In 20th-century film and media female characters played a secondary, non-essential role. Fortunately, during recent decades, with the effort of the feminist movements, the role of women changed in everyday life as well as in film and finally, the strong female character archetype appeared on the screens. However, this archetype has slowly turned into a simplistic, stereotypical representation, which has upset and irritated the audience.
What is a strong female character like? What are her weaknesses? And what makes her different from strong male characters?
The strong female character has origins in Greek mythology, where we encounter two goddesses - Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, and Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Even though their strength is often masculine, they are still independent, powerful female figures who make their own decisions and have a central role. Consequently, their existence in an ancient patriarchal society, even as a myth, is extremely important for modern female characters. Although characters from the works of Jane Austen and Louisa May Alcott are not physically strong, they are still great examples of this archetype.
"Women - they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they've got ambition, and they've got talent, as well as just beauty. I'm so sick of people saying love is just all a woman is fit for. I'm so sick of it.“ - Jo March, “Little Women” Louisa May Alcott
However, the appearance of strong female characters on screen took a long time. For several decades, people preferred watching movies about the damsel in distress, a stereotypically feminine, submissive, and innocent female character. The damsel in distress didn’t have a unique persona or a major role, she was only there to be saved by a man.
Female characters gained popularity in the 1940s when “femme fatale” - alluring and confident women appeared on the screens. These women smoked cigarettes, dressed seductively, and confronted the stereotypes. Afterward, career-oriented women, who were trying to achieve success in their professions and didn’t focus on creating a family appeared. The 1970s brought yet another type of women onto the screens: these women were physically strong and didn’t need any help in catching criminals and saving the world. Such characters included Charlie’s Angels, Wonder Woman, and others.
"I'll fight for those who can't fight for themselves." - Diana, Wonder Woman
In the recent past, expensive, high-quality production movies such as Terminator or Jurassic Park showed women triumphing against monsters that would make any man’s blood run cold. At last, the strong female character archetype emerged, which can be divided into several sub-archetypes.
1. The Hot Heroine
The hot heroine is physically strong, which is usually self-evident right from the start. Whether she has full-on superpowers, or she's simply exceptionally skilled in combat, she’s an imposing threat to anyone and anything standing in her way. Usually, she's strong enough to not only save herself but the whole world and she's undeniably beautiful while she does that. An example of the hot heroine is DC comics superhero: Wonder Woman.
2. The Brains Behind It All
The Brains Behind It All is strong because of her extraordinary intelligence, which she uses to do extraordinary things — either for others or just for herself. She’s smart, cunning, and can manipulate people to her will. At the same time, she’s stubborn and doesn’t let anyone mess with what she has accomplished. A great example of the Brains Behind It All is Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series.
3. The only one in the room
When a female character wins in a male-dominated field, she becomes the only one in the room. We encounter this sub-archetype in historical fiction and period dramas, where women have to fight relentlessly to succeed in a space designed to exclude them. And when they finally thrive, their triumph becomes symbolic for the women in the audience.
4. The Queen with an Iron Fist
When a strong female character gains a high status in a male-dominated world, she becomes the queen with an iron fist. This character is successful, smart, and commanding. People are afraid of her because she’s willing to do anything to maintain her power. Behind her beauty and polite smile hides coldness and endurance - she's truly an iron fist in a velvet glove. However, in reality, the Queen is forced to act this way in order to maintain her authority, but inside she carries great pain. The best example of the Queen with an Iron Fist is Cersei Lannister from the Game of Thrones, but a more realistic prototype would be Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada.
5. Emotionally Resilient
This female character sub-archetype is exceptional because she has learned to turn her vulnerabilities into strength. Trauma, heartbreak, loss of a loved one - a woman like this has seen/been through it all, but she still stands with her head up high, thanks to her untamable spirit and innate resilience. Two best examples of this sub-archetype are Katniss Everdeen from Hunger Games and Furiosa from Mad Max. It needs to be noted that we encounter emotionally resilient women more often in real life than in movie theaters.
All of these sub-archetypes should be a celebration of the best qualities of women, true acknowledgment of their abilities… Then, why are some of these archetypes considered not as the liberation of female power, but as its limitation?
Weaknesses of a Strong Female Character Archetype
The Strong Female Character is so scrubbed of imperfections, that she lacks any depth or development — her strength is often the only defining quality and that tends to overshadow all the other things that go into making a fully realized character, particularly weakness. This flaw is most evident in the Hot Heroines. Inspiring as she may be, Captain Marvel’s Carol Danvers is largely limited to fight scenes and one-liners. The recovery of identity doesn't interest Captain Marvel, because her ability to overcome her own failures and men’s derision is all that’s known of her, and, more significantly, all that she needs to know in order to know herself. The film attempts to engage with these larger criticisms by showing how she’s forced to suppress her feelings.
"There's nothing more dangerous to a warrior than emotion" - Captain Marvel
When she’s able to stop, we see how she channels those feelings to become even more powerful. But ultimately, it’s still all in service of developing her physical strength, rather than her character — and it perpetuates the notion that her strength is all that’s interesting or useful about her.
Carol Danvers is at least the star of her own movie. But other strong female characters often suffer from “The Trinity Syndrome”. The term itself has been introduced by the film critic Tasha Robinson and the name “Trinity'' comes from the Matrix character played by Carrie-Anne Moss. The term pinpoints the situation when a strong female character with true potential plays an insignificant role and is kept only as an award for the male character at the end of the movie. Trinity Syndrome explains why having a strong female character in the movie is so convenient and profitable for the producers. Directors can use such female characters to say: “See? This film totally respects strong women!” - even if such a display enforces gender stereotypes instead of confronting them.
The film industry doesn’t acknowledge the strength of female characters unless they adopt masculine characteristics. This again supports the idea that femininity and strength are mutually exclusive concepts, which is totally wrong.
For a female character to be truly strong, perhaps we have to change our definition — away from those narrow, and primarily masculine ideals. A character like Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road is clearly strong in a way we’ve become used to: She’s physically fit and skilled in combat, intelligent and resourceful. But her greatest strength is her empathy. Furiosa is tough but vulnerable: Her hardened exterior hides an incredible inner pain — and we see how she draws her power from it. An equally great example of a strong female character is Katniss Everdeen from Hunger Games, who volunteers for her sister to take place in a deadly battle.
Clarice Starling from The Silence of the Lambs is one of the best examples of a strong female character. She is a student in FBI Academy, who dares to interview a strictly isolated, cannibal psychiatrist - Hannibal Lecter. She courageously explores his sick mind and manages to catch the serial killer.
Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich portrays a single mother with three kids who, despite her social status, starts working in a law company and manages to win one of the most important legal cases of the century.
Elle Woods from Legally Blonde is also a courageous and beautiful woman, who confronts stereotypes and doesn’t let prejudices stop her. At the same time, she stays kind, even towards people who have hurt her.
All three of these characters have two things in common:
1. They aren’t physically strong and don’t live in alternative universes - they have to confront real monsters, not imaginary ones.
2. Clarice, Erin, and Elle destroy gender stereotypes and succeed in male-dominated professions, which gives hope to little girls that have big dreams - the audience receives the message that women can succeed in real life as well.
In conclusion, a strong female character doesn't have to be just "A hot heroine", "Brains behind it all" or "A queen with an iron fist." She should also be a woman, who’s secure in her femininity, aware of her weaknesses, and dedicated to being her absolute best for the people she loves. Such female characters are truly liberating and inspiring - they can help girls from around the world find the same qualities within themselves. And who knows, maybe eventually she can become just "a strong character"?
Author: Mariam Melikishvili
Translator and Editor: Mariam Beshidze
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