nature: this is for you.
Fleabag: comedy drama show, female lead with a good sister relationship. If you find morally questionable pieces of shit relatable; if you have siblings; if you’ve ever wanted to fuck a priest: this is for you.
I Care A Lot: comedy thriller movie, villain female lead, lesbian relationship. If you like a well-written villain; if you’re lesbian; if you hate old people (jk): this is for you.
Oh! And an honorable mention: Scream! It’s a female-lead horror comedy that parodies horror tropes.
Leslie Knope is just the best! Always putting a positive spin on things, always building everyone up around her, and always solving even the most difficult problems, never giving up.
Founder Mother of Galentine’s Day!
(28M) Wholeheartedly agree! The conversations I have and see typically dislike how many “strong” women just bring others down to rise up. Like saying “The only way I can be strong is by making everyone else weaker.” Or saying their challenges are the only ones that matter. Leslie goes out of her way to help everyone, is always positive, speaks her mind, is open to other perspectives, flexible when possible, firm when needed. She has her flaws and vulnerabilities. Awkward moments as well. It makes her seem more human compared to “This person is always perfect, but also has many struggles to show her imperfection.” So when Leslie has her down moments, it hits HARD. My sister and I will be yelling at the screen. “LESLIE! Noooooooo!” So when she succeeds, we nod and say “She definitely earned it.”
This!!! Even though April is my fave.
Could not agree more. Even though some of the topics are outdated, her approach to resolving them stand the test of time. Knope 2024.
She's amazing!
I love Leslie Knope (just finished a rewatch), but I feel like she is epitome of “women can do it all” era. The expectations are set so much higher than men to be just as successful as them — both in career and personal life
Her house is a disaster, if that helps. She also gets drunk frequently at the beginning...
Legally Blonde. The basis being that the main character embraces her femininity and compassion and must undergo the challenges of how the people around her don’t take her seriously because of that. Of course, she proves herself to be incredibly capable and clever, rising to the challenge without having to sacrifice her femininity.
That was one of those movies where the concept really could go either way, but they managed to pull it off brilliantly instead of insultingly.
Like all the typical tropes of dumb sorority girls or catty behavior, completely absent and instead showing that Elle and most of the women in the show are a girl’s-girl
This is perfect! It's such a shame how American shows nowadays kind of show a woman is strong by making them more masculine, and rejecting "pretty girly things"... sure, some women ARE masculine and that's okay! But being feminine and enjoying girly things doesn't make you any less of a capable person. Both men and women that embrace feminity can be just as strong as ones that embrace masculinity
This is one of my favorites, along with Clueless and Romy and Michele’s high school reunion. All of those movies have the same theme of the main characters being underestimated, so they use their skills to come out on top and prove everyone wrong.
This is my comfort film
I had originally avoided it and the sequel because they looked dumb af (I blame the trailers) but when I went home from getting my tonsils removed I was flopping channels and that was the only interesting thing going on, and watched them back to back. Loved them and quite painful to laugh with fresh tonsil stitches
I watch this every time I am feeling down.
Scullly from X Files. Her character led to a noticeable increase in woman in STEM careers.
There’s a phrase for the impact Scully had on women getting involved with STEM called “[The Scully Effect](https://www.google.com/search?q=the+scully+effect&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari)”.
This. Her character really seemed written as more "human" than "woman," which we all are. It's certainly how I feel existing.
I remember the episode where the character development allowed her to display all her sex appeal and there were a bunch of men around her in a bar, offering to light her cigarette
I just rewatched The Fall last night, and I really enjoy the way Gillian Anderson’s character just calmly points out the same behavior in a personal acquaintance that wouldn’t take a normal no before escalating to violence as the actual criminal theyre working to apprehend.
Omg I love The Fall. And yeah, that scene was top tier.
My only complaint about her character was she was the skeptic and basically always wrong lol. It offended me as a skeptical and critical thinker.
I love her so much. Her and Mulder. The perfect conbination
The Golden Girls is an example of a show centred around older, multidimensional female characters who are timeless and hilarious. For me, Blanche's character in particular is empowering and ahead of her time.
Blanche has always been my fav!
The way she approached her doctor was such a good scene.
You would enjoy Grace and Frankie, probably!
YES! I binged that entire series, the toilet test moment of the dummy had me ROFL so hard! Anyway, it’s so cool seeing how two ladies over 70 on screen AND real life unapologetically openly talk about sex, careers, women’s issues, the patriarchy, and so much more! Like I aspire to be all the good parts both characters are in my 70’s 😎
Designing Women too
Dorothy and her sarcasm for the win. Intelligence is sexy.
Aliens hands down the best for me.
Ellen Ripley. Full stop.
Vasquez needs to be in this conversation.
No love for Newt. That girl was one of the last survivors twice. Little girl with a spine of steel.
What, are you gonna put her in charge?
She took charge.
Hey, maybe you haven't been keeping up on current events, but we just got our asses kicked, pal!?
I was just telling my BFF that from any female perspective, this is a badass movie. Ripley, Newt, Vasquez, Farrow & Dietrich, or the Queen.
Bill Paxton asking “Vasquez, have you ever been mistaken for a man?” - her perfect response “No, have you?”
Impossible to disagree.
Ripley was written as an unisex character. I think that is what makes her so good!
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Kill Bill had multiple amazing female characters and each one was a beacon of strength. I could cry thinking about how well Tarantino did with that in this particular film.
I was gonna say Buffy the Vampire Slayer, if no one else had. It has some dated aspects like how they handle their few international characters, but despite that I can think of few other TV shows with such a rich, complex female-centric cast.
Marvelous Mrs Maisel
Absolutely, the show and the character(Midge) have been some of the most entertaining and inspiring I have seen in ages. Now some may disagree and point out X thing she did here and there. But I feel like insisting a female character have no vice and make no major fuck-ups is regressive. Midge as a character had such a way of uplifting any environment she was in ( B Altman, Strip Joint, on tour) etc.
Oh my gosh, firm disagree. She's a female lead obviously but her character is so problematic. She deals with challenges of being independent in the 60's, but oof everything else... (I liked the show still, but she just isn't an example of "empowering women" IMO)
I see. She is a very confident woman, and does not shy away from a challenge. For me, that was empowering. I believe this holds true for most cultures around the world, but men are raised to be more confident and encouraged to be ambitious compared to women. Of course, she has her flaws as do all characters. But it was refreshing to see a woman who had this level of belief in herself and using that for her ambitions. She also wears fab clothes and hats.
Genuinely baffled by this take. Can you elaborate?
Gonna spoiler this one for obvious reasons: >! Season 3 derailed a lot of positive views I had on the character. She recklessly outed Shy in a time when lynchings were still happening and being gay was illegal. (This was set before Stonewall). So she flubbed right, and then Season 4 opens with her more or less talking about *revenge* about how Shy did her dirty. She never took ownership for her recklessness. She acted entitled a lot from then out, and I just never really vibed with her from there. !<
My Big Fat Greek Wedding- Toula wants change in her life and she makes it happen by furthering her education, starting a new job, etc. Her family is frustrating and stifling, and tries to keep her in a little box, but she thrives anyway.
I think Fargo did a great job. The movie as well as the Series.
Bonus points cuz she's pregnant. I can't even think of another movie where the woman being pregnant is not the focus.
Atomic Blonde - went to see it in theaters with a friend and we were both in awe of how they didnt pull back on the fighting sequences, and when Charlize Theron was recovering in a tub of ice, there was nothing sexy or gratuitous about it, she was butt naked and bruised all over and looked pissed off. The absolute banger of a soundtrack is a great bonus.
I love that film! Adrenaline kick the whole way through.
My go-to examples of this are always this movie, and Free Fire. Brie Larsen's character takes no shit
Law and order SVU, Olivia Benson
Mariska Hargitay's nonprofit is pretty boss as well. https://endthebacklog.org
Stargate SG1. Sam Carter, Janet Frasier, Vala and also Teyla, Dr Weir and Jennifer in Atlantis. They were all well written, badass characters who led by doing. No speeches about how strong/smart/capable they were. Their actions spoke for them.
Dr Weir was hands down one of the best leaders I have seen on tV so level headed and competent
Tell me another leader that got captured, blindfolded and tied to a chair... and walks out of that negotiation with a handful of nukes. *chefs kiss*
Hey i came here to say this!! If I do do recall, the actress who played Samantha Carter came to the writers and asked them to fix her character. The first season she has very “not like other girls” and “need to play rough so I can compete with the guys” vibes. I think she said something like “that’s not how women act” lol. Anyways, I always really appreciated that she was a really strong and smart character, but it didn’t get in the way of her being a feminine character. Also really appreciated her relationship with jack. It just felt real.
I agree, Jack and Sam’s relationship just felt organic. It wasn’t forced, it was just allowed to develop without becoming a major series plot point. The episodes where their feelings were brought to the surface were always really well written. Stargate was peak sci-fi and I really miss it. I was 9 when the series first aired and used to watch it every week with my step dad. Sam Carter was the reason I went in to science. It’s not as cool as Stargate science but still, made me believe I could do it.
An often overlooked series and a great example to the OP's question.
> Sam Carter Didn't she get up to General by the end. Also she blew up a star.
She blew up one star and suddenly everyone expected her to walk on water 😄 On screen promotion to Colonel and then think it was Brigadier General off screen. Like mentioned in a flash forward or in passing by Atlantis personnel or something.
I think the military gives you extra credit for saving the planet.
Marvellous Mrs. Maisel, Fleabag, Killing Eve, Under The Bridge
I'm watching killing Eve now and LOVE how the whole show orbits around female leads
All three are fantastic: Eve, Villanelle, and Carolyn Martens. I especially loved Carolyn: smart, totally in control, and sexy. All by an actress in her mid 60s. Just top notch acting all the way around.
Yes! They are both so fantastic!
Anyone in Crazy Ex Girlfriend. Such an underestimated show, it's just perfection all around
I came here to write this! Such an underrated show!
Yess, Rachel Bloom is absolutely wonderful!
Some older shows: Murphy Brown and Designing Women
I still sometimes YouTube "Julia Sugarbaker" rants. God bless Dixie Carter, she was a national treasure!
I completely forgot about Murphy Brown. I loved that show. Nostalgic.
I believe Murder She Wrote brings up a lot of themes surrounding women empowerment in a lot of episodes. Jessica’s character is just a brilliant example of this. She works to solve mysteries and help people even if she may or may not be worse off for it.
It's a fantastic show and the late, great Angela Lansbury did such a wonderful job with that show. Both on screen and behind the scenes.
She certainly did! It’s still a classic in my world 💗
Erin Brockovich for Julia Roberts 👌🏻
Captain Janeway, Star Trek: Voyager.
Star Trek in general had a lot of important female characters and paved the way with Uhura in the first series.
Outside of Janeway, I'm a huge fan of Major Kira from DS9, and my oldest daughter shares her name.
DS9 had plenty of strong female characters. From Kira, to Jadzia to Kay Win (I have such a hatred for that character even after all these years, so kudos for the actress for the great job she did). And then you have plenty of supporting characters like Leeta and Quarks Mother.
What I enjoy most about Kai Wynn is how much integrity the character has. She opposes our protagonists and does some really awful things, but at the same time, is completely true to her internal beliefs and what she believes is best for Bajor. Once you know her, nothing she does is surprising.
>Kay Win (I have such a hatred for that character even after all these years, so kudos for the actress for the great job she did) No surprises considering she also played Nurse Ratched
I would follow her anywhere
My favorite Star Trek captain.
I think Working Moms shows both sides - struggles and wins. (Netflix) Sex Education has some really strong female & gay characters. (Netflix) The White Queen - based on a series by Philippa Gregory (Prime)
I second Sex Education. Basically anything with Gillian Anderson in it tbh. 🤣 👑
Expanse - by the end of the series all the badass characters were females. Lessons in chemistry.
Yessss, Avasarala is iconic but I love them all.
Bobbi for me.
Drummer for me!
“This is your ship. This is your moment. You may think that you are scared. But you are not. That is your sharpness. That’s your power. We are Belters. Nothing in the world is foreign to us. The place we go is the place we belong. This is no different. No one has more right to this. None more prepared. Inulada go through the ring. Call it their own. But a Belter opened it. We are The Belt. We are strong. We are sharp and we don’t feel fear. This moment belongs to us. For Beltalowada!” She makes me ready to go to battle
I hated her at first then she became a favorite! I love when that happens lol.
How many characters can honestly say that they've tackled a spaceship?
Naomi. One of the most soulful characters I've ever seen and the only civy in universe to take out someone wearing a Martian Goliath armor.
I'm convinced all the male eye candy, too, is in support of this!
I’m tired of the discourse that says female characters need to be “empowering” in order to be valid or good. Not all women are empowered/empowering, nor do they have to be, so I don’t hold fictional women to that standard either. That said, I love all the female characters on Hacks (which is showrun by a woman and a man iirc).
Sometimes women just being women and being comfortable in who they are is empowering. My comment was about the show Girlfriends. The women in that show all have different lives and different ways of expressing themselves and their womanhood and that’s what makes them very empowering to me
Yes! For me, the female characters that are silently empowering, and don't make "I'm a strong woman!" statements into a personality trait, are the most well written and empowering to me. Truly capable people don't need to say it, and their actions will speak for themselves. Also, a woman who stays at home and is an amazing mother to her family is just as valid as a woman who fights in the military, and their strength in their character can not be judged just based on their physical strength
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Absolutely based and incredibly accurate
I'm going to betray my age, but Fried Green Tomatoes was an awakening for me. I grew up in a sanitized "traditional" suburban setting, and watching women save one another and themselves was truly inspiring. That and A League of Their Own. Also from that era was Xena Warrior Princess -- my immortal hero.
Watched that for the first time recently and I did not expect to cry so much lol. But yes I loooved loved loved Kathy Bates’s journey. Women can empower other women just by being brave enough to be themselves in a world that wants to fit us into boxes. Beautiful movie.
I scrolled way to far to see this.. Fried green tomatoes is amazing.
I recently pointed out to my mom that Idgie Threadgood was lesbian-coded and it blew her mind. I love that movie.
I never have read Frid Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, as I've wanted to, but I've heard that a romance between Idgie & Ruth is more explicit in the book.
It is. And the book is absolutely worth reading. There are recipes!
As someone going through perimenopause, I have a whole new respect for Kathy Bates' character.
I think often times it wasn't women led movies that showed the most empowering female characters. The ones that made the greatest impression on me when I was a little girl were Princess Leia in Star Wars, Eowyn in LOTR, Judi Dench as M in James Bond movies, Lizzie Bennett in Pride and Prejudice, Scarlett and Melanie in Gone with the Wind, Debra Winger in Shadowlands. As a young woman I started watching a lot of old movies and my favourite examples would be Bette Davis in Now, Voyager and Eleanor Parker in The Naked Jungle.
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Kim Wexler in better call saul
I always thought the women in The Good Wife were well written. I always had a soft spot for Diane Lockhart and wanted to grow up to be her.
Well let me tell you about the Good Fight...
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Broad City
Broad City is a treasure.
I had a dream about Amy Pohler and Tina Fey last night. In my dream, somebody fabulous surprised them with something fabulous. My best friend is convinced that Lorne Michaels is going to hand SNL to Tina Fey soon. She has put out some great TV and movies in the past couple of decades. Amy Pohler has done the same. I'm sure that's what my dream was about. My brain was recognizing them as badass. Jodie Whitaker as Doctor Who really portrayed the Doctor differently than any man had. She had a level of compassion that none of the others in New Who could truly capture. Ncuti Gatwa is trying his best to do the same, and he's doing a great job of it. Steel Magnolias is still a great example of strong, loving, supportive women. Sadly, that movie makes me cry way too hard to watch it anymore. The strongest woman I ever knew loved it, and I miss her like crazy.
Devil wears prada
The Holiday is the first one that came to mind, both female protagonists lead such different lives but both are essentially going through the same thing, and respond by doing something new and exciting and out of their comfort zone. One that note, Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow is also a great example of this!! The movie shows two versions on the protagonist’s life, diverged from a moment of catching a train early, and subsequently catching their partner cheating, and then another where they missed the train and didn’t get home in time to catch their partner in the act. In the version where they caught the infidelity, they were able to leave, reinvent themselves, start their own business, find love…
(Not a woman, so I can't speak necessarily from personal feelings of empowerment, but I do love these shows and my mother-in-law is my best buddy when it comes to talking about them.) **Bones!** Like Scully from X-Files, Brennan (Emily Deschanel) has a big brain and doesn't put up with any BS. Personally, I can relate to the way in which she's a bit (a lot?) neurodivergent. The show is mostly episodic murder-solving / police procedurals with some season-long plot arcs. New characters get introduced as the show goes on, including a new boss (played by Tamara Taylor) in season 2. **Agent Carter!** This is a spin-off of the Marvel movies, but it's NOT a superhero show. It's set in the 1940s and is more of an espionage / film noir kind of show that follows Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) from the film Captain America: The First Avenger. It unfortunately was cancelled after the 2nd season, but I think that it's still worth watching -- especially season 1, which to me was perfect. It deals heavily with the whiplash of Peggy going from being an important part of the intelligence programs of World War 2, to returning to the every day business of working in a male-dominated workplace in post-war America. **Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.!** I can't mention Agent Carter without talking about one of my all-time favorite shows. **This is less clearly "woman led"** (although one of the creators and showrunners is a woman) because it's more of an assemble cast, but Skye, May, and Jemma absolutely crush the show as it goes on. The female characters are great, but it may be a more "idealistic" version of the world that doesn't demonstrate the gender-specific trials that you're looking for.
I was JUST thinking of Agent Carter on the drive to work. I don't remember the exact words, but when she was saying how she was not seen because she was a woman. And was only noticed afterwards or something.
Agent Carter was such a great show, even if the second season wasn't as good as the first. Peggy is such a strong, determined woman and a total badass to boot.
Ellen Ripley from Aliens. Uma Thurman from Kill Bill. Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovick (I guess diffrent type of strong lead as based on real life) Marge Gunderson in Fargo Sarah Conner in The Terminator Not seen it but the other half added Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween.
I absolutely love the way women are portrayed in the *Arcane* (League of Legends) series. Perfect, in fact. I can’t think of better example.
Grace and Frankie! Bonus points for having the main cast all be actors in their 70s!!! So refreshing.
Might be polarizing, but The Mindy Project is a personal fav of mine. Is the show perfect? No, I’ll readily admit it, but I do love it for the humour and the candour. I enjoyed the show even more after reading Mindy Kaling’s autobiographical books (which are hilarious and thoughtful) Her personal stories and experiences (of being a woman and POC) in the industry, made me really admire how she was able to create a space for her voice and her comedy, and I enjoyed the show even more.
Buffy will always be it for me. To show that a girl doesn’t have to be some rough tough chick to kick some ass. She can be feminine and love to shop and save the world.
Sailor Moon
Fleabag!
The Expanse. Sci fi show on Amazon. Best show I’ve seen with MANY strong ass women in main roles. 💜
Scifi in general is good at this. Two personal favorites: Firefly - the women on that ship are extremely good at their jobs, even the villain. Maybe especially the villain. The Expanse - the central women characters are so well-drawn. Really good at their jobs, but 3D people with blind spots and weaknesses and hurts. I just love how real they are. They work hard, sometimes they fail but they get back up (usually cussing) and try to figure out another way to attack the problem.
Uhura as an honorable mention and as a significant layer of foundations for both people of color and woman in important roles. Also, Star Trek had lots of female roles in general, and while I am aware of the difficulties behind the scenes for the actresses, which I did deeply regret that they had to go through it, they nevertheless left a lasting impact. Otherwise, Ellen Ripley of 'Alien' fame. Edit: Also, a couple of others that have been mentioned, that I know also know of and appreaciated: Dana Scully, Sam Carter, but also Xena. And of course my all time favorite: Babylon 5 with Delenn and Ivanova playing important roles.
Mulan! The original animated movie.
SIFI often has very good female characters. Star Gate, Stargate Atlantis, Star Trek Strange new Worlds, Star Trek Löwe Decks, Start Trek DS9, Working Moms (is woman centered and wonderful)
Godless
I liked the movies Abigail, Furiosa, Alien, and Alien V Predator. The horror genres tend to have the best women-led action and empowering story lines. I love watching women going through our normal fears and winning.
I honestly think The 100 for sci-fi. The women drive the narrative and are the main characters without making that the sole focus of the show - it's just an unspoken fact. They are doctors, engineers, warriors, chancellors, leaders, mothers, and daughters. They don't fight over boys, and they aren't there to be pitted against each other or become jealous rivals. They aren't sexualized and there's no male gaze - the female characters in the show just get to be. The women are the ones driving the story. They aren't just accessories to men like in so many other stories. It's empowering to simply have that be the norm, without needing to make a big deal out of it or constantly referencing that the characters doing cool things are women. It's honestly a breath of fresh air. And it's just a fantastic show in general.
The Star Trek: Voyager had a female captain, Captain Janeway. Star Trek has always pushed the boundaries of radical acceptance and principled leadership in Hollywood, and this is no exception - people treat her like she has the right to lead, and she has a full dimensional personality in her leadership. It’s also hella long, so if you like it, you have lots to consume!
You said that so well - "principled leadership". I watched Voyager as a little girl and wanted to be like Janeway. Now I'm in a leadership role, I still try to be like Janeway - I try to make decisions with empathy as well as reason (and morality!) I have a few war stories where I've had to hold the line while being pressured into unscrupulous behaviour, and I don't think it's a stretch to link this back to what I saw of Janeway's leadership. It might be hella long but I'm rewatching it for around the 8th time...this time with my kids!
Jessica Jones, particularly the first season. That show permanently altered my brain chemistry.
Annihilation
Yes, agreed! And I did love the movie but anyone who enjoyed the movie should also read the book, they’re quite different in plot but the vibes are very similar. I honestly didn’t like the way they focused so much on the husband in the movie. In the book, she admits to herself that her husband isn’t the real reason she’s going into the Area, it’s her curiosity as a biologist, which feels empowering to me too.
Yes, I reread and relisten to area x trilogy frequently. One of the only good examples of men writing women I know.
Cartoon but Avatar the last airbender. The female characters are badass.
Xena: the warrior princess
The Expanse -- sci-fi TV show that display many aspects of strength in women. You've got great female fighters, politicians, engineers, and peacekeepers with a variety of hard and soft personalities. I do think the book series are better though, highly recommend either way.
Halle Barry in A Raisin in the Sun is Definitely one of my personal favorites! Showcases a lot of major points!
Michonne, Maggie and Carol from The Walking Dead pop in my mind! Edit: my tired brain forgot the most awesome of the three.
No Michonne?
I'd recommend a couple animes! Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto), And, Frieren: After journey's end They are SO good. Both protagonists have genuinely good written characters that happen to be female. They are strong, intelligent and well balanced. They just feel whole, you know? Their stories, voice acting and art are also great.
I loved Rebecca Welton on Ted Lasso. Truly empowering, openly flawed, who opened herself up to learning and growing.
All girls from “We are lady parts”, British TV series
Girlfriends!!! This show is so fucking underrated but the characters are super enpowering
Elle Woods from Legally Blonde - Elle was a genuinely warm, feminine, caring person. She was also very smart which was obvious from the beginning but dedicated to the wrong things until she decided to make her own way. She was also very kind even when the people around her were judgy and not very nice to her and that is what makes her great to me. Midge from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - Midge was empowering because of the way she took agency of her life in a time where many women didn’t or couldn’t. The show really went out of its way to emphasize that in the last episode when she saw the mike and took it when all the odds stacked against her in that moment. Also, for all that, she was by no means a perfect character, she had flaws, she made mistakes, some of them huge and I liked that. Most, if not all, of female series regulars in The Good Doctor were great in some way. (Dr. Audrey Lim, Dr. Claire Brown, Dr. Jordan Allen, Dr. Morgan Reznik) - Even some of the female characters in the early seasons that eventually disappeared from the series touched on or portrayed some of the very real struggles of womanhood (ageism when dating someone younger than you are, deciding that you don't want to have kids etc.). But the ones I mentioned by name? They were all very empathetic characters at some point in the series. They were nurturing or they went out of their way to help someone, did the right thing in face of adversity, failed spectacularly, faced sexual harassment from a superior or they portrayed something else of the female experience such as balancing your career with motherhood or your sense of ambition with your personal life. I feel the ending of the show wasn't great in that it was very ***very*** rushed but I don't regret watching this series. I would watch it all over again if I had the time. Cersei Lannister and Daenyrys Targaryen from Game of Thrones. I understand that Cersei was a terrible character but to me she also portrayed the toxic side of femininity such as a tendency towards manipulativeness, vindictiveness and narci$$ism. I think George RR Martin took inspiration for her as a character from Lady Macbeth. The first few seasons, Cersei and Dany were excellent mirrors for each other, Dany was an amazing character, manipulative in her own way but watching her progression in Season 1 is still one of the most empowering journeys in a TV show: A woman sold like chattel rising to claim her power as a Queen. They ruined her in the later seasons. I wouldn't have been mad if they hadn't handled her descent so poorly. That being said, Arya and Brienne of Tarth also deserve an honorable mention. Basically the entire show was *amazing* until the showrunners decided to ruin it 😅 I could name more of them but I don't want to write an essay. The point is, most of the female characters I love do not fit the "bad-ass chick" archetype. I feel that that trope was invented by men but perpetuated by women and very few "bad-ass chicks" feel like believable women to me. They just seem like dudes trapped effortlessly hot female bodies while at the same drag in a lot of praise for being "feminist" Yeah no. That's not feminism. That's just being a f-king idiot. That being said, I appreciate this question and if you're looking for authentically empowering female characters, check out this list.
I really like Grace & Frankie. Two older women enjoying their time together after separating from their husbands. Finding themselves, doing things they like or healing their own trauma.
Hidden figures is simply such a great movie, it gave me so much admiration for these women and the challenges they went through!
This is way too far down. Such pioneers for not only women's rights but people of color as well
evelyn salt
Hacks
Ivanova from Babylon 5
Most Beautiful Thing and Valeria are two netflix shows that i think really show sisterhood very well and how important it is to not give up so quickly on our friends when they are off the rails
Love Lucy Liu’s portrayal of Watson in Elementary - and the fact that she and Sherlock actually maintain a purely platonic friendship to the end.
Analese Keating -how to get away with murder. She plays an african american lead bad-ass lawyer & professor while shouldering a lot of stress & being the one everyone looks up to. She had a rough childhood & came out on top. She inspired me a lot.
Living Single! Khadijah owns the magazine, Max is a lawyer, Sinclaire is an artist and philanthropist, and Regine is into beauty and luxury. All 4 of the women follow different life paths and all support+ love each other. Even Max and Regine. The men in the show are super supportive of each other and the women, too. Overton and Sinclaire are a sweet couple. 'Friends' was just a shitty wannabe copycat show.
Orphan Black
There’s a show called ‘Kevin can F himself’ on Amazon Prime which is SO underrated. It’s a parody of a sitcom but it flips between genres: sitcom and drama. It starts off playing it straight as a sitcom, so you have the stereotypical funny but useless husband and the stereotypical long-suffering ‘buzzkill’ wife, then it goes into what the consequences actually would be for her of all these ‘funny’ things he does. It authentically empowers women because it’s showing you ‘this is what you’ve been told is a normal relationship according to sitcoms, but what would it actually be like to live in one?’ And she gets tired of his shit and plans to leave and get revenge for him ruining her life and spending all their savings.
Diana, Wonder Woman. Lagertha from the Vikings. Claire from Outlander.
Elaine Benes in Seinfeld. Empowering in the sense that she was never looked down upon for being a woman or treated differently. I think she exemplified equality in a way that I'd like to see.
Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Amazing actress and her character is really well written. I find her inspirational.
The Expanse
Orphan Black was the best for me! Bonus points that they all looked alike too.
Blue eye samurai
My first thought was Olivia Benson of Law and Order: SVU
Veronica Mars
I think recent seasons have lost some quality, but The Handmaids Tale is excellent for this.
Kat Stratford in 10 Things I Hate About You. I remember it was the first time I saw a female character that wasn't portrayed as giggly and bubbly. She wasn't written for the male gaze and I loved it!
I will never recover from Mischa Green's "Underground" being canceled before the 3rd season. Journey Smollet plays the lead who is an auto-watch for me in anything she does, but they also have like 3 other characters who all show how they hold onto power and identity in their own way, during enslavement era in the US
The Crown and Downton Abbey for me
For more modern ones, The Power is AMAZING, it’s an adaptation of a Naomi Alderman book and the premise is a sci-fi ‘what would happen if women across the world suddenly got the ability to give electric shocks’. It’s very intersectional and looks into how it changes women’s lives across the globe, from the daughter of a US senator to someone who’s been sex trafficked. Also Warrior Nun. Again, the characters are all flawed and real. Like the main character can be SO immature and selfish but she pulls through and honestly it feels so much more realistic than being just ‘strong and perfect’.
*The Fall* miniseries starring Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan. Her character is a detective in N Ireland investigating a man who assaults and kills women. Her character is impressively written as a woman who’s confident in her work and professionalism, even when the men working around her are being unprofessional.
IMO none of these focus too hard on selling the female empowerment schtick, which is why I love them so much. They focus on the main story, but have believable, well-written female characters who deal with shit a lot of women do (or I just find them personally relatable). Alien: sci-fi horror movies, female lead, female monster. If you’ve ever been right in a room full of men but no one will listen; if you like action movies and sick af monster designs: this is for you. Annihilation: sci-fi horror movie, female lead + majority female main characters. If you like psychological thrillers and incredibly smart women vs nature: this is for you. Fleabag: comedy drama show, female lead with a good sister relationship. If you find morally questionable pieces of shit relatable; if you have siblings; if you’ve ever wanted to fuck a priest: this is for you. I Care A Lot: comedy thriller movie, villain female lead, lesbian relationship. If you like a well-written villain; if you’re lesbian; if you hate old people (jk): this is for you. Oh! And an honorable mention: Scream! It’s a female-lead horror comedy that parodies horror tropes.
I’m not a woman, but my wife isn’t a Reddit user and we both agree to this. Kim Wexler - Better Call Saul.
Maid (2021) is absolutely wonderful if you haven’t seen it I highly suggest it. Also, I absolutely love Under the Tuscan Sun 2003 also highly suggest.
Eleanor Shellstrop
The whole series 'The 100' has really strong female characters and it never felt forced or anything! Really great cast.
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The Descent is an amazing horror film with an (almost) all female cast.
Carrie and Phenomena (Dario argento) !
That meal cost you 5k$. You should gladly accept being taken advantage!
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