on the subject of strong female characters

For quite a while now, the term “Strong Female Character” has been going around. I am by no means the first to share my opinions on the matter.

But I don’t like it.

There have been many ditzy, helpless female characters in need of saving over the years. Girlfriends who have been kidnapped by supervillains. Women who have been used as plot points to drive the men to action. Then (in an attempt to make them better??), female characters toughened up. They didn’t need anyone to save them, because they could kick butt just as well as men, but they were wearing heels. Which isn’t a bad thing in and of itself (it’s kind of cool), but the people telling these stories went from one extreme to another. The characters went from being hysterically emotional to emotionally-stunted. Neither of which is particularly true or particularly interesting.

Not all the time, but many times, female characters are written more as impressions of women than as actual people. Whether that impression is love-obsessed, silly, and weak or strong, sexed-up, and emotionally withdrawn. Honestly, these aren’t great options to choose from. Maybe a character who makes no mistakes is better than a character who does nothing but make mistakes, but maybe they’re just as annoying. Characters—male and female—need flaws. And many times with Strong Female Characters, it feels like they’re trying so hard to make a point, to create a good role model, that they forget to make them relatable.

So I’d rather not have any more Strong Female Characters. Maybe they’re empowering in some ways, but what I find most empowering is realistic, flawed female characters with their own passions, goals, and motivations. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.