As inspirational as characters like Hermione Granger are, changing the stereotypical eye candy girl in revealing clothes while screaming at everything, I am seeing a trend that is concerning. Stories are moving from damsel in distress to Kung Fu masters to brilliant intellectuals when it comes to female characters. All three are a copout in their own way.
What is a strong female character? Does handing her a massive gun count? Does her ability to knock out ten men without blinking count? I would answer no. If a male character’s sole defining characteristic was his ability to be violent, he would be labeled as a one-dimensional ill conceived character. Is that the kind of role model young women should aspire to be—someone who can and should beat up anyone in their way?
Enter the female sidekick that is so much more clever than her male counterpart and hero. We have Annabeth Chase, Samantha Carter, Hermione and others, whose intellect outshines the average mortal. They make the men in their lives look stupid, all while stepping aside to allow the male hero to defeat the monsters, stop the prophecy, and save the world. The message is sent to young women that you have to be incredibly smart, but remember men are still better than you are no matter what. In the end, they can turn out as flat comedic sidekicks, even with as deep a characterization as Hermione.
What can we do about it? Some writers have tried combining the two into a sort of super woman who is brilliant and violent, but I do not think that is the answer. What we need are flawed heroines who manage to overcome their weakness—that is a truly strong character. We see that in Kahlan Rahl, Kira Nerys, and the Charmed Ones. Next time you are writing a female character, ask where her strength comes from—is it an over-the-top ability or within her?
Female characters—just the clever sidekick? originally appeared on Alexa Chipman Blog - Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Historical Writing on 26 August, 2013.
View the original blog post by author Alexa Chipman © 2012 at Imagination Lane
