Cool Fictional Women

March is Women’s History month, so in honor of that I want to talk about some cool fictional women. We look to fiction to both reflect and shape our culture. When it comes to women, fiction can sometimes get it wrong. Whether that’s improbably busty heroines always in need of rescuing or make over queens ala She’s All That, fiction often leads us to believe that being a woman means we must be hot and slutty but demure and needy. Cause that makes sense. But every now and then a female character comes along that’s so fully realized she could be your mom or your best friend or even you. Each day this week I’m going to showcase five of my favorite female characters from television, books, and films. Let’s start the week off with five of my favorite ladies currently on television.



1. Liz Lemon, 30 Rock
As portrayed by the hilarious and talented Tina Fey, Liz has quickly become a hero to
geeky girls everywhere. How can you not relate to Liz when she whips out a Heroes
reference at a swanky party where oxygen is actually on the menu? Besides a love for
pop culture, Liz also happens to be the head writer of her very own comedy sketch
show. She’s funny, quirky, talented, but most certainly not flawless. And she wears
glasses. Liz Lemon is paving the way for all of us who would rather watch Lost than
go shoe shopping.



2. Juliet Burke, Lost
Speaking of Lost, is there a female character in all the land as kick-ass as Juliet? Back
in those dark days before Elizabeth Mitchell made her entrance set to the tune of Petula
Clark’s “Downtown” the ladies of Lost were all a bit, well lackluster, compared to
their male counterparts. Yeah I love Kate, but she spends a wee bit too much time
waffling between Jack and Sawyer to be truly cool. Sun’s pretty awesome but she too
often fades to the background. Claire? Too irrational and whiny. Ditto Shannon. Ana
Lucia was a bit too much like a rabid pit bull. But Juliet? She can knock out Jack, run
complicated double crossing schemes, have sex with Goodwin, and make a mean
grilled cheese sandwich. Awesome.



3. Miranda Bailey, Grey’s Anatomy
Bailey’s been the most awesome of all the Grey’s ladies since day one. She’s tough,
ambitious, and hey, even a mom. She can be vulnerable (see her interact with her old
high school crush) and still rule the interns/residents with an iron fist (see her put the
smack down on Izzie, et al. post Denny). She’s perhaps the most real charcter on the
show. And despite their attempts to bust up her marriage she’s also the most normal.
She’s a damn fine doctor, a good mother, mentor, and friend. We should all aspire to
be like Miranda Bailey.



4. Pam Beesly, The Office
Last year was The Year of Pam. That was the year she dropped her dead weight
boyfriend Roy, started dating, got her own apartment, held an art show and oh yeah,
walked on fire. We saw our girl Pam grow up before our very eyes, learning to stand
on her own two feet and finally speak her mind. By the time Pam triumphantly ran
across hot coals before proclaiming her feelings for Jim all without one ounce of
embarrassment I knew Pam had arrived. This year she’s finally got her guy, but the
best part was watching her find herself.



5. Betty Suarez, Ugly Betty
Occasionally Betty walks into glass doors or trips over her own feet and I inwardly
groan because that may be the worst of the I’m a cutesy girl clichés but then I
remember what Betty looks like. Bushy hair. Glasses. Braces. Unique fashion sense.
Pretty much me if I started dressing myself in the dark. The fact that Betty can look
like that and still do the cutesy girl pratfalls is actually kind of uplifting. Because Betty is
the cute girl. She’s not the goofy sidekick; she’s the main event. Add to that her big
heart and confidence and you’ve got one of the most important female characters to
hit television since a certain tiny blonde started saving the world. The best part? She’s not just
a moral compass, Betty has flaws, she screws up, she makes bad choices. This just
makes her all the more beautiful.

Honorable Mentions: Temperance-Bones, Peggy-Mad Men, Robin-How I Met Your Mother, Olive-Pushing Daisies, Nora-Brothers and Sisters, Martha-Torchwood/Doctor Who, Lynette-Desperate Housewives, Rita-Dexter, and Wanda-Corner Gas