This post originally appeared on The Pen & Muse blog as part of my Paranormal Cravings blog tour. I wanted to re-post it on my blog in case my readers missed it because of how important I believe having strong, positive female characters is to an audience.
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Out of 157 female action heroes studied by sociologist Katy Gilpatric in movies and television shows, nearly 50% were evil and 30% were killed off. Many of the female characters that had been murdered asked to be killed by their male counterparts because they couldn’t handle their power, or they sacrificed their lives so the male heroes could succeed.
Such is one interesting study cited in the film Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroinesby Kristy Guevara-Flanagan (wonderwomendoc.com). This film, currently available for viewing on PBS, interviews leaders in the women’s movement on how the media portrays strong women and why the superhero Wonder Woman became an icon for the feminist movement—an image that continues to resonate with women of all ages today.
A strong female protagonist doesn’t need to have the strength of an Amazonian or fight monsters next to the Hulk. She can be an entrepreneur, doctor, politician, lieutenant, or mother. She can be a ship’s officer like Ripley from Alien, as Gilpatric points out, but must have the following traits:
In my debut paranormal romance, A Surefire Way, my heroine Surefire was inspired by my love of strong female leads like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Although Surefire has the super ability to hit any target, she struggles with confidence in herself and in her talent. Not only does her journey involve stopping the bad guy from destroying the world but learning how to believe in herself and not waiting for outside validation—something many people struggle with and can relate to. Fortunately, Surefire doesn’t need to die for the hero to succeed. It’s through them working together that they reach their goals and save the world.
At the end of the documentary, film students were challenged with creating female characters that were outside the types they usually saw in movies and television. They were asked to write about heroines they would like to see.
As my challenge to readers, try new stories that show women in different roles than you may be used to reading about. As my challenge to writers, write about heroines you haven’t seen before—write about the heroine you’d like to be.
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Out of 157 female action heroes studied by sociologist Katy Gilpatric in movies and television shows, nearly 50% were evil and 30% were killed off. Many of the female characters that had been murdered asked to be killed by their male counterparts because they couldn’t handle their power, or they sacrificed their lives so the male heroes could succeed.
Such is one interesting study cited in the film Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroinesby Kristy Guevara-Flanagan (wonderwomendoc.com). This film, currently available for viewing on PBS, interviews leaders in the women’s movement on how the media portrays strong women and why the superhero Wonder Woman became an icon for the feminist movement—an image that continues to resonate with women of all ages today.
A strong female protagonist doesn’t need to have the strength of an Amazonian or fight monsters next to the Hulk. She can be an entrepreneur, doctor, politician, lieutenant, or mother. She can be a ship’s officer like Ripley from Alien, as Gilpatric points out, but must have the following traits:
- Leader
- Drives story
- Gives orders
- In power
In my debut paranormal romance, A Surefire Way, my heroine Surefire was inspired by my love of strong female leads like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Although Surefire has the super ability to hit any target, she struggles with confidence in herself and in her talent. Not only does her journey involve stopping the bad guy from destroying the world but learning how to believe in herself and not waiting for outside validation—something many people struggle with and can relate to. Fortunately, Surefire doesn’t need to die for the hero to succeed. It’s through them working together that they reach their goals and save the world.
At the end of the documentary, film students were challenged with creating female characters that were outside the types they usually saw in movies and television. They were asked to write about heroines they would like to see.
As my challenge to readers, try new stories that show women in different roles than you may be used to reading about. As my challenge to writers, write about heroines you haven’t seen before—write about the heroine you’d like to be.