14 Female Characters In Film & TV That Make Us Love Being Women
The path to becoming a good woman is a long, arduous, often confusing one, and there’s no clear ‘end’; there are seemingly endless voices that want to weigh in on what it means to be a truly good, inspiring, strong woman — and every voice seems to have wildly different ideas of what that ought to look like.
This is why the depiction of good women is so incredibly essential for our own growth. We desperately need role models to emulate, to challenge us to be a better version of ourselves, and to show us what it means to embrace our femininity, strength, and purpose in a way that matters.
So we’ve put together a list of fourteen women in film and television that we believe do just that.
Evelyn Abbott (from A Quiet Place)
In a world that’s been taken over by monsters that hunt their prey using their terrifyingly sharp sense of hearing, Evelyn is an incredibly fearless woman that’s committed to keeping her children safe (both born and unborn), no matter the cost for her. And of course, her daughter, Regan, despite having the disadvantage of being deaf in a world in which perceiving sound is the key to staying alive, is just as brilliant and courageous as her mother.
Natasha Romanoff (from Marvel’s Avengers film series)
Natasha’s life has been anything but predictable or easy – after being indoctrinated by a Soviet Russian program as a child and being sterilized, Natasha is trained to be a spy and assassin, soon becoming one of the greatest in the world. But despite having her childhood and choice of having children stolen from her, Natasha doesn’t become hardened or angry. Instead, she decides to commit her life to being an Avenger: fighting for the triumph of good over evil and saving innocent lives while consistently putting herself at risk to do so – eventually performing the remarkably selfless act of giving up her own life to save the world.
Aibileen (from The Help)
Aibileen had every reason to be bitter and angry with the cards she’d been dealt – being a Black woman living in the 1960s whose grandmother was a slave, mother was a maid, and has found herself working as a maid with unrealized dreams of doing something more meaningful. Along with all of that, she bears the pain of losing her son. Still, Aibileen doesn’t allow her life’s unfair circumstances to shake her faith in God, uses her motherly heart to raise the children she takes care of (loving them better than their own mothers), and consistently shows herself to be a faithful friend and woman.
Elizabeth Bennet (from Pride and Prejudice)
Arguably Jane Austen’s most popular heroine, Elizabeth Bennet has continued to capture the hearts of audiences in every adaptation of Pride and Prejudice – her incredibly sharp wit, intelligence, beauty, and quick study of others made her more than just the female lead in a romantic tale, but a character that every woman alive has wished to be.
Arwen (from The Lord of the Rings film series)
Director Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings offered us an illustration of a character we’d already loved from the book series, and didn’t disappoint us. Arwen is shown to be just as lovely and elegant as we’d always imagined, but also strong and capable in her own right as she rescues Frodo and emboldens Aragorn, her true love, to be the good, noble, virtuous man she knows he is. Arwen is much more than a love interest for him, but an inspiration as well, encouraging him to accept his role on the throne.
Katara (from Avatar: The Last Airbender)
Avatar: The Last Airbender depicts a society that’s been broken down into four nations. Katara, a member of the Water Nation, is a young woman who’s experienced more hardship than the average girl, having a warrior father who’s always away, and having lost her mother years ago. Still, Katara’s loving nature, honesty, and bravery shines through as she takes on a motherly role to those in her presence, while also learning how to control her powers and use them for good. Her empathy and dependability, along with her waterbending abilities, prove to be her strength.
Mary Poppins (from Mary Poppins)
The prim and proper English nanny stole the hearts and captured the imaginations of the children she looked after. While Mary Poppins might strike us as gentle, sweet, and just-too-perfect to begin with, it’s soon made apparent that she has a tough side, and holds her children to high moral standards – for their own benefit, of course. All the while, Mary Poppins awakens in the children a sense of wonder and whimsy as she takes them along on magical adventures, making her the perfect balance of sweet and stern.
Lorelai Gilmore (from Gilmore Girls)
The fast-talking, wickedly funny, coffee-guzzling single mom has been a fan-favorite for years now, and with good reason. Lorelai had her fair share of flaws and flubs, as do we all, but what made her stand out was her commitment to giving her daughter a good life, tireless work ethic, strong vision for her own future, fierce love and loyalty for her friends and family (despite many disagreements), and her ability to land on her feet. While Lorelai was far from being a perfect mom or woman, she still had a desire to do the right thing, and never let the storms of life take her down.
Shuri (from Black Panther)
Shuri’s brother got all the attention, and though it’s not lost on us as to why, Shuri deserves her own spin-off. Her impressive genius-level knowledge in science and technology, commitment to her craft, paired with her tenacity and desire to fight for what’s right, made her a young woman worth looking up to. Without Shuri’s help, the good guys might not have won that time around.
Ms. Honey (from Matilda)
Didn’t we all wish we’d had a Ms. Honey growing up? The warm, thoughtful, tenderhearted schoolteacher recognized in Matilda a unique intelligence and ability that her family had always ignored, even discouraged. Ms. Honey’s skill in recognizing someone in need, sweet disposition, and compassionate heart had a quiet strength, going to show that outspokenness is sometimes overrated.
Daphne Moon (from Frasier)
The fun-loving, charming, hardworking, spunky physical therapist from Manchester, England quickly became an irreplaceable part of the family when Frasier hired her to take care of his aging father. Sure, her first inclination is to take care of those around her, but crossing her boundaries will get you a fiery response. Daphne is the perfect depiction of a strong yet loving woman.
Mulan (from Mulan)
Mulan was the perfect character for those of us who’ve struggled with feeling inherently different – incapable of being what we were expected to be. Mulan found herself caught between choosing to live out her family’s expectations, or the desire in her heart to fight without fear and protect her people from invaders, disguising herself as a man in order to be permitted to fight. Her decision to own the course of her life is incredibly noble and worth looking up to.
Hermione (from the Harry Potter film series)
Hermione, the beloved female friend of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley and resident brainy girl at Hogwarts, definitely made it cool to be well-read, studious, and diligent – but her positive effect didn’t stop there. Her faithfulness, devotion, and deep love for her friends made her a character to remember.
Elle Woods (from Legally Blonde)
A pink-loving sorority girl from Los Angeles, Elle isn’t what many would think of as ‘Harvard material’ – and yet, her acceptance to its prestigious law school proves otherwise. While some might criticize Elle for being too girly, we see her familiarity with her femininity and love for her fellow women as her special power, especially considering her knowledge of seemingly frivolous things like hair perms actually won her a challenging case.