Cardboard Queens
The Problem of the Strong Female Character
And we're back in open water!
I was hoping to have this post ready for you two weeks ago, but between sickness among family and adding some things to my plate, I struggled to put my thoughts together in time. Prayers are still appreciated, and I'm so grateful for your patience and understanding!
I'll say it right away: This is not going to be a post about why women should or shouldn't be 'strong'. This isn't an argument for or against the numerous female protagonists in media these days.
This is a post about character from an author's perspective - where the strong female character came from, and how we as writers can redeem her.
Let's get started.
Damsels In Distress Vs. Superwomen
The idea of the strong female character is, in essence, a swing of the pendulum from the 'damsels in distress' of yesteryear. (Since many people watch more of the same television than read the same books, I'm going to refer mainly to films, but the principles apply to both.) Think of old films from the first half of the 1900s and try to name a female character who had agency or real, human influence with other characters without using her 'feminine gifts'.
There probably were a few, but I can't think of any.
Now look at today's films, novels, and TV shows. I'm thinking of Captain Marvel, Raya of Raya & The Last Dragon, and The Mandalorian: Season 3's Bo-Katan Kryze.
All of these stories have female protagonists - and there's nothing wrong with that. Women make up half of the human population and are therefore sufficient as great characters in great stories.
I don't mean to say that the above examples are absolutely terrible or worthless in every regard. There are actually some things I really like, about the scripts, color schemes, and so on. But in each one, the protagonist is an extreme ideal of the 'strong female character': A physically strong, capable human with a female body who has no problem beating up other people (often men) to make her point.
What point?
That she's better than someone? Stronger? Faster? Angrier?
Hm.
We have ditched the damsel in distress and whiplashed the other way. The results are characters who are often disconnected from their emotions, isolated from people who could support them, and alienated from any God-given feminine qualities, all in the name of assuring little girls that they don't need anyone except themselves.
Before you tar and feather me, let me reassert that I think giving female characters influence, agency, and even physical strength are of utmost importance. But when we create only within these extreme ideals, we're putting forth a character as two-dimensional as the dames of yesteryear. And we're condoning the idea that women should be simple, easy to understand, and have maybe one 'superwoman' quality: Either flawless femininity or strength. Not both.
Even if you look at it just from a writer's perspective, this is bad character creation.
A big conversation among writers right now is creating 'relatable' characters, which means they're messy and complicated and sometimes confused. Shouldn't this apply evenly to male and female characters? They are, after all, for the most part - despite the images we are force-fed nowadays - human.
Is There Even A Solution?
Books, just like other media, have pushed the notion of beauty vs. everything to the point that it's accepted on a cultural level. Your female character can either be traditionally feminine, or she can be strong and smart. There is no middle ground.
Is there?
What if we started writing women who are both? (I say this with room for subjectivity; these qualities can and should differ from character to character.)
To simplify it a little, let's discuss how to avoid the cardboard character who happens to be female, and instead write a protagonist (or antagonist, perhaps) who has the weight and depth of a real human being.
I really believe that the entire 'problem' with the strong female characters of today comes down to one thing: Poor character creation. Sure, Rey is 'all the Jedi', and Captain Marvel possesses the power of a sun, and live-action Mulan is more or less invincible, but what do we actually remember about these women? What was it about their journeys, their struggles, their souls that reached into reality and connected with us on a personal level?
My personal opinion is, not much.
Case Studies
Now let's look at some other popular, beloved female protagonists in fiction.
General Leia Organa is one tough cookie. She takes no guff, fights the Galactic Empire on multiple fronts, and leads an entire Rebellion with the stature and savvy of someone twice her age. She's lovingly referred to by fans as 'short and angry', but people listen to her. Her smart mouth and quick wit are a perfect match for Han, but they can also get her into trouble from time to time. (Of course, she also talks or blasts her way out of trouble just as fast.)
She also shows softness and sympathy, first with Luke and then eventually with Han. Later on, younger protagonists look to her for both wisdom and comfort. She is the mother of the Rebellion, and she owns it.
Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff is as kick-butt as you can possibly get. And yes, she beats up bad guys. A lot.
She also carries and collects a myriad of scars both physical and emotional, and there are times when the weight of them is more than she can bear. Not only that, she feels the stains of the sins of her past and would do almost anything to scrub them out. Most of what she does is motivated by one or both of these things.
Mulan (from the animated Walt Disney film, not the live-action remake) has armor, a dragon, and a body count in the thousands.
She also loves her family and wants to do what it takes to honor them.
Her arc - which I could talk about all day - is one of bouncing between her fear of disappointing her loved ones and her fear of losing who she is, and it's an arc that most of us can, in some way, relate to.
She saves her commanding officer's life, shoots off cannons, and outsmarts a villain more than twice her size. And she's willing to ask for and accept help, gentle with animals, honest with her friends (eventually), and I don't have to tell you how important it is that she shows as much visible horror and sorrow over the cost of war as the rest of her comrades.
In Conclusion
My point?
A strong female character is NOT a character with two personality cells and an anger problem. That is a weak character who happens to be female.
A strong female character IS a well-thought-out, three-dimensional character who happens to be female.
Read that again, but this time, replace 'strong' with 'well-written'.
Strong characters - well-written characters - are characters who are as complex and human as the people reading about them, be they women or men, teens or adults, average or (cough) 'superhuman'.
Whew. That's a topic I've been wanting to cover for a while now, so I'm glad to finally get it out there! Do you agree with my assessment? Who is your favorite well-written female character from film or literature, and why? Should I write a dedicated post about character creation in the future? Let me know down in the comments!
If you'd like to suggest a case study or some other topic for a future post, feel free to leave it in the comments or fill out the Contact form. I'll see ya down at the docks, mate!
Onward!
- Lydia
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