Iron Lady: Difference between revisions

Content added Content deleted
VisualWikitext
m (categories and general cleanup)
m (Mass update links)
Line 15:
Mind you, it's not that she's all iron. In private, she can be quite warm, even loving. And, seeing as the camera can take us anywhere, we often get to see it. However, her public does not.
 
The model for this in the contemporary world is [[Margaret Thatcher]], who was a notorious bully within her (entirely-male) cabinet, and defines the "presidential Premiership" in [[British Political System|British politics]] even more than [[Tony Blair]]. The nickname was applied to her in an insulting manner by the [[Reds Withwith Rockets|Soviet military]] newspaper ''Red Star'' in 1976, when she was still Leader of the Opposition, [[Appropriated Appellation|but soon became affectionate.]] (No mental fatigue, only metal fatigue.)
 
In certain media, they often have British accents, [[Margaret Thatcher|heaven knows why]]. Regardless of media, she is likely to have [[Power Hair]].
Line 25:
If she ''is'' royal, see [[The High Queen]], [[God Save Us From the Queen]], and/or [[The Woman Wearing the Queenly Mask]]. For her typical [[Evil Counterpart]], see [[The Baroness]].
 
Not to be confused with [[Iron Maiden (Music)|Iron Maiden]].
 
For the 2011 movie about Margaret Thatcher starring Meryl Streep, see ''[[The Iron Lady]]''.
Line 40:
** And then there's her [[The Dragon|dragon]] Nike, who is even more [[The Stoic|uptight and straight to the point]] and usually gets send to deal directly with problems that could be a threat to Olympus.
* Balalaika from ''[[Black Lagoon]]'', the leader of a gang of [[Husky Russkie|Russian]] [[Semper Fi|commandos]]-turned-[[Career Killers|hitmen]] and ''the scariest member of their outfit'' by far.
* Frances Middleford from ''[[Black Butler (Manga)|Black Butler]]'' is an example of this trope. She even makes [[Battle Butler|Sebastian]] break out in a cold sweat.
* Cornelia from ''[[Code Geass]]'', complete with hidden soft side. A rare royal example.
* [[Neon Genesis Evangelion|Asuka Langley Soryu]] desperately wants to be one of these, and indeed she starts out fitting the mold. Unfortunately, she tragically underestimates the cost of keeping her emotions inside and focusing only on success.
Line 51:
 
== Film ==
* [[Judi Dench]] as M in all of her [[James Bond (Filmfilm)|James Bond]] appearances. You only ever really see her softer side in ''[[Quantum of Solace (Film)|Quantum of Solace]]''.
* Dr. Grace Augustine from ''[[Avatar (Filmfilm)|Avatar]]'' is a more benign version of this but you gotta admit that she's as tough as they come.
* The Grand Councilwoman of the Intergalactic Federation in ''[[Lilo and Stitch]]''.
* [[Meryl Streep]] won an Oscar playing the original Iron Lady, [[Margaret Thatcher]], in a biopic called... ''[[The Iron Lady]]''.
Line 64:
* Nasuada of ''[[The Inheritance Cycle]]''
* [[A Song of Ice and Fire|Lady Maege Mormont]] and her daughters, who are war leaders as well. (Averted by Brienne of Tarth, who is more like [[Virginity Makes You Stupid]], but that's another matter.)
* Scheherazade in [[Arabian Nights (Literature)|Arabian Nights]] seems a toned-down version of this. She was restricted by her culture to the context of harem intrigue, of course, but she plays this trope as far as it can go within the context. She was intelligent, brave, and knew her own mind.
* [[The Bible]] has a a few interesting examples:
** Esther was rather like this. She was a little like Scheherazade, but had a bit of ruthlessness as well. Of all the books of the Tanakh (Jewish Bible), she is only one of two women to have a book named after her.
Line 74:
* Karrin Murphy, in her days as the chief of SI police department, from [[The Dresden Files]].
* Miranda Priestly from ''[[The Devil Wears Prada]]''. Although she's the editor-in-chief a fashion magazine, she fits this trope perfectly.
* Ma Joad from ''[[The Grapes of Wrath (Literature)|The Grapes of Wrath]]'' is an example of this trope. She exemplifies all the traits but, most importantly, manages to hold the family together through sheer force of will alone.
* Olenna Redwyne, known as "The Queen of Thorns", from ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire (Literature)|A Song of Ice and Fire]]''. Her son Mace Tyrell rules house Tyrell and she has no real power aside from being the old lord's widow, but no-one doubts that the Lady Olenna is the one who is ultimately in control.
 
 
Line 81:
* Adele Dewitt in ''[[Dollhouse]]''.
* Laura Roslin of ''[[Battlestar Galactica]]'' is this to a T.
* Harriet Jones as PM in ''[[Doctor Who (TV)|Doctor Who]]'', sometimes ''too'' much (it helps she's something of an [[Expy]] of Thatcher).
* Allison Taylor of ''[[Twenty Four|24]]'' exhibits this, to everybody's surprise (in-universe).
** The hilarious thing about Allison Taylor is that she can almost literally will anybody to do just about anything they don't want to do, and then she can make you feel glad you did it afterwards.
* Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship ''[[Star Trek: Voyager|Voyager]].'' ([[Depending Onon the Writer]], but then ''Voyager'' had problems like that.)
* Veronica Palmer, Ted's boss in ''[[Better Off Ted]]''.
* Mrs. Frederic (C.C.H. Pounder) on ''[[Warehouse Thirteen|Warehouse 13]]''.
* British Prime Minister Maureen Graty on ''[[The West Wing]]'', a [[No Celebrities Were Harmed|thinly-veiled]] reference to [[Margaret Thatcher]], who [[Disproportionate Retribution|starts a full-scale war]] over the terrorist shooting of a British plane.
** She didn't actually start a war, she threatened to and was talked down. However it is clear the writers were going for a similarity to Thatcher.
* Jenny Shepherd in [[NCIS]]. She had a bit of a Captain Ahab complex but she was tough, good at her job, and had a [[Dying Moment of Awesome]].
* Inspector Thatcher on ''[[Due South]]'', whose nickname from one of the Rays was the Dragon Lady. (not to be confused with the [[Dragon Lady]] trope.) Yes, she was named after the real Thatcher.
* Susan Ivanova in [[Babylon Five5]].
{{quote| '''Ivanova''': "On you way back, I'd like you to practice the Babylon 5 Mantra: Ivanova is always right. I will listen to Ivanova. I will not ignore Ivanova's recommendations. Ivanova is God. And if this ever happens again, Ivanova will personally rip your lungs out! Babylon Control out. [to herself] Civilians. [glances upward] [[Crowning Moment of Funny|Just kidding about the God thing. No offense]]?" }}
** Delenn doesn't really qualify being graceful rather then hard on the outside. [[Silk Hiding Steel|She can be iron enough when put to it though]].
*** Her regal bearing and high rank in an aristocratic society makes her closer to [[The Woman Wearing the Queenly Mask|this]].
* Madeline on ''[[La Femme Nikita]]'' may be the [[Cold-Blooded Torture|coldest Iron Lady]] in TV history.
* And Amanda in the newest incarnation (''[[Nikita (TV series)|Nikita]]'') isn't far behind her.
* Miranda in [[Sex and Thethe City]] is a ball-busting Manhattan lawyer who is constantly trying to find a man who doesn't feel castrated by her presence.
* Lynne Thigpen as [[Da Chief]] on [[Where in Thethe World Is Carmen San DiegoSandiego?]]. Although, around Greg she was the [[Only Sane Employee]].
* Patty Hughes, the [[Amoral Attorney|ruthless -- if highly effective --]] lawyer from ''[[Damages]]''.
* Section Chief Erin Strauss in ''[[Criminal Minds]]''.
Line 107:
== Video Games ==
* Queen Anora from ''[[Dragon Age]]: Origins'' is not actually royalty, but a daughter of a minor noble who rose through the ranks using his exceptional guts and brains. She inherited both of those from him and then some.
* In [[Dragon Age II (Video Game)|Dragon Age II]], there's Knight-Commander Meredith. Before {{spoiler|the lyrium idol drives her insane}}, anyway.
** Also Avelline, who just one year after arriving in the city as a moneyless refuge manages to get a job in the city guard and is promoted to captain of the guard because all the guardmen consider her to be by far the most capable person for the position after exposing the corruption of her predecessor.
* Aria in ''[[Mass Effect 2 (Video Game)|Mass Effect 2]]'', who rules [[Wretched Hive]] Omega through [[The Don|force of personality]] and also force of...[[Authority Equals Asskicking|force]]. The previous ruler was a krogan; she beat him in a straight-up one-on-one biotic battle during which she crushed one of his hearts and made him a broken shell. Then she kept him around as a living trophy. Knowing all that, it hardly needs to be said that the only rule on Omega is "Don't [[Precision F-Strike|fuck]] with Aria." (But she says it anyway.)
** [[The Hero|Commander Shepard]] can be played this way if female, especially if she of the "paragade" or "renegon" moralities, which usually involves a relative fairness with a dash of [[A Father to His Men|tough love.]]
 
Line 115:
== Webcomics ==
* [[Selkie|Lillian Haversham-Zhang.]] And she lets you know it.
* ''[[Last Res 0 rtRes0rt]]'' has several tough ladies, but none that embodies this trope like Celigo's military leader, First Wing (and Messiah of the Endless) Veled.
** Another possible candidate: the Star Org's Security Chief, Spirit of the Murphy's Law.
 
Line 122:
* Addison Harris in [[Strange Little Band]] acts like one of these in front of her subordinates and colleagues. She's not always so stoic in private though.
* Elizabeth Carson, headmistress of [[Whateley Universe|Whateley Academy]]. Full stop.
* [[SF Debris]] presents an [[Alternative Character Interpretation]] of Captain Janeway from [[Star Trek: Voyager]] that still fits this trope. However, his characterization of her starts off as a power hungry dictator who likes killing, and eventually move to intentionally causing massive war in the Alpha Quadrant so that she can take over after everything goes to hell. This plan is spelled out while she talks to Captain Picard, whose replicators she had programmed to put amnesia drugs into his tea, so that she could gloat about her plan without actually allowing Picard to thwart it. By the way, this characterization is completely contained in his reviews. Unity, his massive crossover fanfic with Star Wars, makes things worse.
** "Oh, I love Janeway! She's my favorite villain!"
 
 
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* [[Avatar: The Last Airbender (Animation)|Princess Azula]] appears to be an adolescent [[Iron Lady]] crossed with [[Arrogant Kung Fu Guy]], and later adds elements of [[Ax Crazy]].
* ''[[The Legend of Korra (Animation)|The Legend of Korra]]'' gives us Lin Beifong, who is a more [[Visual Pun|literal case with actual metal armor]]. She is the chief of the Metalbending Police Force in Republic City for the power part.
* Amanda Waller, chief of the [[Government Conspiracy|Project Cadmus]] in [[Justice League (Animationanimation)|Justice League]], is so iron, she stands up to Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman at the same time upon her first introduction, chews out the Goddamn Batman, and personally confronts {{spoiler|Lex Luthor}} in his lair upon discovering his treachery.
** Waller shows up again in [[Young Justice (Animationanimation)|Young Justice]], running a penitentiary for super-powered criminals. Even after the crooks take over the prison {{spoiler|thanks to a mole on her staff}} and start threatening her life, she doesn't give them an inch. {{spoiler|Sadly, said mole ends up replacing her after she takes the fall for the near-breakout.}}
 
 
Line 137:
* Dame Eugenia Charles, the first female prime minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica in the West Indies. She was even known as the "Iron Lady of The Caribbean" due to her uncompromising stance on her views.
* Indira Gandhi of India, who was even ''de facto'' dictator of India for almost two years (the Indian Emergency, 1975-77).
* Golda Meir, Prime Minister of Israel during the [[Arab -Israeli Conflict|Yom Kippur War]] and before that Israel's Foreign Minister for ten years. She was often called "The Iron Lady of Israel," and combined it with [[Jewish Mother]] in a rather odd fashion: for instance, she would bake a cake for the ministers comprising her "kitchen cabinet" (circle of closest advisors, meeting for Shabbat dinner), but also be totally willing to grill them, chew them out, or embarrass them over state business even as they munched on the cake.
* Tzipi Livni was famous for her no-nonsense attitude as Israeli Foreign Minister under Ehud Olmert, and continues to have that iron will as Leader of the Opposition. Given the revolving door that is the Israeli premiership, there's a good chance she'll be PM in a few years yet.
** And in something of a running theme, new Labor leader Shelly Yachimovich seems, as a former hard-hitting journalist, to be cut from similar cloth. However, her focus on social issues rather than hard security matters softens her image up a bit.
* Angela Merkel, current [[The Chancellors of Germany|Chancellor of Germany]], has gained some reputation for this as she is a pretty tough negotiator in international politics. Within Germany, she is much more known for leaving the spotlight to her ministers and rarely makes any announcements or statements of significance. This makes her almost untouchable since she never says something stupid or controversial or appears responsible for unpopular government programs or changes to existing law. While this is often criticised as being indecisive and not doing her job, she always has very high approval ratings with the public, because nobody ever sees her doing something bad.
* Yulia Timoshenko, former Prime Minister of Ukraine was famous for being stubborn and getting things done. In a country where [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8645847.stm smoke bombs, eggs, and fisticuffs] are a not-unexpected way to [[Blood Onon the Debate Floor|settle things on the floor of Parliament]], you ''have'' to be stubborn to be effective.
* Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, current President of Liberia, and the first elected female leader in Africa. She ''has'' to be tough as nails; there's the threat of a coup.
* Benazir Bhutto, the late Prime Minister of Pakistan. Although democratically-elected, she inherited a nearly-dictatorial manner of politics from her father, former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (an extremely shrewd political operator who earned [[Badass]] points after a coup forced him through years of [[Kangaroo Court|Kangaroo Courts]] before being executed in 1979). However, this wasn't enough to prevent her assassination in December 2007.
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Iron_Lady"