You may have heard a fair amount of discussion and debate in the world of books and movies about the “Strong Female Character”. Some people love her; others hate her. She’s certainly cropping up all over the place in nearly every highly publicised new release. But is the strong female lead becoming too cliché? Is she helpful or harmful for women (and men)? And how do you get things right if you want to write a novel featuring a strong woman?
Why We Need Her
The reason why the Strong Female Character or SFC is so popular is because of what came before. Unlike some critics and commentators you see on blogs with advice for writing novels, I am old enough to remember the 1980s (just) and I remember what some of the female leads were like in books and movies then. The Damsel in Distress was quite a common character. You know the type – the one who doesn’t do anything much for most of the book or movie, and when she gets captured by the Big Bad, she does nothing except scream.
A classic case in point comes from one action film I laughed at with a friend – I think it was American Ninja. There was a scene where the bad guy had captured the hero’s girlfriend and was trying to spirit her away in a helicopter, but the hero had grabbed onto the landing struts (I think – I’m not watching it again to check the details, as I would prefer not to waste an hour or so of my life). Anyway, the bad guy dangled himself out of the helicopter, holding on with one hand while engaging in a firefight with the hero. The heroine (if I can call her that) just stood there and screamed for help, even though she wasn’t tied up and she was standing right beside the bad guy’s hand. In stiletto heels. My friend and I were just about shouting at the screen, encouraging her to use those spiky heels on the bad guy’s hand so that he lost his grip.
It was during that wave of feminism that writers started to wake up to the idea that women wanted to read about other women who did more than just stand there screaming for help, as their only real contribution to the plot was to get rescued and reward the hero. We wanted to have heroines like Eowyn, Joan of Arc and Maid Marian who weren’t just the goal of the action but part of the action. And we got them. We got Princess Leia in Star Wars, Warrior Princess Xena, Wonder Woman and more.
Where She Goes Wrong
Fast forward to today, and you’ll find more SFCs than you can shake a sword at. However, there’s often something unsatisfying about them. They’re not quite as inspirational as we had hoped. Sure, they are often the focus of the action and they are superb warriors, but something just seems… off.
Specifically, I’ve noticed a number of troubling things about the modern-day SFC:
· She’s rude. The writers want to show that she’s feisty and independent, but all too often, she ends up just plain rude. She can’t help mouthing off defiantly, even to those in authority. If she gets herself into trouble and somebody helps her out, she doesn’t say thank you but says that she was doing just fine on her own.
· She’s aggressive. As well as snarking and hurling defiance at… well, a lot of people, the modern SFC will respond with angry outbursts involving fists or drawn swords at worst, or snarling with rage at the slightest provocation. Nobody seems to call her out on this, even though if a man were to be shown doing exactly the same thing, he’d be considered a bully. A woman behaving like this in real life would not be admired as the heroine but dismissed as having PMS, being menopausal and/or throwing a hissy fit. Temper tantrums are not admirable or a sign of strength, people!
· She’s too good. The modern SFC can out-think, out-fight and outmanoeuvre any adversary who crosses her path. She frequently manages to do this without any training or at least very little of it. Think of the live-action version of Mulan or Rey from Star Wars VII–IX. Rey, for example, can fix the Millennium Falcon the first time she flies it when Han Solo, who piloted it for years, can’t. She masters the Jedi mind trick that it took Luke Skywalker three movies to learn in the first movie. The modern SFC seems to be the best at absolutely everything – and it’s boring. It also makes her come off as a bit of smartypants know-it-all.
· She’s too independent. If she’s the best at everything, the strong female character doesn’t need help. Who can help someone who’s awesome at everything? She doesn’t depend on anybody, especially not a man. Although independence and self-reliance is admirable, it’s also lonely. Mind you, given her rudeness, aggression and ability to be better than anybody else at everything, it’s no wonder that she has no friends!
Tips For Creating A Good Strong Female Character
So how do we go about writing a good strong female character? We certainly need our heroines who take part in driving the story forward, but how do we avoid creating a stereotype who’s just as obnoxious and just as bad a role model as the Damsel in Distress? Here’s a few pointers that will help you write a better female character:
· There are different types of strength. Strength doesn’t always have to be physical. Your strong female character – or a strong male character – doesn’t just have to be the best fighter who defeats even the biggest, baddest troll to cross her path. Mental toughness and persistence are just as strong and admirable, especially in situations where your heroine is finding her physical strength challenged and tested. In fact, that’s more relatable and makes your heroine a better role model. We might not all be able to do backflips in the middle of a battle, but we can keep pushing ourselves forward even when we’re exhausted. A good example is that scene in Wonder Woman when she’s crossing No Man’s Land and holding back the storm of bullets with her shield. You can see it’s testing her and she’s tired, but she keeps going. I think every mother resonated with that moment!
Mental toughness and persistence are just as strong and admirable, especially in situations where your heroine is finding her physical strength challenged and tested. In fact, that’s more relatable and makes your heroine a better role model.
· Courtesy isn’t weakness. Your heroine might be strong and brave and independent, but she doesn’t have to show this by talking back defiantly or taking what she wants or needs by right. Politeness – saying please and thank you – isn’t wimpy or tame or a mark of being a pushover. Quite the opposite. The old ideal of chivalry – the combination of strength and courage with basic good manners – works just as well with female warriors as it does with male ones. A simple please can make a character very relatable.
· Don’t be afraid to let your strong female character show a softer side. This can be done in a number of ways. Give your heroine emotions other than anger and let her show them. Show her going mushy over puppies. Let her enjoy dressing up and being a bit girly – after all, she is a girl, and you don’t need to take away everything feminine about a character in order to make her strong.
· Give her sidekicks who complement her skills rather than making her the best at everything. Whether this sidekick is a love interest or a friend, it’s more powerful and more satisfying to have every character have something they can contribute. It’s not a sign of weakness to have to rely on your friends to help you. In fact, believing that strong people (male or female) do it all alone and don’t ask for help is a toxic stereotype that needs dismantling. Let your heroine ask for help and accept it gratefully.
· Let her make mistakes from time to time. You have probably already heard about giving your characters flaws – and that making your character cutely clumsy is getting rather tired. However, simply allowing your character to make mistakes. If she’s a great archer, let her miss her target from time to time. Let her fall off her horse, bungle a magic potion, say the wrong thing to the wrong person, follow the wrong trail or drop her sword. After all, in real life, that’s what makes a hero or heroine: rather than being about not making mistakes, it’s about overcoming them.
Can you think of any good examples of strong female characters written right? Or have you come across any really bad examples? Let us know in the comments!