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Girls Need Role Models: Difference between revisions
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* [http://www.screenit.com/movies/1998/the_x-files.html This] review of the first [[The X-Files]] movie cites Scully as a great role model for young girls, as she's "[i]ntelligent, strong, and determined."
* ''[[Star Wars]]'': Princess Leia is often hailed by fans and critics as a breakthrough female role model. Let's count the ways: In the first movie, she has a rather traditional "role"—the object of a rescue—but acts absolutely nothing like any female has in a similar role in a movie—she takes over her own rescue mission, for one thing. In the second movie she busts herself and her friends out of a heavily-guarded stronghold with a [[BFG]] before doubling back to rescue her brother. And then by the third movie, ''she'' winds up rescuing her lover from a Hutt. Repeat: the ''princess'' rescues the ''pirate'' from a ''dragon''. Which she then kills barehanded, while said lover is incapacitated. And ''she'' drags her brother on a shoot-'em-up speeder chase after the bad guys. Basically, Leia broke just about every single rule regarding female characters in the whole book.
** Padme Amidala has her big career, can fight with the Jedi and clone troopers and refuses to even be with Anakin throughout Attack of the Clones even if she does wear pretty dresses.
** And some still are not happy. True, they are pretty much [[The Smurfette Principle|the only female characters in the entire series]], but that's rather why this trope came about in any case.
* Liz Hoggard openly invokes the trope [http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/liz-hoggard-revenge-of-the-lifesavvy-over40s-1909603.html in her review] of [[Tim Burton]]'s ''[[Alice in Wonderland (film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'', noting that what makes Alice a "good role model" is that "she is not girlie", according to her. Clarification is desperately needed for this, as the linked review does no such thing - "Girlie" in the review refers specifically to the archetype of the [[Damsel in Distress]]. A role that Alice does not fall into despite being quite conventionally feminine. At no point is it claimed that [[Real Women Never Wear Dresses]].
* Andie Anderson from ''[[How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days]]'' wants to be a serious journalist.
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* ''[[Harry Potter]]'': Hermione Granger fills this role pretty successfully, being not only better at most kinds of magic than Harry, but also possessing a lot more common sense and intellectual ability.
** A poster points this out while snarking at Twilight: "When the love of Hermione's life left her, she continued to search for the keys to destroying the world's most powerful dark wizard. When the love of Bella's life left her, she curled up in the fetal position, went numb for months then jumped off a cliff."
* One of the most famous role models for girls, [[Nancy Drew]], started as something of a subversion. Her creator, Edward Statemeyer, was actually something of a chauvinist (although, this was 1929, his belief that women belonged in the home wasn't exactly uncommon). The only reason he allowed the series to go to print? He saw that girls were reading the [[Spear Counterpart]] Hardy Boys books and realized there was a market. The one saving grace was the series first ghostwriter, Mildred Wirt (later Benson), who decided to put more into the character than what Stratemeyer outlined on the page.
* [[Pride and Prejudice]]'s Elizabeth Bennet is an intelligent, lively, attractive, and witty young woman who vows that only the deepest of love will move her to matrimony.
* [[BJK White]] places his books "squarely in the sub-sub-genre of 'Girls Kicking Arse'."
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* The whole premise of ''[[Ugly Betty]]''. Compare with [[Yo Soy Betty, la Fea|the original]] [[Soap Opera]] version, where some of the heroine's actions are somewhat questionable, and its point was to [[Inverted Trope|invert]] the [[Beauty Equals Goodness]] pattern in soap heroines.
* [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] in the premiere of the ''[[Bionic Woman]]'' reboot, where a little girl sees Jaime outrace a car and thinks out loud that "it's neat a girl can do that."
** [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]]? Or just an [[Anvilicious|anvil]] so large it has the gravity of a planet?
* [[Joss Whedon]] rather famously complained about how everyone kept asking him about his "strong women characters." He noted that no one ever asked a TV producer about "strong male characters," and concluded with the idea that when people stop making a big deal about positive female role models (that is, when it's no longer done for artificial reasons but just because "why not"), that will be a good thing. (Which is a little ironic, when you consider that he once said, "I can't seem to write a series without a teenage girl with superpowers." Hey, everyone has their niche.)
** Or, in its [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYaczoJMRhs abbreviated form]:
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* Mariska Hargitay of [[Law and Order Special Victims Unit]] claims (or The Other Wiki claims for her):
{{quote|"I get letters saying, 'I want to do the right thing like Olivia. I want to be strong like Olivia. My friend did this, but I didn't do it because of Olivia.' For me, when a television show has that kind of positive effect on young people, it is great. I think it is a good thing that we are shedding light on darkness. I think it is a good thing to make young girls aware."}}
* Dr. Temperance "[[Bones]]" Brennan. An ass-kicking anthropologist who wears jewelery, skirts and high heels while beating the shit out of bad guys, and whose best girlfriends are a similarly ass-kicking African-American coroner isn't defined by her race, who once had a comfortably relaxed affair (and is still best friends with) the man Brennan is now in love with, and a free-spirited Eurasian artist who believes in love while still being a [[Lovable Sex Maniac]]. And for that rare creature, the female teen on the Autism Spectrum, the fact that a woman with ''huge'' social problems can not only be accepted as a friend, lover and boss, but does so ''on national television'', is enormously comforting, however unrealistic.
* Female crew members on ''[[Star Trek]]'' have always been more than tokens, whether it's Lt. Uhura in [[Star Trek: The Original Series|The Original Series]], Dr. Beverly Crusher in ''[[Star Trek: The
* Lois Lane in general but most especially from [[Smallville]].
* A frustrating case is the women of the BBC's ''[[Robin Hood (TV series)|Robin Hood]]''. At the beginning of the show the writers, directors and actress all gushed about how their take on Maid Marian made her a strong, intelligent, kick-ass female role model...and so she was...until the end of season two in which she's hit in the face with the [[Distress Ball]], taken prisoner by [[Damsel in Distress|the Sheriff]], dragged to the Holy Land in chains, offers herself up as a reward to Guy of Gisborne if he kills the Sheriff for her, and is finally stabbed to death by Guy in a death scene that was specifically shot to suggest rape. [[Flat What|What.]]
** To make this even more frustrating, this second season finale also had Djaq, an equally cool and kickass female character, be [[Put on a Bus]] and the third season tried to replace the loss of these two female characters with Kate...except that they apparently thought that "shrill, whiny female who acts like a bitch to everyone around her and keeps on needing to be rescued" equalled "strong female role model" in her case.
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** Jenna Maloney is probably the clearest example of [[Attention Whore|what happens when women ''don't'' have role models]].
* ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]'' is a [[Sadist Show]] based around a cast of female [[Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist]]s. According [[Word of God|Jennifer Saunders herself]], the characters were made to have few, if any, redemptive qualities whatsoever, making [[Women Are Wiser]] a complete impossibility. Most of these [[Rich Bitch]] characters were prone to pratfalls, [[Cringe Comedy]], [[Zany Scheme]]s, comic [[Hubris]], and outright violence, all played for [[Played for Laughs|unabashed buffoonery]] rather than [[Soap Opera]] style drama ([[First Law of Tragicomedies]] rarely applied on this show, except for the occasional [[Hope Spot]]). The show seemed to take place in a [[Dark Comedy]] [[Lady Land]] where [[The Smurfette Principle]] was inverted, and the only male characters about were usually [[Love Interest]]s or [[Pet Homosexual]]s, allowing [[Slapstick Knows No Gender|female characters to fall into embarrassing situations]] without a man swooping in to protect them.
* The writers of ''[[Sherlock]]'' may well have had this trope in mind when they introduced Watson's girlfriend Sarah into the show, an intelligent doctor who helps crack the Chinese code and takes out a hitman with a plank of wood, to off-set the female characters of the first episode (a bitchy police officer, a ditzy morgue worker with a rather pathetic crush on Sherlock, and an aide to {{spoiler|Mycroft}} who barely looks up from her Blackberry). And of course, Adler is on her way... and she's sparking the same debate due to her portrayal in "Scandal in Belgravia."
* Amongst the younger female characters of ''[[Downton Abbey]]'' there is Sybil and Gwen. Whilst Mary and Edith partake in the [[The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry]], Anna pines hopelessly after Mr Bates, and Daisy is relentlessly manipulated by Thomas, it comes as a relief to watch Sybil and Gwen form an inter-class friendship based on Gwen's desire to become a typist and Sybil's interest in women's emancipation.
* ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'''s Major Samantha Carter has been cited as one of the greatest female roles in science fiction for a very good reason - she always held her own with "the boys", and aside from one rather embarrassing speech in the pilot episode (after which actress [[Amanda Tapping]] put her foot down and said, "Okay, women don't talk like that,"), rarely made a big deal about being a woman unless someone else made an issue of it first. She was smart, she was a [[Badass]] [[Action Girl]], and she was a real character with real flaws and real emotions. And on top of that, she had one of the firmest friendships in the show with Dr. Janet Fraiser, which was based not on mutual romantic woes but on common interests and real regard for each other.
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== Video Games ==
* ''[[Tomb Raider]]'''s Lara Croft was originally designed to be "[http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3137700 an ongoing culture clash over gender, sexuality, empowerment, and objectification.]" but was redesigned to reduce the emphasis on sexuality [http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Real-appeal/2005/05/21/1116533572111.html .]
* ''[[Saints Row 2]]'' + 3 approaches this trope from the other direction by being completely indiscriminate. The fact you might be female pales to the fact you might, for example, have blue skin, luminous green tattoos and be roughly the shape of a pear. No-one will care, except for the odd comment in the 2nd game calling you the toughest chick they've ever met. By the third game there's plenty of female characters inhabiting the main cast, the main thing that subverts the 'you too, can be a chaotic, violence-loving psychopath!' message, is how [[Stripperific]] most NPC females are.
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{{quote|'''Joss Possible:''' Ron here is afraid of practically everything, but does he let his fears keep him from sidekickin'? Let's face it, Kim. You can do anything. So facing all those dangers and villains, well, it's just like you say. No big. [[You Suck|A fella filled with that much fear]] always chargin' into action with you? Seems to me that's a true hero. }}
** Some fans were left banging their heads on the wall after the series finale. {{spoiler|Her sidekick finally had to save her.}} Though one could make the case that since the normal roles both of them have are such that Kim is ''always'' saving Ron, this is a different Aesop altogether, implying the need for mutual reliance in their {{spoiler|by-that-point romantic}} relationship. It would have been better conveyed if they had won through a joint effort, but season 4 was intended to focus on Ron's character growth, so they wanted to give him a real hero moment. At any rate, while the "that's a true hero" thing may break the positive role model idea, it's a valid point that real courage is about facing down ''what you fear''. If half-incompetent villains with death rays don't scare you, it may be heroic to fight them, but it's not especially ''brave.'' [[Unfortunate Implications|It's just really, really unfortunate that this idea plays out along gender lines.]]
** Of course if we actually got to the stage at which the person in this page's opening quote was no longer asking Joss Whedon that question, this wouldn't be a problem at all. Kim would just be [[The Hero]], a heroic role model who learns few things along the way rather than being a girl, and Ron would just be the character who gets a few [[A Day in the Limelight|days in the limelight]] when he's not [[You Suck|generally sucking and being an idiot]] rather than being a guy. That we're even making an issue out of this based upon their gender roles (and indeed, that the show was pitched ''based'' on those roles) is probably part of the problem.
** It really just boils down into making [[The Ace]] a compelling main character without becoming a [[Boring Invincible Hero]] is a small tightrope to walk, regardless of gender. There's a reason why [[The Ace]] is usually a secondary character who competes with a more flawed protagonist.
* ''[[South Park]]'' may not have strong female characters in focus (well, not counting Mrs. Garrison), but at least it took a moment to point out the problems with our "real life" role-models, using the example of Paris Hilton. Mr. Slave gives a heart-felt entreaty to parents to point out to their daughters which role-models they should follow and which they should revile.
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* ''[[Beauty and the Beast]]'': And before Mulan there was Belle, who dared to be well read in a town where women were socially pressured not to read, and had the courage to stand up to a terrifying creature when he was roaring and yelling at her. She was also proactive in rescuing her father from the Beast.
* Darla "The Geek" in the animated series of ''[[Sam and Max Freelance Police]]'' was originally meant to be male. The sex change occurred because the TV network asked for a positively-identified female character.
* The female heroes in ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]'' and ''[[Young Justice (animation)|Young Justice]]'' won positive response for actually having relevant roles in the ongoing storyline and even getting their own plots and episodes devoted to them. However, the pilot episode of the latter was sharply criticized for focusing on the four male members of the team and not including any women until the final few minutes.
* ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' churned out strong female characters by the boatload. Starting with [[The Chick|Katara]], the headstrong waterbender from the [[Eskimo Land|Southern Water Tribe]] who freed [[The Hero|Aang]] from the iceberg, every female character that followed was more [[Badass]] than the one before. Even the female villains introduced for Book Two were well rounded, interesting and not to be trifled with. The most [[Badass]] female character in the show was a twelve-year-old blind earthbender who could, quite literally, rock your world.
** [[The Chick|Katara]] starts as a rather typical example of [[The Chick]], but later events force her dark side to come out later on. She also, despite much pressure from the fan base, remained indifferent to [[All Girls Want Bad Boys]] and ended up with someone who was a [[Wide-Eyed Idealist]] like her. [[Badass Adorable|Ty Lee]] also has her [[Moe]] qualities, but this comes more from [[Freudian Excuse|feeling unwanted as a child]] than her gender role.
** The sequel series, ''[[The Legend of Korra]]'', continues this trend, with the creators taking the risk of pitching a female protagonist. It's paid off.
* Averted with pretty much every female in ''[[
* ''[[The Angry Beavers]]'' ultimately lampshades this with Treeflower, whose answering machine informs callers that she's on another adventure inexplicably changing her career and personality. For a girl who went from [[Hippie Chick]] to bouffant-wearing executive to snowboarding superhero etc, [[Catch Phrase|dotdotdot]], it's not that hard to believe.
* Lampshaded in an episode of ''[[Clerks the Animated Series]]'', where Dante and Randal read a letter from an irate female fan criticizing the show for its complete lack of female characters. After reading one particular point that asserts that the writers are afraid of strong women, Dante and Randal condescendingly respond to the fan and then completely blow off her criticisms.
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** Additionally, this [[Trope]] was invoked in one of Arcee's origin stories, where the Autobots built her in response to feminists calling them sexist (despite Optimus's claims that Cybertronians are [[Asexuality|asexual]]). However, when Arcee was built, the Autobots still received flak for giving her pink armor.
** [[Transformers Prime]] seems to have struck a nice balance between [[Badass]] and [[Cool Big Sis]].
* [http://www.joemurraystudio.com/tv/rocko_factoid3.shtml This led to Joe Murray's creation of Dr. Hutchinson] on ''[[Rocko's Modern Life]]''.
* When [[Lauren Faust]] created ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'' she did indeed intend for the series main cast to be appropriate role models to the shows young audience. However, her idea of creating good female role models wasn't to make each and every main female character ''flawless'', but rather to make each and every one of them ''different from the others'', thus pushing the message that there are many different ways to be a girl. Among the main cast is a brash pegasus racer, a strong-willed farmer, a smart magician/librarian, a fun-loving baker, a shy and sweet animal raiser, and a sassy tailor.
* Faust has said this was a major reason behind the creation of the ''[[Super Best Friends Forever]]'' shorts on the DC Nation block. The Black Lightning shorts focusing on his superpowered daughters, Thunder and Lightning, sprang from a similar mindset.
* 1980s British animation ''[[Pigeon Street]]'' portrayed the lives of ordinary people living on an urban street, with a good mix of age, race and sex. The character most people remember is Long-Distance Clara, the lorry driver with a ''kickass'' theme song.
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* [http://www.overthinkingit.com/2008/08/18/why-strong-female-characters-are-bad-for-women/ Why Strong Female Characters Are Bad For Women] takes issue not with this trope, but [[Real Women Never Wear Dresses|the definition of "strong female character"]].
* According to [http://blog.ted.com/2011/01/14/gaming-to-re-engage-boys-in-learning-ali-carr-chellman-on-ted-com/ this] video presentation, it's ''boys'' who are now desperately in need of role models at a young age.
* [[Moral Guardians]] always go after young females of a certain age if they make certain mistakes ([[Britney Spears]], [[Miley Cyrus]]) in the media. This is not an issue for young male artists, since young males don't need good wholesome pure innocent role models.
** What's ironic is that their usual criteria for deciding who is a "good" vs. a "bad" role model for young girls is actually [[Madonna-Whore Complex|pretty ''anti''-feminist]].
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[[Category:Gender and Sexuality Tropes]]
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