Beyond Wonder Woman
The quest for leading female characters who are not caricatures...
I loved Wonder Woman. Unabashedly adored every second of the first good leading female superhero movie. One of my favorite pieces of the movie was the character of Diana. Yeah, she's Wonder Woman, she's a kick-ass superheroine, she saves the day - but she's also more than that. She delights in exploring the world beyond Themyscira - the sight of a baby (she's never seen one!), the taste of ice cream; she embodies compassion, she mourns the pain and destruction of war; and she puts faith in humanity - "It's not about deserve. It's about what you believe. And I believe in love." Can you imagine any of the current crop of male superheroes saying something like that? Would such a statement be derided as weak? Yet it is part of Wonder Woman's strength.
Much of the hype and fervor around Wonder Woman is about how distinct she is. She stands alone in the pantheon of movie characters, the only female character ever to be so wonderfully crafted as a fully-rounded human being of a woman.
Or does she?
In the realm of superhero movies - yeah, she stands alone.
But what about all the other media beyond superhero movies? Are there female characters elsewhere who are just as satisfyingly real and fully-realized?
(I'm so glad you asked.)
YES!
(Now here come the recs! Lists! My attempts at variety!)
Movies
Look beyond superheroes, look beyond "kick-ass" even. Because who decided that for a character to be feminist she had to be kick ass? In my opinion, feminism and truly feminist representation in media should encompass all the possibilities for what a women may be or do or feel.
In no particular order:
Love & Friendship (2016)
Cars 3 (2017)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mean Tell No Tales (2017)
The LEGO Batman Movie (2017)
Bride & Prejudice (2004)
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Serenity (2005)
Arrival (2016)
Bridget Jones's Baby (2016)
In theaters now, or available to rent or stream pretty much anywhere.
Television
Oh, the choices get better here! Longer character arcs, more time to revel in well-drawn, well-played women.
My top 2 current-TV recommendations:
Orphan Black
Supergirl
(But those are both sci-fi...what about this variety I mentioned?)
The Catch
Scandal
Stranger Things
The Crown
Damages
Lost Girl
Sense8
Army Wives
All highly binge-watchable shows, and all streaming somewhere easy to find.
Books
Jackpot!! Here you can find every possible kind of female character in every possible kind of setting. And by the very nature of literature, we are allowed deeper into the characters, to understand them more fully in all their wonderful, flawed, and good and human glory.
Classic Literature
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Contemporary/Women's Fiction
Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
The Assistants by Camille Perri
Mid-Grade to YA
Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
Behind The Throne by K.B. Wagers
Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Romance
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Open Season by Linda Howard
Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh
Mystery/Suspense
The Survivors Club by Lisa Gardner
The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry
It's a quite a short list, but it's a "you should be able to find this at your local library tomorrow" list. It's a "maybe try everything by this author" list.
What do you think? What top-line movie, TV, or book recs would you add?