By Amanda Doughty, Staff Writer, Emerson College
Ever since The Hunger Games started getting really popular, people have been raving about how Katniss Everdeen is one of the most feminist characters to ever hit the YA genre and that she’s starting a new wave of strong female characters. They do certainly have a point. Katniss is heroic, humble, strong-willed, independent, and flawed (which gives off the idea that no one is perfect). Because of this, many argue that Katniss is the ultimate role model for young girls. Again, I agree with this, but I don’t think Katniss is as revolutionary as some try and write her off to be. She’s certainly a feminist, and a great role model for young girls, but she’s not the first of her kind. Maybe it’s because the Twilight series set the feminist movement in YA literature back about a century, but I think there are a lot of other feminist characters being overlooked. I don’t believe she started the wave of a strong woman in the YA genre at all. In fact, here are some other strong women in YA whom I believe could also be great role models for young girls.
Violet Baudelaire: A Series of Unfortunate Events (Lemony Snicket)
The eldest of the Baudelaire orphans, Violet almost immediately emerged as the leader and caretaker after the death of her parents. She was always there to support and defend her younger siblings. She was never afraid to stand up to her always-terrible guardians, and found a way to get out of marrying one of them entirely on her own. The terrible situation forced her to become a leader, and she accepted that role with pride and excelled in it. In addition, she was a freaking inventor. Where else have you seen a female character coming up with genius inventions? Nowhere. She shows girls how to be both a leader and a caretaker, while also making the greatest use of the thing she loves to do most. Overall, she’s pretty much perfect.
Isabelle Lightwood: The Mortal Instruments Series (Cassandra Clare)
Clary, the protagonist of this series, may be more of the “passive female character who never really knows what’s going on” type that we usually see in fantasy novels, but Clare shows her true feelings on female empowerment through this supporting character. Lightwood, in all her demon-killing, Shadowhunter lifestyle, is never seen as lesser to her male counterparts. Even as a child in training, she was treated as an equal to her partners because she forced herself to be so. In fact, there are several instances where she carries out missions that they are not even capable of. She also knows how to get what she wants and is willing to anything to protect those she cares about. Another great thing about Isabelle is she never loses sight of herself. Even in the worst moments, she keeps up her sense of humor and sense of independence. And that’s what I think is most remarkable about her, as well as why I think young girls should look up to her.
Marjorie Richards: The Talk-Funny Girl (Roland Merullo)
Marjorie, or as she calls herself “Margie,” comes from literally the worst childhood imaginable. Her parents belong to some sort of strange cult religion where they feel punishment is necessary for even the smallest of mistakes. And these punishments are not just a slap on the wrist- they’re far more intense, like when they dump multiple buckets of freezing water on her. Another time, they treat her like a boy for an entire day, thus giving her a confused sense of identity. At one point, they even have their entire congregation jab her in the face while she has a bag over her head. Despite all the struggling, Margie learns to overcome all of this. She gets herself a job, becomes completely independent, and even stands up for herself and leaves her parents midway through the book. Her transformation is miraculous to read, and it shows girls that, if she can overcome, so can they. And that’s why, though I’ve literally only met one other person who's even heard of this book, I just had to include her.
Felicity (or any other character that’s not Pippa): The Gemma Doyle Trilogy (Libba Bray)
There are quite a few girls in this series that I consider good role models. All of the work they do travelling between realms and defeating the evil Circe they do with very little help from men. Each of them develops so much over the course of the series. They grow more strong-willed, confident, and brave. Out of them all though, Felicity stands out. She’s mouthy, to the point where she’s actually quite mean for a majority of the series. She’s a champion archer, much like one Katniss Everdeen. She’s also a lesbian in a book that takes place before the twentieth century. Despite the fact that this is a period novel, the problems Felicity faces are incredibly relatable to the present day, and the way she overcomes them is admirable. After she loses the one person she ever really cared about, she pulls herself up by her bootstraps and makes a new life for herself. She accepts who she is, and cuts off anyone who doesn’t. This is why I think she’s an incredible role model. She teaches girls that it’s okay to be yourself, and anyone who thinks otherwise isn’t worth your time. In my opinion, that’s one of the greatest lessons you can learn.
Hermione Granger: The Harry Potter Series (J.K Rowling)
Let’s be real here- Hermione was as much of a hero as Harry in this series. He would have gotten nowhere without her. While he and Ron flubbed up again and again, Hermione was what kept them grounded. In addition to aiding them in all their endeavors and shenanigans, she also forces them to remember their schoolwork. Overall, Hermione was the true key to Harry’s success. She was the brains behind every operation. Without her, I doubt Harry would have been able to accomplish all he did. She also showed that it was okay to be smart and to participate in class. She may not have had the badass fighting skills of Katniss Everdeen or Isabelle Lightwood, but she had the brains- and that makes her a fantastic role model.
Elizabeth Bennet: Pride and Prejudice
In my opinion, Elizabeth Bennet is the first real strong female character in literature (sorry Jane Eyre). Despite the fact that her mother has been drilling the idea of marriage into her head her entire life, she won’t marry someone unless she knows its right. Over the course of the book, she repeatedly chooses independence over marriage, and only really agrees to marry Mr. Darcy when he begins to treat her as an equal. In addition, she stands up for her sisters when they are mistreated, stands up to those who mistreat her and her sisters, and stands up to her mother when she’s being insensitive and annoying, aka most of the book. She’s unafraid to say what she thinks, which was a new concept in the time this book was released. In my opinion, she started it all, and that’s why she has to be included on this list.
Maximum Ride: The Maximum Ride Series (James Patterson)
Let it be known that this solely applies to the first three books of the series (after all, that’s where the series should have ended). Nonetheless, Max is easily on a level playing field with Katniss in terms of her levels of badass. In fact, she may even be more badass, and that’s only partially because she has wings. Max leads her “flock” in an escape from their terrible “school” (which was really the science lab where they were created). She then becomes head caretaker of all of them. But she doesn’t just settle into typical “mom” duties. Rather, she continues to battle those chasing after her, some being much larger than herself. Eventually, she leads an attack that ends the industry behind her “school.” But she never loses sight of who she cares about. She even cries at the death of someone who was originally her enemy. It’s this balance of emotion and sheer badassness is what makes Max so great. She teaches girls that standing up for your beliefs is important, but so is putting your loved ones before yourself. This all sort of falls apart after the third book, but in that first trilogy, there’s really no better role model out there.
So I do get where all these Katniss worshippers are coming from. I really do. But I think those who call her “revolutionary” are overlooking quite a few other strong women in the YA genre. In fact, almost all of them existed before The Hunger Games was even published. And maybe Katniss is a step above some of the women I’ve listed here. But nonetheless, these women are incredible role models, and they deserve their time to shine as feminists.
Amanda is the biggest Disney nerd you'll ever meet in your entire life. She also likes food, and tap dancing, and writing...writing's pretty cool too.
Ever since The Hunger Games started getting really popular, people have been raving about how Katniss Everdeen is one of the most feminist characters to ever hit the YA genre and that she’s starting a new wave of strong female characters. They do certainly have a point. Katniss is heroic, humble, strong-willed, independent, and flawed (which gives off the idea that no one is perfect). Because of this, many argue that Katniss is the ultimate role model for young girls. Again, I agree with this, but I don’t think Katniss is as revolutionary as some try and write her off to be. She’s certainly a feminist, and a great role model for young girls, but she’s not the first of her kind. Maybe it’s because the Twilight series set the feminist movement in YA literature back about a century, but I think there are a lot of other feminist characters being overlooked. I don’t believe she started the wave of a strong woman in the YA genre at all. In fact, here are some other strong women in YA whom I believe could also be great role models for young girls.
Violet Baudelaire: A Series of Unfortunate Events (Lemony Snicket)
The eldest of the Baudelaire orphans, Violet almost immediately emerged as the leader and caretaker after the death of her parents. She was always there to support and defend her younger siblings. She was never afraid to stand up to her always-terrible guardians, and found a way to get out of marrying one of them entirely on her own. The terrible situation forced her to become a leader, and she accepted that role with pride and excelled in it. In addition, she was a freaking inventor. Where else have you seen a female character coming up with genius inventions? Nowhere. She shows girls how to be both a leader and a caretaker, while also making the greatest use of the thing she loves to do most. Overall, she’s pretty much perfect.
Isabelle Lightwood: The Mortal Instruments Series (Cassandra Clare)
Clary, the protagonist of this series, may be more of the “passive female character who never really knows what’s going on” type that we usually see in fantasy novels, but Clare shows her true feelings on female empowerment through this supporting character. Lightwood, in all her demon-killing, Shadowhunter lifestyle, is never seen as lesser to her male counterparts. Even as a child in training, she was treated as an equal to her partners because she forced herself to be so. In fact, there are several instances where she carries out missions that they are not even capable of. She also knows how to get what she wants and is willing to anything to protect those she cares about. Another great thing about Isabelle is she never loses sight of herself. Even in the worst moments, she keeps up her sense of humor and sense of independence. And that’s what I think is most remarkable about her, as well as why I think young girls should look up to her.
Marjorie Richards: The Talk-Funny Girl (Roland Merullo)
Marjorie, or as she calls herself “Margie,” comes from literally the worst childhood imaginable. Her parents belong to some sort of strange cult religion where they feel punishment is necessary for even the smallest of mistakes. And these punishments are not just a slap on the wrist- they’re far more intense, like when they dump multiple buckets of freezing water on her. Another time, they treat her like a boy for an entire day, thus giving her a confused sense of identity. At one point, they even have their entire congregation jab her in the face while she has a bag over her head. Despite all the struggling, Margie learns to overcome all of this. She gets herself a job, becomes completely independent, and even stands up for herself and leaves her parents midway through the book. Her transformation is miraculous to read, and it shows girls that, if she can overcome, so can they. And that’s why, though I’ve literally only met one other person who's even heard of this book, I just had to include her.
Felicity (or any other character that’s not Pippa): The Gemma Doyle Trilogy (Libba Bray)
There are quite a few girls in this series that I consider good role models. All of the work they do travelling between realms and defeating the evil Circe they do with very little help from men. Each of them develops so much over the course of the series. They grow more strong-willed, confident, and brave. Out of them all though, Felicity stands out. She’s mouthy, to the point where she’s actually quite mean for a majority of the series. She’s a champion archer, much like one Katniss Everdeen. She’s also a lesbian in a book that takes place before the twentieth century. Despite the fact that this is a period novel, the problems Felicity faces are incredibly relatable to the present day, and the way she overcomes them is admirable. After she loses the one person she ever really cared about, she pulls herself up by her bootstraps and makes a new life for herself. She accepts who she is, and cuts off anyone who doesn’t. This is why I think she’s an incredible role model. She teaches girls that it’s okay to be yourself, and anyone who thinks otherwise isn’t worth your time. In my opinion, that’s one of the greatest lessons you can learn.
Hermione Granger: The Harry Potter Series (J.K Rowling)
Let’s be real here- Hermione was as much of a hero as Harry in this series. He would have gotten nowhere without her. While he and Ron flubbed up again and again, Hermione was what kept them grounded. In addition to aiding them in all their endeavors and shenanigans, she also forces them to remember their schoolwork. Overall, Hermione was the true key to Harry’s success. She was the brains behind every operation. Without her, I doubt Harry would have been able to accomplish all he did. She also showed that it was okay to be smart and to participate in class. She may not have had the badass fighting skills of Katniss Everdeen or Isabelle Lightwood, but she had the brains- and that makes her a fantastic role model.
Elizabeth Bennet: Pride and Prejudice
In my opinion, Elizabeth Bennet is the first real strong female character in literature (sorry Jane Eyre). Despite the fact that her mother has been drilling the idea of marriage into her head her entire life, she won’t marry someone unless she knows its right. Over the course of the book, she repeatedly chooses independence over marriage, and only really agrees to marry Mr. Darcy when he begins to treat her as an equal. In addition, she stands up for her sisters when they are mistreated, stands up to those who mistreat her and her sisters, and stands up to her mother when she’s being insensitive and annoying, aka most of the book. She’s unafraid to say what she thinks, which was a new concept in the time this book was released. In my opinion, she started it all, and that’s why she has to be included on this list.
Maximum Ride: The Maximum Ride Series (James Patterson)
Let it be known that this solely applies to the first three books of the series (after all, that’s where the series should have ended). Nonetheless, Max is easily on a level playing field with Katniss in terms of her levels of badass. In fact, she may even be more badass, and that’s only partially because she has wings. Max leads her “flock” in an escape from their terrible “school” (which was really the science lab where they were created). She then becomes head caretaker of all of them. But she doesn’t just settle into typical “mom” duties. Rather, she continues to battle those chasing after her, some being much larger than herself. Eventually, she leads an attack that ends the industry behind her “school.” But she never loses sight of who she cares about. She even cries at the death of someone who was originally her enemy. It’s this balance of emotion and sheer badassness is what makes Max so great. She teaches girls that standing up for your beliefs is important, but so is putting your loved ones before yourself. This all sort of falls apart after the third book, but in that first trilogy, there’s really no better role model out there.
So I do get where all these Katniss worshippers are coming from. I really do. But I think those who call her “revolutionary” are overlooking quite a few other strong women in the YA genre. In fact, almost all of them existed before The Hunger Games was even published. And maybe Katniss is a step above some of the women I’ve listed here. But nonetheless, these women are incredible role models, and they deserve their time to shine as feminists.
Amanda is the biggest Disney nerd you'll ever meet in your entire life. She also likes food, and tap dancing, and writing...writing's pretty cool too.