​5 Strong Female Characters to Inspire your Writing

by Teva White

1. Leslie Knope – It’s no surprise this actual Queen of Sunshine is on this list but let’s learn why. First, she completely embodies progressive feminism. She is a strong-willed individual working her way up the ladder at her government job. She is fierce and can convince almost anyone to join her on whatever her current “save-the-day” mission is. Secondly, she isn’t just a tight-lipped working woman. Leslie has emotions, a lot of them. Women can be regarded as weak when they show any emotion so it is very empowering that Leslie has feelings to spare. She is a powerful woman in charge who also loves her friends and gets sad and angry sometimes. What do we call that, a fully fleshed out female character? Add her to the list, y’all.

​2. Cersei Lannister – This pick is a little bit more mysterious. Cersei Lannister is the evil queen bitch on her way to claim the throne, so why would she be a strong female character? Well, she’s complex as hell. Cersei is straight up mean and ruthless, she does exactly whatever it takes to get what she wants. Crazy, right? But wait…don’t the men do the same thing? Cersei is a woman trying to make it to the top in a man’s world. In one episode, she vocalizes how from day one she wanted to be able to be with the men and discuss important affairs but was always dismissed on account of her gender. Constant belittling is annoying but maybe not reason enough to have executed some of her plans. However, she has goals and ambitions, reasons for her anger, and an unstoppable will to go on. All of these things maker her a well-written, strong character. She’s on the list!  

​​3. Tina Belcher – While you could say every female character in the Belcher family is a strong woman, Tina is perhaps the best example. She is completely and unapologetically herself. Being a tween and going through puberty can be hard, but Tina does it exactly the way she wants. The show is not coy about her, showing her dealing with leg hair and obsessing about Jimmy Jr.’s butt, and even her mentioning her itchy crotch in episode 1. While her character was originally going to be a boy, they changed her to a girl to make her more interesting and boy did it work. Her outspokenness and awkward youth make her hilarious and definitely on this list. 

4. Sophia Berset – Since I could not include literally every single woman on Orange is the New Black, I had to settle for the amazing and complex Sophia Berset. She is a Transgender, African American woman behind bars. Imagine a less written about character. Oh, you can’t? Exactly. She offers a new and extremely interesting perspective to millions of people. Her story is powerful and painful and offers something invaluable: representation. Her relationship to her child and snippets of her past make you love and root for her more with every episode. Not to mention, this character is played by the actually transgender and incredible actress Laverne Cox. This character is new, unique, and a must for this list.

5. Hannah Horvath – The show Girls has brought about much love and controversy over the years. However, there is something about it we cannot deny, it makes us talk about women. Hannah is the center of this female-centric show and is a very important one to recognize because she is extremely unlikable. She is self-centered and loud and has trouble staying within the confines of societies lines for womanhood. She is a human being. She makes mistakes, so many mistakes. But, she cares for her friends (sometimes), is comfortable in her body, and will not be cast aside. It is important for us to view woman as full people as well, and seeing some that is not our cup of tea is perfect for that. She has so many dimensions and never ceases to surprise, and for these reasons she is the final strong gal on this list.