13 Shows And Movies With Well-Written, Strong Women

“Joyce Byers in Stranger Things. I mean, I could’ve also written about El or Max. But I have always felt like Joyce was top of the list in terms of being a strong female character. She doesn’t have any magical powers like El, and she doesn’t have the emotional resilience of Max, but she will literally go to hell and back to save the people she cares about.” — RedWestern

“Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul. I like Kim because she has depth. Lots of writers don’t understand that you can write a strong character who has flaws, makes mistakes, and shows vulnerability from time to time.” — r3dd1tu5er

“Dana Scully from The X-Files. She increased real-world uptake in STEM among women.” — slippyfeet

“Ellen Ripley in Alien. She was still vulnerable, scared and human, but she also kicked ass, saw through the corporate and military bullshit, and saved the day at every turn. Great fucking character. Get away from her YOU BITCH!” — Belligerent-J

“Nani from Lilo & Stitch. A (semi) realistic portrayal of an orphaned 19 year older sister, trying make ends meet and provide the best life she can for her younger sister and herself. Trying to balance her social/romantic, work and personal life and being forced to grow up and take responsibility fighting CPS to keep her only family left together…all the while facing alien shenanigans that occurs.” — Daedalus_Blade

“Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. Being a strong woman does not mean giving up femininity.” — kittykatsnacks101

“Clarice Starling from Silence of the Lambs. What makes her such a good character is that despite being highly intelligent and competent, she’s desperately scared and vulnerable and mostly alone. The scene where she encounters Buffalo Bill and he’s trying to bluff her, and the camera pans back and you see his revolver on top of the cooker behind him you just think, ‘Oh no, how’s she going to survive this?’ Great character and a great performance from Jodie Foster.” — Samsassatron

“Kim Possible, because she has so many different layers! Yes she saves the world with her best friend on the regular but she doesn’t use that as an excuse to complain about girly things or flat out say that they’re stupid like most ‘strong female characters’ you see. She’s really into cheerleading and incorporates it into what she does, she dates Ron despite every other girl telling her that she’s stupid for liking him and doesn’t care what they think for the most part. She also has believable flaws and has to admit that she’s wrong a number of times.” — French-toast-bird

“Mona Lisa Vito, portrayed by Marissa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny. That movie is a masterpiece, and in no small part from her contribution.” — Tokiw4

“Princess Fiona from Shrek. Remember she kicked the shit outta Robin Hood and his little gang single-handedly and that’s just one of her noteworthy scenes.” — Rexlare

“Veronica Mars was what made me fall in love with Kristen Bell’s acting in the first place. Veronica is strong, smart, has incredible backbone, but isn’t a perfect Mary Sue either. Great character.” — itwastimeforarefresh

“Terminator 2 Sarah Connor. The part when she’s doing pull ups in the mental hospital is a badass intro to a character. Loved that movie.” — DamStrait

“Derry Girls. Maybe not strong characters, but deep and well-written ones.” — mickeyruts