Favorite Female Characters

Hey, it's International Women's Day, so I thought this blog post would be accurate enough :). I have made a list of my favorite female characters in literature--which is quite a few, I must add! I know I probably missed some, but here are some of my absolute favorites that come to mind:

Mulan, Disney's Mulan

Explanation: Mulan's entire adventure is based off of a selfless wish; to prevent her father from going into war and being killed. She fights for the greater good of China and tries to do what's best-what her heart's telling her to do. She does wish that she can fit in with society's norms and feels ashamed at bring different, but she realizes near the end of the film that being herself is the best way to go. She also defies gender stereotypes and shows that women are more capable than what some men thought back then (and even now). Mulan is a totally awkward, relatable, selfless girl who can kick some major butt.

Chloe King, The Nine Lives of Chloe King

Why I like her: Chloe is EXTREMELY selfless-one of the most selfless characters I've ever met-and that is just extremely likable to me. She NEVER puts herself in front of others when they're in danger, no matter the cause. I also love her confidence, how she doesn't seem shy or worries, "Oh, I'm not pretty". She's also cute in her clumsiness, and she has little funny one-liners that make me smile. Oh, and Chloe can kick some major butt. That rocks.

Elizabeth Swann, Pirates of The Caribbean

Why I like her: Elizabeth is very spirited and independent, which l just love. Despite growing up in a time period where traditional gender roles were considered appropriate, Elizabeth breaks out of that mode. She's confident and doesn't care if she's not like other women-she's Elizabeth, and if you don't like that then too bad. She fights to be with Will and ignores the social class difference because it doesn't matter. Elizabeth will fight for her desires even if the cost is high. Plus, she can kick some major butt.

Kim Possible, Kim Possible

Explanation: Kim Possible is awesome because, as the characters on the show often say, she can do pretty much anything. She's like a modern day teenage superheroine who can fight crime just as well as the authorities. Kim also is a regular girl, though, and has her own adolescent issues. I think that's why I really like her. Kim is able to do all these awesome things, which is really cool, but she's not perfect and has her own issues to deal with, which I find very relatable and realistic. The inner girl in me also appreciates seeing a female character play superhero, which is still a rarity. But, even without this, I still love Kim, and her show was pretty darn awesome as well :)

Ariel, The Little Mermaid 

Ariel is so adventurous and dreams of exploring different worlds. She's very open minded about humans and is able to look past her father's prejudice/fear of them with her own curiosity. She's very stubborn and headstrong, giving her the ability to fight for what she wants rather than waiting for someone to do it for her. She also has the ability to be sweet and loving. 

Beatrice "Tris" Prior, Divergent

Explanation: Beatrice is a very relatable character for me; she can be insecure, hot-tempered, and wants to fit in with society. But she also wants to do the right thing most of the time, and that is very likable to me. There were times I actually felt like I could be Tris, a feeling I don't usually have while watching/reading literature. I'm fiery, so I do like the spiciness Tris carries. Tris can also be rather sarcastic, and some of her dry humor just cracks me up. She also has some butt-kicking moments, which of course I don't mind!

Gwen Stacy, The Amazing Spider-Man

Why I Like Here: Gwen is nice and sweet, but she's also confident and respects herself. I love how she can balance out the two emotions instead of being super passive or aggressive. Gwen is also very resourceful and was able to help Spider-Man in the film, which I thought was really cool. She is one of the few love interests in comic book movies who is helps the main character. A lot of props go to Emma Stone, who played Gwen wonderfully.

Those are the main ones I can think of that come to mind. I'm sure I have more, but we wouldn't want this list getting too long, now would we? ;) Haha, well, that's just my list, of course :) I'd love to hear others' opinions of their favorite female characters and why.