Trigger Warning: This article includes references to certain topics (sexual assault, school shootings) that may be triggering to some readers.
There’s a stereotype within the bookish community that men have trouble writing women. Unfortunately, this stereotype isn’t far from the truth. In general many female characters are one-dimensional, inauthentic, used as plot devices, or simply nonexistent. That’s what makes the following women so special; they’re relatable, interesting, smart, and sarcastic, and are more than just their looks or their status as female. They have flaws and complicated lives just like women do in real life, and that’s why I want to share them with you! Here are nine of my favorite fictional female characters, cherished by myself and others as realistic, authentic, and unique.
Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins went above and beyond the female YA protagonist stereotypes when creating Katniss Everdeen. The epitome of the “reluctant hero” trope, Katniss went from a District 12 teenager just trying to feed her family to a national hero aiming (pun intended) to take down a corrupt government. She didn’t undergo some dramatic or abrupt character change, her environment slowly altered her motivations in an entirely authentic way.
Amy March from Little Women
Amy March is one of those characters we all have a hate/love relationship with. She can be bratty and insensitive, but Louisa May Alcott takes the time to dive into the reasons behind her flaws and make the reader genuinely understand her motivations.
Talent isn’t genius, and no amount of energy can make it so. I want to be great, or nothing. I won’t be a common-place dauber, so I don’t intend to try anymore.
Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice
One of the most well-known female characters of all time, Elizabeth Bennet is smart, caring, and protective of her family; she is also stubborn and thinks highly of herself. Jane Austen does an incredible job at toeing the line between a cynical and bookish 19th-century woman and a softhearted romantic who wants her own happily-ever-after.
Nora Stephens from Book Lovers
Nora Stephens is similar to many of Emily Henry’s protagonists, a driven and determined cog in the publishing industry machine who finds herself falling in love against her better judgment. Unlike the others, though, Nora has a complex (and realistic) traumatic backstory that repeatedly gets in the way of both her romantic and platonic relationships.
Mima Kirigoe from Perfect Blue
Mima’s descent into madness in this movie was so well done that I genuinely thought I was going insane too. It’s a gradual, well-documented response to her pressure-filled pop star environment and the constant presence of a violent stalker. She’s not portrayed as a damsel in distress, and her struggles feel so realistic that anyone could have them.
How do you think you know that person you were a second ago is the same person you are now? A continuous stream of memories. Given only that, we all create illusions within ourselves, saying that we each have only one fixed persona.
Satoshi Kon, Perfect Blue
Allie/Eve from The Power
The Power is an incredible dystopian look at feminism similar to that of The Handmaid’s Tale. Unlike The Handmaid’s Tale, which explores the extreme forced submission of women in the near future, The Power asks the question both feminists and misogynists ask: What would happen if women had the power that men had? Allie makes a name for herself in this new world as a Jesus-like figure named Eve, who wants to exterminate the control that men have over women at any cost.
Maya Andersson from Beartown
Maya’s journey throughout the novel takes an unimaginable turn, and her decisions aptly reflect the minds of real women throughout the world as well as the established character written by Fredrik Backman. She feels so real that you want to pick up your phone and text her.
Even then, in the police station in Hed, she knew she would survive this. Even then she knew that her mom and dad wouldn’t. Parents don’t heal. […] There will be days when Maya is asked if she really understood the consequences, and she will nod yes, and of all the feelings inside her then, guilt will be the greatest. Because of the unimaginable cruelty she showed toward the people who loved her the most.
Fredrik Backman, Beartown
Clara Oswald from Doctor Who
Clara Oswald is likely the most flawed Doctor Who companion, also making her the best (an opinion I share with probably no one). She is bold and stubborn and arrogant, a sharp left turn from the gentle and traditionally feminine companions of earlier seasons. Her character traits reflect that of The Doctor himself, but she’s not well-liked within the fandom because she doesn’t fit the traditional framework of a female companion. Hmmm.
Vada Cavell from The Fallout
This movie is exceptional. Vada experiences a school shooting firsthand and spends the rest of the film dealing with the aftereffects. This film handles the subject in a respectful and realistic way, creating a character who deals with her trauma in more ways than just “being sad.” Vada’s experience is an important exploration into how people deal with trauma and tells the audience that everyone grieves differently – and that’s just life.
I always love reading a book with female characters I can really relate to, that have diverse backgrounds and complex motivations (which doesn’t always happen, even if they do pass the Bechdel test). Let us know who your favorite literary women are!
Want to learn more about the evolution of women’s literature? Read our article!
Check out our bookshelf featuring female authors!
