Contrary to what some screenwriters might believe, the strong female leads in their films don’t have to be the sexiest women on Earth, and they certainly don’t need to fall in love with the male lead. They can have their own agendas, their own minds and be capable of solving problems on their own, just like women in real life!
Reddit users have recently been sharing examples of the “strong female lead” trope in films that have actually been done well, so we’ve gathered some of their top replies below. From Clarice Starling to Elle Woods, enjoy scrolling through, and be sure to upvote all of your favorite strong, independent women!
#1
Alien
#2
Terminator 2
#3
“The Addams Family”
#4
Laura Dern, Jurassic Park. Seeing a strong woman in science at such a young age had a profound impact on me, and I truly think it’s one of the reasons I am a scientist today.
#5
Hidden Figures. Wonderful movie about the women working for Nasa in the 60’s who were human computers; they calculated the numbers by hand for the first flight to the moon.
Furiousa in Mad Max: Fury Road.
Danielle in Ever After.
#6
X files. I can’t believe I haven’t seen that yet.
She was highly intelligent with a strong confidence that couldn’t be beaten down by the sexists in the early seasons nor the crushing but invisible power of the Syndicate.
#7
The Silence of the Lambs
#8
“Fargo”
u/Mr_Saturn1 added:
Awhile back on twitter someone asked to name movies that features a female protagonist who is competent at her job, in an established relationship with a man (the relationship does not start during the events of the film) and her partner does not criticize her work or encourage her to give up. The only movie people could name that fully satisfied these requirements was Fargo.
#9
Rachel Weisz playing Evie in The Mummy.
“Take that, Bembridge Scholars!”
#10
Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
It set the foundation for the TV series which did a strong female lead that didn’t have to take being a strong woman so seriously to make the point.
Not a movie, but Xena and Gabrielle deserve an honorable mention.
#11
Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow
#12
Mulan, the Disney animated one.
#13
Fried Green Tomatoes gives you a selection of them.
#14
Brave. As a young girl it was very validating to seeing a princess who was competing as well as winning against men. I also really like the movie because Merida isn’t perfect, and you can definitely tell that she’s a 16 year old girl, especially watching it while I’m older. She’s a teen girl who’s doing her best to prove to her parents that she is strong and can take care of herself. I also really like this movie because Merida isn’t afraid to yell and strongly state her opinion. The women in my life are often very strong people as well as outspoken, and I really love seeing that represented in media, and Brave is really the “strong female” trope done right.
#15
Legally Blonde.
#16
Harry Potter
Hermione, Ginny and Luna are all completely different, but I would describe them all as strong female characters.
#17
Kill Bill
#18
Surprised this hasn’t been mentioned yet but Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
#19
My Cousin Vinny.
Steel Magnolias.
#21
“Arrival”
#22
“Lilo&Stich”, Nani
#23
The hunger games had an interesting perspective on it I thought.
#24
Rogue One
#25
Shoshana in Inglorious Basterds.
#26
Winter’s Bone, if we’re counting female characters who are strong in the sense that they take responsibility under adversity and not just a woman who acts like a macho dude and can beat up men.
#27
I thought Mad Max: Fury Road did a good job.
#28
Not a movie but Avatar the last airbender
#29
Thelma and Louise
#30
The long kiss goodnight