15 Favourite Females in Film and TV

‘THERE AREN’T ENOUGH WOMEN’S STORIES TOLD IN MOVIES AND TV SHOWS! BOO-HOO! IT’S ALWAYS MEN! THAT’S WHY WE INVENTED THE BECHDEL TEST!‘Ironically, most movies that have women only ‘talking about men’ are rom-coms, the genre women love to watch. But anyway, here are 15 of my favourite female protagonists in film and TV shows. See also: AMC 50 Greatest female movie characters

Hermione Granger. I idolised this curly-haired bookworm growing up. She’s fiercely smart, loyal, a good friend to Harry and Ron, and my overall favourite character in the Harry Potter series. She’s driven, down to earth and principled, and also kind and caring. I also love the fact that she gets with Ron in the end and not Harry, and think it suits the story well.

Daria Morgendorffer. Super cool, sarcastic, anti-social, and at times a moody bitch, you’ve gotta love Daria. She says the things we think and shows how (nearly) everyone else is pretty stupid. Most of the other characters go with the norm and don’t ‘think outside the box.’ Daria is a rebel without a cause. She makes nerds look cool with her ability to out talk anyone without breaking into a sweat.

Beatrix Kiddo/The Bride. Tarantino is one of my favourite directors, and he definitely wins with Kill Bill. This film is packed with bad-ass female characters, but of course The Bride is the best. She fights against all odds to murder the man who nearly destroyed her, overcoming enormous trials and tribulations. Probably the best scene is when she punches her way out of a grave in which she is buried alive.

Triss from Divergent. If we were to compare Katniss to Beatrice, I would definitely take Triss any day. Whilst I think Katniss is bland and just a ‘strong female’ stereotype, Triss has a more rounded personality. She shows vulnerabilities as well as strengths, rather than constantly ‘winning.’ She’s relatable. She doesn’t shun a relationship with Four, although unlike in the Hunger Games, Triss and Four’s relationship is more of a sideline and they work together well, rather than becoming the centre of a story where Peeta, Katniss and Gale get locked in some stupid love triangle.

Clover, Sam and Alex. My girls. Totally Spies was one of my favourite shows growing up, and these girls were my idols. They’re smart, sassy, fun and feminine, and also kick-ass. They love shopping and boys and can squeal like – well – girls, as well as beat up the bad guys and kick their gadgets into action. The three of them have definitive personalities and get into dangerous situations without moaning about it. Talk about girl power.

Lisa Simpson. Intelligent, driven and feisty, Lisa is one super whizz kid. She loves her saxophone and her activism, and isn’t afraid to travel far depths to seek out knowledge. She’s there to lend a smart ear to Bart whenever he needs it, and assist her dad with her words of wisdom.

Lavagirl. Another childhood favourite, this pink-haired fiery beauty is lovely and kind and also strong and feisty. She believes in Max and is a loyal friend to Sharkboy. She has the most important job at the end of Sharkboy and Lavagirl – she becomes Planet Drool’s main source of energy! Can you get any hotter than that?

Samantha Jones. I love Sex and the City, and Samantha is the best character of the show. She’s super funny, doesn’t take herself too seriously, successful in her job, in control and knows what she wants. She’s proud of her sexuality, owning it like a charm rather than pandering to slut shaming. And she shows women that you can get to fifty and still be fabulous.

Jennifer Melfi. My favourite character in The Sopranos, and the one who really sees inside Tony (she is his therapist, after all). She provides the eyes and ears for the audience, allowing us to see Tony at his best, worst and most vulnerable. She brings him out for the sociopath he is, but also for the unhappy man suffering from depression and panic disorder that grew up with a horrible mother and gangster father. She is rational and pragmatic throughout most of the series, and puts up with a difficult patient.

Clarice from The Silence of the Lambs. God, that scene where she SHOOTS, SHE SCORES! Man it’s tense. Clarice is amazing. She tackles the difficult job of dealing with the psychopathic cunt Hannibal Lector, and tracks down Buffalo Bill when no one else thinks she can do it. You don’t see her complaining about wage gaps or being a victim, she just gets on with it.

Bridget Jones. Bridget is a laugh. She’s relatable to all women and has a great sense of humour. She gets into the most tragic situations, she isn’t super slim or sharp, she sleeps with an arsehole and even manages to get herself arrested. It’s nice to have a female character that is just a funny tragic ‘every woman.’

Regina George. Mean Girls is one of my favourite films ever, and Regina is everyone’s favourite bitch. She’s more complex than just being ‘evil’, as we see towards the end of the movie. Yes, she’s
pretty horrible and narcissistic but she has a good side; maybe she just needed somewhere to channel that anger into.

Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. Brave, kind and compassionate, this film makes fun of clichés by showing how a bouncy bubbly blonde chick can stick it to her snobby boyfriend and become a lawyer.  Elle works hard, gives it her all, even deals with a sexually harassing professor – and graduates from Harvard, winning a law case. Right from the beginning of the film we see that the girl has brains and isn’t going to be walked all over by some shop assistant or her stuck up classmates.

Matilda. Genius whizz kid who outsmarts her parents and her mean headmistress Miss Trunchball. She’s meek, modest and humble, and probably autistic. Her compassion and love for Miss Honey and her fellow classmates rings true; a proper child heroine.

Olive from Easy A. She calls out the rumour-spreading shit of American High School students after her best friend starts up false rumours about her. Then she makes a video about it telling everyone that the whole thing was misinterpreted. Still, guys were more than happy to pay her to ‘pretend’ to have sex with them. This girl shows how dumb and judgmental people can be, and declares that what people do in the bedroom is really ‘nobody’s goddamn business’ like a boss.

So there’s my list of fifteen favourite females. Can you think of anymore? Leave a comment below!
See also: Top 10 favourite TV shows
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