Why Women Rule the World (or at least, why they should) 👸🏼 (Updated)

Do women rule the world? Maybe not quite yet, but there's something to be said about a strong female character, whether it's in books, television, or movies.

I'm not saying that females have to be tough as nails all the time. I'm not even sure if that is realistic when talking about any characters, whether they are male or female. However, there's a happy medium between Cruella de Vil and Snow White. I also don't think women find soft, weak characters a fair representation of who we are as a gender.

I think it's important that females are neck and neck with male characters. They should be confident, have self-esteem and be intelligent. They should be independent and empowered. Most of all, they shouldn't feel any guilt or shame for showing strength. 

I recently watched a television show that portrays women as weak. I know that for this particular program, it makes sense and serves as more of a warning than an accurate portrayal, but it was hard to watch. It was somewhat infuriating. It's not something I could ever do as a writer. Then again, maybe this would be a good challenge for me. 

Why we need more strong female characters 💪🏼 (Updated)

It should be a given that we need strong female characters in our books and television shows. And to be honest, I've seen an improvement in this area since first writing this article, but are we there yet? 

It's disappointing that I still see a few cringe-worthy examples. I recently caught part of a soap opera where a woman talked about how she 'found happiness' with a new man in her life, which suggested that she couldn't be or wasn't happy before he appeared. In the same show, a woman played the whole eye-lash-batting, I-don't-like-you-but-I-do game that caused me to roll my eyes.

That was a fail. Women don't need to play games or feel less valuable when they're single, and TV shows that perpetuate this scenario need to refresh their storylines and remember it's 2022.

Not to suggest that my female characters are always strong. They have their weak moments, just as we all have but for the most part, I like to think that they are powerful, independent, and self-reliant. Paige Noël-Hernandez and Jolene Silva from my Hernandez series are excellent examples. Physically and mentally, these women can take on any situation fearlessly; no hand-holding or white knight is required.

One of the things that I think is important to mention is that I'm not just talking about adults when I insist on strong female characters. My series has a young girl, Maria Hernandez, who demonstrates a great deal of strength. I think we sometimes forget that young girls are learning how to be young women in our society, and it is important that they aren't taught to take a weak position to get attention or be accepted. Maria tends to stand her ground, and although she can get a little out of hand sometimes, for the most part, she demonstrates a strong, confident child who's an independent thinker and fearless by nature. She is smart, articulate, and bold.

I don't tend to write about the 'damsels in distress', and I'm certainly not writing a fairy tale scenario where the prince swoops up on his white horse...I will leave that book for someone else. 😒