4 Tips For Breaking The "Strong Female Character" Trope - a guest post by Christine Smith


September 26, 2017


   Today's the day on which I post the final guest post of the blogoversary bash (I'll be posting the blogoversary wrapup tomorrow)! The wonderful Christine Smith is here to talk to you all about creating strong female characters, and I can tell you all that it's an epic post. SO (after a quick aside in which I say that today's the very last day to enter the writing contest AND giveaway! ;)), I'll step out of her way, shall I?

   *exit Savannah*

four tips for breaking the strong female character trope - a guest post by Christine Smith [header image]




We see them everywhere. In books, TV shows, movies—the Strong Female Character. But are they actually strong? Or just girls who are good at using their fists...unrealistically?

Here's the thing, we do need strong female characters. We females want heroines we can look up to, females conquering battles and inspiring us to rise up and be better people. But, sadly, this culture's view of “strength” seems to have stopped at the physical definition of the word and rarely goes deeper. These girls slapped with the label “strong female character” are, in reality, just “action girls”. Girls who run around punching and kicking and throwing out rude sarcastic remarks every time they open their mouths. I don't know about you, but that doesn't exactly inspire me to be a better person. I want real heroines. Actually real females, instead of some unrealistic macho girl trying too hard to be a guy.

I am so honored to be on Savannah's amazing blog today to share with you guys 4 tips on how to break away from this action girl trope and write actual real, strong FEMALES.


1.) WITS BEAT STRENGTH ANY DAY

As I've already ranted about, most “strong female characters” these days are just girls who can punch really, really hard. Rather unrealistically hard... I may get in trouble for this, but here it is: Girls don't have the same build as guys. There. It's been said. Yes, girls can be strong and do some serious damage. Absolutely yes. But I just don't find it realistic when like 87% of females in fiction can easily take down 20 guys with their bare hands. Besides, that's rather...boring. When I'm reading, I love to see the characters come up with utterly convoluted and clever plots to taking down the baddies. Instead of just...beating them up.

Let's look at Katniss from The Hunger Games. She didn't go into the arena with plans of facing everyone with her bare hands. She knew she couldn't beat Cato in hand-to-hand combat. Of course not, that'd be absurd. So what did she do? She used her wits and the actual realistic skills she did have. She used her archery skills to shoot an arrow into the explosives to destroy Cato and the Career's food supply. She set up traps to get her own food. She used her small size to her advantage to climb up trees to get away from the enemy.

Katniss survives the Hunger Games in a realistic fashion because she used her brains and know-how instead of just diving in there and beating everyone up. That would have been a pretty short and lame story if pure physical strength resolved everything.

Again I say, females of course can be physically strong. But let's please stop putting all value in muscles and leaving smarts and wits behind. If I read about a girl taking down 20 bad guys via her wits I am much more inspired than watching her unrealistic punch them all to death.


2.) LET THEM HAVE EMOTIONS


This is the big one, guys! This world seems to be putting shame on girls for actually feeling things. We're just weak, puny things if we as much as shed a single tear. There's this misguided view that holding in your emotions is strength. No, no, no, no.

Having emotions is strength.

Hating people and locking yourself away is easy. But showing love, kindness, being selfless—that's where true strength comes in. And don't we love characters who are deep and complex and feel things? Yet, strangely, this world seems to be demanding all females be presented as the emotionless, macho type. Because if they're anything else, they're weak.

What's funny is, fangirls go crazy when a male character shows any type of emotion. But when a GIRL shows emotion? Welp, let's pull out the torches and pitchforks because how dare the producers create such a weak female character?????

People feel things. Male or female. God gave us emotions. Emotions are a good thing. And I'm insulted when girls are presented as these stone-hearted things.

So let your female character cry sometimes. Let them love. Let them just be HUMAN. Because humans feel things. And God created females to be nurturers. Most of us have that in our nature, and it's nothing to be ashamed by.

Now, if you have a character who purposely locks away their emotions for whatever reason, that's okay! (I've written a female or two like that myself.) Just remember, most people who lock away their emotions have been through trauma or some sort to cause it, and probably are actually full of emotion. And I'm allll for the sassy, sarcastic girls. Sarcasm = LIFE. But if a character is only there to give snarky quips and rude comments, they can feel really flat and boring after a time. I've seen so many female characters like this, and it gets tiring when there's no heart within them at all.

Let's return to the Katniss example. She's not exactly the most kindhearted girl around. She can definitely have a cold-shoulder. And yet she still loves so deeply. She risked her life for her sister. She went through unimaginable trauma to keep her loved ones safe and bring a better world. Katniss lived a hard life so of course her heart is a little hardened too. But she's deep. She feels so, so much. She was scared and cried and loved. But Katniss is by no means considered a weak female character because of these things. She was strong because of her emotions. It's the very thing that drove her forward.

I repeat: People feel things. Everyone has emotions. Everyone has depth. And we like deep characters. If all a character does is beat people up and throw out discouraging snarky comments and show no emotion to speak of, eventually we're gonna get bored with them.



3.) THERE IS NO SHAME IN ASKING FOR HELP


This is a tricky one. Because there is nothing more satisfying than seeing our protagonist solve a problem on their own when it seems as if all the odds are against them. Opposed to when someone comes busting in and saving them at the VERY. LAST. SECOND. No one wants to see that cop-out.

BUT.

There is also no shame in asking for help when you really, truly need it. It actually takes strength to do it! I know personally, because I have a really, really hard time asking people for help. And sometimes I get myself in a jam all because I wouldn't swallow my pride and just ask. It doesn't make me weak asking, it just proves I'm human and can't do every single thing on the planet. And yet, it seems like we expect that from characters. Female characters especially are labeled weak and helpless if they get aid from someone else. Because then they're immediately considered the “damsel in distress.” The “strong female characters” are not allowed to ask for help. EVER. Especially from a man. *gasp* The horror!

But people have different skill sets and strengths. Males and females have different skill sets and strengths. And sometimes, whoever we are, we need help from someone who can do things we can't. And they may need us to do things they can't. That's how the world goes round. We can't all do everything. We put our differences together and form a team. Katniss probably wouldn't have won the Hunger Games on her own if she hadn't have had Haymitch, Peeta, Cinna, and even Effie aiding her along the way. And she and Rue worked together to destroy Cato's and the other Career's food supply. But they were most certainly not damsels in distress.

Asking for aid and forming teams can be a good thing. I absolutely love it when characters end up assembling epic teams and solving problems together. Humans were created to work with others humans. Again, that's how the world goes round.

Of course, if you have a character whose very nature detests asking for help and is a loner, this is different. But then isn't it so satisfying when those types of characters finally do ask for help and form a team? A lot of fun character arcs and climaxes can be created with that!

So yes, it's wonderful having characters who can conquer problems on their own. It can definitely be problematic if the protagonist only ever gets out of a jam because other people are constantly saving them. BUT it's also perfectly fine and good for your character to ask for help every now and again. It won't take away from your “strong female character”. It'll just show she's HUMAN. And is strong and confident enough to accept help from others.


4.) ALLOW THEM TO BE FEMININE

And here we have probably the biggest problem with female characters of today—they're not allowed to be GIRLS. They're all forced to be macho and cold-shouldered and detest things like wearing pink and sewing.

Now, I'm going to say right off the bat that I 100% understand not all females are ultra girly. AND THAT IS FINE. If you have a tomboy-ish female character, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But if you want to create a girly female character, THAT IS OKAY.

It seems like we're not allowed to have those anymore—female characters who enjoy pretty things or like girly activities or have gentle, caring spirits. But human beings in general were created to appreciate beautiful things. And if someone is shaming you for being kind then there's something seriously wrong.

Not all female characters have to be crude, sword-wielding gals who blanch at the thought of something like dress shopping. Goodness knows we have plenty of those. What I think we need more of are female characters who aren't shamed in wearing frills or sitting at the sidelines healing instead of fighting because they actually don't take satisfaction in beating people up. Girls who take pleasure in providing for their loved ones by cooking and cleaning and sewing, and seeing these things as the important tasks they are and not degrading work. (Because, excuse me, but a world without food or clothes or nothing ever being clean is not a world I want to live in.) To me, that is true strength.

So next time you're worried about giving your female character girly traits, DON'T. Being feminine is a beautiful thing and not something we should ever have to kill off or be ashamed of. Femininity is just as important as masculinity. We need a world with both of these things. Not merely one or the other.

_____________________________


Most of these points applies to both both female and male characters. But they're something I especially see in females. In this new trend of “action girls”.

But when it comes down to it, the key to creating good characters is this: Make them human beings.  Don't try to force some kind of agenda on your characters. Trust me, readers will notice if you do. Just let them be what feels natural. Let them have emotions and cry and love and ask for help when they need it. Let them be real.

And then you will have a truly Strong Character.



christine smith's image and bio


what do you think about the strong female character trope?
who are some of your favorite strong female characters?
feel free to chat with Christine in the comments!

50 comments :

  1. This is really awesome! We need more actually strong women in literature, and not those cliche types. We need people who mess up, show feelings, and understand the value of teamwork. These are really great tips!

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    1. I couldn't agree more! (Which...I guess is pretty obvious being as how I wrote a whole post about the subject. XD) But I LOVE how you said it--people who mess up, show feelings, and understand the value of teamwork. Yes, yes, and yes! That's absolutely what I want to see more of!

      Thanks so much! ^_^

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    2. Sorry, just to mention there are some very interesting, but little known strong women in Literature. Eowyn is a very interesting character in the LOTR books: I would say she has more depth in the books than the movies because it really shows here internal struggle to find her identity and her place in the world. She's not just a 'cool' girl who uses a sword.

      Lewis and Tolkien both created female characters who were brave and strong, but also vulnerable, feminine, and team players. Perhaps we need to start taking more leaves out of their proverbial books.

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  2. Great post! This definitely helps me with my female characters :) Thanks Christine!

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    1. Awwww! I am so glad to hear that. Thank YOU for your sweet comment! ^_^

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  3. I really, really love this. You just said what everyone's afraid to say. This is an awesome post and I agree with everything you said. We need more feminine females.

    ~Ivie
    iviewrites.blogspot.com

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    1. AWK. Your comment just makes me happy. And YES, let's keep femininity alive. It's a wonderful thing!

      Thanks so much, Ivie! <3

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  4. I loved this! I love making girl characters who are realistic. I hate it when people try to rob girls of their femininity by making them just like the guys!
    Thank you so much for the tips!
    -Mikayla-

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    1. I'm so happy to hear that! ^_^

      And sooo much yes! How does making us identical to guys empower us? I think it more SHAMES females, not makes them better. I don't get it... *shakes head* It makes me happy to hear others feel the same way!

      It was my pleasure! <3

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  5. Yes to all of this! Especially emotional characters. I need some girls in books who break down, and are overwhelmed.

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    1. YES. YES PLEASE. I'm getting reeeally tired of those stone cold, ultra tough characters. As a ridiculously emotional person myself, I need someone to relate to! XD

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  6. Oh Christine! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS. Seriously, thank you. <3 Thank you for running the risk of being offensive, because people don't say this in our culture and it NEEDS TO BE SAID. Women are physically built different than men--WHYYYYYYYY do we have such a hard time accepting a scientifically proven--and completely OBVIOUS--fact? It's so hard living a world where you know you'll look like a bad guy if you aren't a die-hard feminist and you understand in some times and places woman have been/are horribly degraded--and yet not be a feminist! So encouraging to know I'm not alone and to hear someone speaking out on this. Thanks again!

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    1. *flails happily* AGH. Thank YOU for your comment! It made my day!

      And oh my goodness, YES to everything you said! I just don't get it. Like you said, it's scientifically proven and completely obvious that we're not built like men! I mean, DUH. But that doesn't make us WEAK. We have other skill sets that men DON'T have. WE'RE DIFFERENT. And that's GOOD. I just...I don't understand.

      And I relate sooo hard to what you said about not being a die-hard feminist and being made out like a bad guy. Those are my EXACT feelings. I don't consider myself a feminist at all, but I DO get that women have been degraded and there's some problems. But I think people have gone too far with the subject. And I could rant about it all day, but I'll spare you. XD

      Just thank you so much for your comment. I 100% agree with everything you said. Including how it's encouraging to know there's someone else out there who has these same thoughts. Yes! Let's keep femininity alive!

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    2. Thanks for taking the time to reply to everyone!
      And this comment of yours was so sweet! That's it, I'm going to have to stalk your blog. See you around! :)

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    3. Oh, but I LOVE chatting with everyone. Everyone's comments are just making my day. Really my WEEK.

      And AWK. YOU ARE SO NICE! I'm honored! ^_^

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  7. I love this post! There are so many female characters who are all brawn and not much else, and I agree with you - it's hard to become attached to them and hard to respect them. This was a brilliant overview of how to develop your female characters well. "Allow them to be feminine" is one that I would love to see in more books, but also something I struggle with when writing "tough female" characters. Great job.

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    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed it! ^_^

      Yes, exactly! I have the hardest time forming any sort of attachment to emotionless characters. It's getting really tiring finding them littering fiction everywhere.

      D'awww! I'm honored you thought this was a good overview! Thank you so much!!!

      And I understand having a hard time making those tough females feminine! Like I said, having tomboys is perfectly acceptable. But you can also go the unexpected route and add little trope-breakers. Like the ultra tough girl actually likes to wear a pretty dress sometimes. Or has a thing for puppies. Just little details like that can go a long way!

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  8. Oh my gosh, Christine, I love this post so very much! I love strong female characters, but I have the same complaints about a lot of them as you do. Not every strong female character needs to be a Black Widow, for goodness sakes.

    I think a strong female character should break stereotypes on both sides - break the dichotomy of macho female/fluffly female if you will. Why is it that we have such an extreme scale?

    And no, you're not being offensive when you say that women are built differently than men. Cause we are. We're wired completely differently. Our strengths lie in different areas. We women are stronger in stamina - we can deal with pain and discomfort much longer than a man can. Men are stronger in physical brawn - they can lift that nice hefty apple barrel much better than I can.
    Women also have this nice talent of..ahem..influencing people. Which is why a woman with a brain is very dangerous creature. And I will agree with all the other gals here - we need more feminine females!

    Catherine
    catherinesrebellingmuse.blogspot.com

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    1. Aaaahhh! Thank yoooouuu! Your whole comment is making my day!

      Oh yes, that is such a good point! We DON'T have to have extreme cases. Why not a mix of both? Why not a really tough girl who melts at the sight of kittens? Or a fluffy girly girl who is really good at karate? Humans are deep, complex things. We don't have to be on thing or the other!

      Can I just hug your entire paragraph here? Because that is PRECISELY what I was trying to get across. We ARE wired differently, but that doesn't mean we're WEAKER or less than! Male or female. We're just...different. That's all. And, good grief, there is no shame in being different! Everyone is crying out for "equality" but I don't WANT "equality". I want ACCEPTANCE that we're DIFFERENT. Like you said, we woman have our own skill sets. I've definitely noticed that women tend to have a higher tolerance for pain. But, of course, men are better at doing the heavy lifting. It's just who we are. No shame in that! I could go on and on, but you put it perfectly. It's so encouraging to find others who have these views.

      Thanks so much, Catherine! <333

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  9. Christine, all I'm gonna say is yes. And thank you. <3

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  10. I'm so glad you took the time to write this post, Christine! I've had these very thoughts myself and it's awesome to see that someone has put them down into writing. Female characters can and should be so much more complex than so many of them are portrayed to be. I love how you mentioned that showing love/kindness/selflessness is where real strength comes in. That is so true!

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    1. Awwww! Well, it was my pleasure! It felt really good to write it all out, because it's something that has bugged me for YEARS. I knew eventually all my thoughts would come spilling out. XD

      I'm so honored you enjoyed it! And it's encouraging to see others who agree and want to do something about this trope. Thanks so much! ^_^

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  11. *concurs with everything here* This post was epic, Christine. *applauds enthusiastically*

    I personally love it when female characters are a random mix of tomboy and girly. It's just so fun and also unique and realistic. Like, I love it if she can be capable and everything but duuude if she does it wearing a fancy dress, it's just so much better.

    And being a self-taught martial art practicer, it's absolutely good to note that females simply aren't going to be as strong as a bunch of thugs—for a random example. :P Making hand-to-hand fighting with a female character is way harder because of that (though it still can work) but YES. Wit and brains is so much better. If a teen girl spends years training she could easily be stronger than the typical teenage guy with no training. But an athletic teenage guy (with no training) would be as strong, if not stronger than her, and yeeaaah. (and oops I may have gone on about that for a long comment. xD)

    Let us go out and write /actual/ strong female characters! :D

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    1. JAAAAANE. YOU ARE JUST THE NICEST. <3

      YES. I totally agree! I love breaking stereotypes by...mixing stereotypes. If that makes sense. Lol! But just like you said, having a girl able to fight or whatever but doing it in a fancy dress. Totally epic! We don't HAVE to be tough *or* girly. We can be tough AND girly!

      And I LOVE everything you said here! You made so many good points. Yes, girls can absolutely fight and take down guys. There are so many tricks and moves for self defense. But the fact remains that most guys are still stronger than girls. Media seems to forget that fact... Also, that's so cool you do martial arts! :D

      LET'S DO IT! *raises pen*

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  12. I LOVE this! I like reading a book or watching a movie that has a strong female character in it, but I just can't stand it when all they do it fight and make guys look like bad. That's, normally, not real life and it drives me CRAZY! As you said

    "Yes, girls can be strong and do some serious damage. Absolutely yes. But I just don't find it realistic when like 87% of females in fiction can easily take down 20 guys with their bare hands. Besides, that's rather...boring. When I'm reading, I love to see the characters come up with utterly convoluted and clever plots to taking down the baddies. Instead of just...beating them up."

    It's SO true! It is possible to have a strong female character that isn't unrealistic or appear weak. Also, something I am noticing, especially in movies, is the guys are more emotional than the girls, and in real life it's typically not that way. Well, anyways...I just wanted to say that I absolutely loved this post and can't wait to see more posts like this one!

    ~Savvy

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    1. That makes me so happy to hear! Thank you!!!

      Yes, yes, and another yes! It drives me insane, too. (Which is probably pretty obvious from my whole rant-y post about it. XD) But, ugh, whyyyy are they making it out where girls are physically stronger than men? Even if we can't fight, that doesn't mean we're WEAK. There are so many more important things than physical strength. Besides, like you said, it's making guys look bad. That's not "equality" like everyone wants, that's just degrading men now. It's just a mess...

      And you are SO right about how the guys have been the more emotional ones in movies than girls. I've been noticing that, too! Guys have emotions, of course. But, well, we girls are very emotional beings! Which isn't a BAD thing. But media kind of makes us ashamed of it and just...ugh. Like I said, it's a mess. XD

      But ANYWAYS. I better stop or I'll rant forever. Hehe. Thanks so much for your comment. It's so great finding like-minded people! ^_^

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    2. No problem! It so nice to know that there are other human beings in the world that are thinking the same thing! I could talk all day about this, but I think you did a very good job of explaining how you can have a strong female character that is smart and not just weirdly stronger than guys. I can even put into words how awesome I think this post was! Well, I think you've said what REALLY needed to be said and I'm sure a lot of other writers, bloggers, and all the other random people in the world will really appreciate this post!

      ~Savvy

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    3. Thanks so much, girl! You've made my day brighter! <3

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  13. YAAAAAYSSSS!!! I'm a fairly active, horse-riding girl, who shoots guns and stuff...but I also enjoy cooking, cleaning, and the color pink. :) Not to mention I get very emotional...which is why I have a hard time relating to these girls who can just take out a guy with a single punch and act like they couldn't care less. I'm not asking for whiny sissies...I just want to read about girls who care for the value of life, and who like to comfort and help people in other ways then just taking out a bad guy.

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    1. YOU NAILED IT.

      "I'm not asking for whiny sissies...I just want to read about girls who care for the value of life, and who like to comfort and help people in other ways then just taking out a bad guy."

      Now it's my turn to say YAAAAAAAAYSSSSSS! That's precisely it! And the thing is, caring for the value of life IS strength. Having no care in the world for harming people is not a trait any of us should have, and certainly not a trait I admire in fictional characters! It's when characters show their strengths by loving and caring and protecting that I fall in love with them. I just don't understand this day and age of the attraction of emotionless characters. I get very emotional, too! And I'd love to see more characters I can relate to!

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    2. And that's something we need more of. Because us gals /can/ be quite emotional. And we are encouraged to see other girls get emotional, and then push right past it to do what must be done. We need more of that!

      In my trilogy, I have a girl who is of noble blood. She is not running around with the warriors, taking out the bad guys with weapons. She's doing her part inside the castle, looking for spies and listening for any intrigue, providing a hiding place when needed, and inviting people over to tea when they're needed out of the way for an hour or so. She helps in her own way - not by joining the ranks of the fighters. :)

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    3. PRECISELY. I LIKE it when I see characters cry and struggle and FEEL things, because it reminds me it's okay to cry sometimes. And, like you said, it's SO inspiring seeing a character get emotional and beat down, but then rise up and finish their task. That's the kind of characters I want in my fiction!

      I love that! And it shows that there are tasks JUST as important as being a warrior. Someone has to be on the sidelines taking care of those warriors. Every role is important! I love that you're writing a female like that. We need more writers like you!

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  14. WOW. Yes. Yes. Yes. YES! This is probably the GREATEST post I've ever read about this subject. Well done, dear Lauri! So needed this, it's great inspiration for my current WIP. I already have this type of character, I think, but this helps to make her STRONGER in the sense you speak of. Amazing, girlie! Thanks for sharing!!!

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    1. Eeeeeee, Sarah! YOUR COMMENT. <333 The greatest post about this subject??? I CAN'T WITH THE NICENESS. Just...THANK YOU SO MUCH!

      AGH. I'm so honored I could help. But from what I've seen in your snippets, your female character sounds like JUST the type of female I love to see in fiction! You're doing amazing!

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  15. *screams agreement*

    THIS. I love everything you said, Christine. "Let them have emotions and cry and love and ask for help when they need it. Let them be real." << GOOD ADVICE FOR ALL CHARACTERS. I was going to go through your post point by point but that would just be a heap of "Yep. THIS. Yes yes yes." So. THANK YOU FOR WRITING THIS.

    *resumes screaming*

    Jem Jones

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    1. Now I'M screaming because I can't get over your comment! Just...AAAAHHHHH! THANK YOU SO MUCH. I'm so thrilled you liked it that much. I don't even know what to SAY. Thank YOU for your precious words! Day = MADE! <333

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  16. YES YES YES!! I agree with all of these!

    Especially about the femininity. I feel like people think it's SO HORRIBLE for girls to like girly things and just be feminine. HEAVEN FORBID THEY LIKE THE COLOR PINK. It's so ridiculous. But that's HOW WE'RE MADE. Not saying being tomboyish or not being ultra girly is bad (I'm not ultra girly myself), but being feminine is SO, SO important, especially in our society today.

    Anyway, this is an awesome post. Lovely work, as usual. <3 ^_^

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    1. YOU PRECIOUS HUMAN BEAN YOU! I'm just grinning reading your whole comment!

      Oh my goodness, it drives me up the WALL how being feminine is SHAMED now. Like...excuse me? We should be ashamed to be the very thing we were born to be??? WHY? It's so absurd! The color pink is my favorite color and I'm proud of it! I like girly things, but I like some boyish things too. Why can't we just like what we like and be who we were born to be? Ugh. It's crazy! But I should probably stop or I'll rant forever. XD

      Thanks so much, girl! It's so encouraging seeing others who agree that femininity is important! <3

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  17. *round of applause for Christine* This is amazing post! You voiced so many of my irks with "strong female characters." And I love that you used Katniss for an example because many people often use her as a poster girl for the popular "strong female character" and she's one of the most realistic girls I've seen portrayed in fiction. Speaking of a girl being emotional. I love it when that's portrayed in fiction because lets be honest when something horrible happens sometimes you just want to sit down and cry. This one scene from Spirited Away always gets me when Chihiro (the main character) has held in all of this emotion about her parents being turned into pigs and then her being trapped and forced to work for an evil witch. And then finally she just lets all of it out and just ugly cries. It was so so relatable. The kid is like 10 years old and grew up having a really normal life. Of course she's going to cry after going through all that!

    storitorigrace.blogspot.com

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    1. EEP. Thank you, Tori! It thrills me you liked it so much!

      Yes, to Katniss! I get annoyed at her being the poster girl for this type, like you said. Now, she's not my most favorite TYPE of character, but I think she's an amazingly well done character. She's so real and raw and FULL of emotion. I agree, she's so realistic. Suzanne Collins did a phenomenal job with her!

      Would you believe I've never seen Spirited Away?? D: I've been wanting to forever though. But now I want to even MORE. That's so amazing there was a scene like that. I hate how fiction implies that we should hold in our feelings, bottle them up and pretend they're not there. That's UNHEALTHY. Sometimes we do need a good cry! That's not being weak, that's just being human. One of the most touching scenes in the newest live action Cinderella to me was when she finally just broke down and cried about her plight in life. Crying is HEALTHY, and I hate how fiction portrays it as weak.

      But I should probably stop or I'll go on forever. XD Thanks for the comment, girl! I always love your insight. <3

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  18. I. LOVE. THIS. I'm on break between classes and don't have time for a super long comment, but I 100% agree with you, Christine! I'm tired of the ultra-feminist view of strength, honestly, because it's soooo much more than "I can do everything a man can do."

    Loved the example of Katniss as well! I don't often see people praising those strengths you pointed out in her. This post made me think of Cress as well. I adored how she wasn't strong the way Cinder and Scarlet are, but her strengths were ABSOLUTELY essential to the plot.

    Oh! I just watched Wonder Woman last night, and although I expected nothing more than a beautiful, kick-butt heroine with the personality of a paper bag...that is not at all what Diana is. She exhibits most, if not all, the traits you listed. She's physically strong too (I mean, hello, she's an Amazonian), but she has HEART. And she genuinely, deeply CARES about people.

    Anyway, I'm off to class. All the hearts! <3333333

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  19. Well, I am very super late to this party...

    Buuuut so much YES to this post, okay???

    Like what you said right out of the gate... WHY DO STRONG GIRLS HAVE TO TRY TO BE MEN??? That basically sums up my entire feelings on the subject!!!! I have nothing wrong with athletic girls! As far as I'm concerned, girls cash be into sewing/math/baking muffins/karate/reading/writing/knitting/doctoring/kids/WHATEVER THE HECK THEY WANT!!! But... these "strong" characters just come across as fierce girls who hate men and have an Agenda. "Prove to everyone that girls are just as good/strong/cool as men." Like, yes. We already KNOW that. And what's more -- YOU CAN BE AS COOL/STRONG/VALUABLE/WORTHY AS A MAN... WITHOUT BEING A MAN. If only we as women could see that our worth and value lies not in our manliness but in our... selfness. In our willingness yo embrace what we ARE. In our femininity, our woman-ness. Ugh.

    Aaaanyway. Yes. Yes to all of this.

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  20. I love it! I have trouble with this trope all the time. I think your points help create a more realistic, dynamic, relatable, and overall more interesting character. I will definitely be using these tips in the future! :D

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  21. I am looking for a smart and creative blog, so I found your blog Which looks good. it is helpful for me. Thanks for the such kind of information guest post

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  22. I love this post. 1) Pretty much sums up the biggest problem I have with so many female characters.
    Its a simple fact of biology that most men are physically stronger than women. Karate and martial arts are great things for girls to do: and totally necessary: but in real life, baddies don't go flying across the room with a single punch landed on them by a size 8 girl.

    Depictions of 'strong women' as uber-gorgeous emotionless robots who are good at everything and can beat 100 heavily armoured men are presenting a totally unrealistic picture to girls and young women. Its not something we can strive for, because its impossible and unattainable.
    I personally also have concerns about positive depictions of female heroines on TV and movies routinely beating up men for fun, because there is currently a massive upsurge in domestic violence and abuse against men. It seems to me there is a massive double standard when we all know that if that male character hit a woman, it would be labelled 'abuse'.

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  23. Sorry to comment again, but this post is awesome, and so true. As a historian, I read about women in the past, and how they had to be able to run households, educate children, and often excelled in very practical tasks like spinning or making clothes.

    I see nothing shameful in a woman running a household, and providing food and clothing for her family. All those things require intelligence, strength and skill. I also see nothing shameful in reading or sewing: nothing wrong with expanding my knowledge, or having a useful life skill.

    A woman should not have to 'prove' how 'strong' she is by taking out 100 heavily armed men with a sword heavier than she is. Or beating up dozens of incompetent man: who I notice, are always depicted as useless fighters.

    In fact, when women did fight in the past in was usually to defend their lands, homes or family because there were no male leaders present: but they almost always had male compatriots and colleagues who helped them. They were also almost always from the aristocratic classes, who were regarded as the born/natural leaders in their society, regardless of sex. They were trained in leadership from birth a lot of the time. Not unrealistic female superheroes like you see on TV... and they wore armour, not leather bikinis or fancy frocks in battle: because that would be stupid and would have got them killed.

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