7 Inspiring and Badass Women in Pop Culture
Here’s to strong women! May we know them, may we be them and may we raise them! So often, pop culture these days lacks variety, diversity and representation. The female characters are often stale and banal — usually existing as mere props, plot devices or just exist for the purpose of making the males look good by being heroic. While it is infuriating that we still have to point out the need for multi-dimensional feminist female characters in pop culture, credit must be given to those inspiring characters. Here’s a list of 7 such characters out of many more:
1. Leslie Knope
Amy Poehler’s loyal, diligent, clever and faithful public servant character on Parks and Recreation, Leslie Knope is a character for the feminist hall of fame. Whether (accidently) facilitating a gay penguin marriage, fighting for sex-positivity and sex education or being unafraid to check your privilege, Leslie Knope has no hesitation in smashing the patriarchy and overcoming sexist stereotypes. Pioneer of the phrases “Ovaries before brovaries” and “Uteruses before duderuses”, the sisterhood celebrating Galentine’s day, Leslie Knope is always lifting other women and empowering them. Leslie Knope is no doubt an inspiring character to all young women watching Parks and Rec. She tackles double standards that are prominent in politics, head-on, questioning the way the society traditionally judges women. She makes us rethink sexist notions, offensive stereotypes and most of all, she motivates us to believe in ourselves as women, and that we can achieve anything we put our minds to.
2. Hermione Granger
No list detailing feminist characters in pop culture is complete without mentioning Hermione Granger, the intelligent, bright and brave witch who is Harry Potter’s dear friend and pillar of support. She is fearless when she is standing up to bullies like Draco Malfoy, using her quick intellect to solve complicated puzzles and Hermione was never a sidekick — she was always treated like a central character. Readers can see Hermione not only as a powerful witch and Harry Potter’s accomplice, but also as a feminist protagonist in her own right. Also, kudos to J.K. Rowling for not reducing her to a mere love interest for Ron Weasley. So while her peers may tease her for being ‘bossy’, emotionally expressive and studious, Hermione never cared and continued to be true to herself, eventually playing a huge part in defeating Voldemort.
3. Helen Parr/Elastigirl
She is a fearless superhero, a devoted wife and a caring a mother all rolled into one. The Incredibles mostly does right by its women: Helen Parr (Elastigirl) leads her family on a mission to save Mr. Incredible; Violet Parr grows out of her wallflower sensibility and realizes how capable she is with her super powers; Edna Mode is a brilliant suit designer whose self-confidence is out of this world. While many feminists faulted the Incredibles for reducing Helen Parr’s role into that of a domestic housewife, it is important to recognize that this was her own choice. Pixar Studios also makes sure not to box her into the stereotypes of being docile and passive. Au contraire, Helen Parr is headstrong and takes no shit from her husband or any villains trying to take over the world or separate her family. After all, Helen Parr inspired a whole new level of ‘girl power’ through these famous lines: “Girls come on! Leave the saving of the world to the men? I don’t think so!”
4. Mulan
In a movie that so aptly portrayed the stereotypes set against men and women, Fa Mulan shines bright and unique — doing everything in her power to abolish said stereotypes. Released during the third wave of feminism in 1998, Mulan is widely considered the first Disney ‘princess’ film that doesn’t portray the female lead as a damsel in distress. Through its portrayal of traditional gender stereotypes, the film manages to ridicule and in turn attempt to tear them down. Mulan enlists herself in the place of her father in the army, to fight the invading Hun army. She ‘makes a man’ out of herself and by the end of the movie, proves to everyone that you don’t need to be a man to fight and shows us all that being female does not mean being inferior. Although Mulan is infatuated with Shang, the romance arc is sidetracked and not given as much importance as Mulan’s transformation arc is. After all, Mulan is more interested in saving China!
5. Moana
Finally, a contemporary Disney princess we all deserve comes in the form of Moana — a teenage feisty, curious, water-loving soul who hates being called a princess. Born into a long lineage of Polynesian leaders, she learns to never place limits on her capabilities and how far she can go. Moana contains no romance track whatsoever — the movie fully devotes itself to Moana’s self-discovery and quest to save her homeland. There are no subplots to take away the spotlight from Moana’s journey of identity, independence and survival. Although, at first, she sees herself only as an accomplice to the cocky demi-god, Maui, she quickly takes up his destiny as her own. Even though there are points in the movie when she loses hope, Moana is not one to give up and she persists. It is not difficult to imagine Moana leading her people in Motunui: she is surrounded by people telling her she is more than capable. With the blessings of her grandmother, she is able to literally set sail to solve the problem of her island’s quickly decaying vegetation. Moana is a great step for Disney studios who have finally abandoned the exhaustive trop of white damsel in favour of more diversity.
6. Donna Paulsen
In a show that puts its attractive white men on a pedestal for doing morally ambiguous things, Sarah Rafferty’s Donna Paulsen manages to create a groove for herself and stand out from the crowd. Suits may not be an explicitly feminist show, but credit is due when it comes to the portrayal of its 3 female leads. Whether it is the fact that a black woman is the managing partner of her firm that she built from its foundation, or a mixed-race invaluable paralegal who is better than half the lawyers in the firm, Suits can make a show out of ‘strong’ female characters. Donna Paulsen stands out for me because she transcends the stereotype that a secretary is just a pretty face. Her friend and boss, Harvey Spectre, sees her as an equal and values her advice, knowledge and ideas. Although for the most part of the show, Donna is comfortable being the ‘queen behind the scenes’, she demands respect and acknowledgement from her colleagues and friends. She knows her strengths and how to use them to the best of her abilities without being underestimated. Donna is all about confidence, intuition and staying true to your values and morals — even if it means being alone and going against your friends.
7. Mindy Lahiri
How rarely do we get to see a brown woman dominate the screen like Mindy Kaling’s Mindy Lahiri does? As a woman of colour and a working single mom, Mindy provides ample representation that Hollywood’s silver screen so direly needs. Throughout the series, Mindy’s mantra is that she can be a successful professional no matter what race, gender or size she is. She is fiercely unapologetic when it comes to herself: be it about her sex-life, her love for food or her quirky personality. She is unabashedly herself, faults and all and couldn’t care less what others think of her. Just because she embraces her feminine side with her love for sequins, shoes and rom-coms, doesn’t mean she can’t hold down a conversation about literature, current affairs or politics. And to top it all off, Mindy is an extremely forwards and open body-positive/ sex-positive character on tv. She realizes her flaws and shortcomings but she doesn’t let it limit herself. So whether she is shutting down sexism in her clinic or standing up for herself, we could all learn a thing or two from Mindy!
