Recently, I've been spending a lot of time (and money) searching through all kinds of stories/books.
I think my favorite section of any site or store is Fantasy/Sci-Fi, but I've got a big problem.
Now, don't get me wrong, I have no problem with female characters. Also, the majority of writers that I know are female, which is probably why stories with female main characters are so abundant, but I've really got an issue with the portrayal of the "Strong Female Character." I can't count how many books I've picked up, read the back, and rolled my eyes with a noisy sigh, then put it back on the shelf.
Let's face it, the era of the Damsel in Distress, tied to the railroad tracks and waiting to be saved while the villain stands by twisting his mustache with a "MUHAHAHAHA," then swooning over her hero, is fading.
I think my biggest issue with the term "Strong Female Character," is the word "Female" shoved in between.
There's a difference between a Strong Female Character, and a strong character that just happens to be female.
By implying that the need to be female, I feel that it supports the stereotypes that women are weak and men are strong, so we have to apply stereotypical masculine traits to a woman to make her strong. A character isn't memorable as a strong female character if she's just a stereotypical male character with boobs.
No, masculine women are not a bad thing, but they shouldn't hide behind masculinity because they think that femininity is weakness, they should be that way because that's just who they really are.
Example: Korra from Avatar: The Legend of Korra, Helga Sinclair from Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
What makes women strong? A lot of things could answer that question.
She could be physically strong, kicking ass and taking names. When using physical strength, it seems to go hand in hand with moral strength (in literature), which I don't really think is all that realistic. Not every physically strong person is a good person.
Example: Bane from The Dark Knight Rises (No, Bane isn't a woman; I'm just making a point about physical strength vs morals).
So, what about morals? Strength of character is incredibly subjective, so it's something writers have to be careful with. A woman could be considered strong for doing what she believes is right, like becoming a stay-at-home mother, or she could be considered weak for giving up her career to take on a traditional role.
Does she know what she wants? Does she stand up and fight for what she believes is right?
Protecting your loved ones doesn't make you weak.
Example: Molly Weasley from the Harry Potter series
Saying that a housewife is weaker than a martial arts master is not a reflection of women in literature. It's a reflection of our own view of gender roles. Wearing a dress and doing your hair doesn't make you weak, and drinking beer and playing football doesn't make you strong. Masculinity shouldn't be synonymous for strength just as much as femininity shouldn't be a synonym for weakness. Kicking ass in high-heels doesn't make you a badass, it is just means that your character is probably being fairly sexualized, as it's otherwise just impractical. Example: Alice from Resident Evil, Selene from Underworld (have you seen their boots?!)
When creating characters, we should just think about their development and making them strong, memorable people, not strong men or strong women.
We're focusing on the women right now, though. So, let's get back to that.
A lot of women that I've noticed, unless they are the main character, are only strong when they're first introduced into the story. You think, "Wow, she's such a strong person," but then she fades into the background, only making appearances to give the hero some uplifting motivational "Chosen One" speech and get easily beaten in a real fight.
Example: Valka from How to Train Your Dragon 2
But what about the ones who talk the talk AND walk the walk? What then?
Well, in my experience with female characters, if they're they literary badasses that has become expected of the female character, they tend to be some young, hot, well-endowed woman who is overly sexualized either by the male characters and how they treat or or by simply the outfit that she wears.
Example: Hallie Berry as Catwoman, Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell
Writers also seem to think that a strong character means that they can't have any flaws, which is the complete opposite. If they have no obstacles to overcome, no quirks, no anxieties, then what are they when you take away their strength? A piece of cardboard, that's what. An empty husk of a human being, a robot, that nobody is going to remember.
And being a bitch doesn't make you a strong female character, either. It just makes you a bitch, even if you're a well-written bitch. Attitude isn't character.
Example: Scarlett O'hara in Gone With the Wind
There's a difference between being a strong female and being a strong character who just happens to be female.
The qualities that make a character strong can be applied to anybody, not just men.
Are the engaging? Do they demand your attention and rock your emotions?
Are they life-like? Are they three-dimensional and complicated and believable?
Do they have a story that's worth telling?
Are they emotional and flawed? Do they get conflicted?
Do they change or grow as a person?
Do you want to be that person? If you were in his/her shoes, could you see yourself following their path?
Are they the hero/center of their own story?
Example: Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series
Here are some questions that you should ask yourself to make sure that you're actually making a strong character (female or not) correctly. If you're doing it correctly, some of the answers should be yes, and some of them should be no.
Do they have any affect on the outcome of the plot?
Can they be easily replaced by something fairly useless and not be missed?
Do they only exist to serve the hero's needs, motivations, development, etc.?
Are they the best, strongest, toughest bitch on the block only until the hero swoops in?
Are they strong and independent and never need saving until the villain shows up, and then need their ass saved by the hero?
Do they fade into the background of the story for some reason that has no affect on the plot (kidnapping, murder, etc.)?
Do they have any personality or intrigue when they're not engaged in the action? When they're not curb-stomping evil, are they interesting at all?
Do they make their own choices, even if they're mistakes?
Example (One of a character who doesn't exist outside of the male character(s): Tauriel from The Hobbit movies
You can be strong and still:
Ask for help
Express yourself
Be who you are
Cry if you feel like it
None of those things make someone a strong female, it makes them a strong character. If they just happen to be female, then great, but it's not an absolute must-have. You can have strong women and weak men, weak women and strong men, characters that are both, or characters that are neither. No two people are exactly the same, and to throw everyone into on generalization of what you think they should be is just going to make your story suffer.
