Girl Power: 4 Inspiring Female Leads on TV
Girl power is contagious. Watching strong female leads on the screen gives me inspiration and drive to finish my day-to-day tasks. Whenever I’m in a slump, I turn to these fictional badasses in hopes of receiving their determination through the screen. Long gone are the days of women depicted as common housewives and mere counterparts to their male significant others. In today’s social media, we are fortunate enough to celebrate strong-willed, independent women, who prove their abilities do it in style. From Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones to Jessica Pearson from Suits, here is a list of independent, inspiring young women on TV and film to aspire to!
Daenerys Targaryen
If you have been anywhere around the internet in the past three years, you’ve surely stumbled across Daenerys Targaryen, or Khaleesi, the silver-haired dragon queen. She looks harmless with her petite stature, perfect hair, and childlike face, but she is one of the most profoundly influential female characters on TV today. Not only did she hatch and mother three dragons, but she is an avid fighter against slavery and for the better treatment of women. Her speech is always calculated (whether in English or Valyrian) and her words have won her loyalty and respect from even the most savage of people. The biggest reason Khaleesi is an inspiration to all is her strength and ability to rise above hardship. She came from humble beginnings being sold into marriage and bullied by her brother, and rose from the ashes conquering her brother, earning respect from her beastly husband, and ultimately establishing herself as Queen of the Andals and the First men, Lady Regnant of the Seven Kingdoms.
Nancy Botwin
Nancy Botwin is a strong female lead of a different class. She isn’t glamorous, doesn’t have secret powers, or is queen of any remote land, but she is the single mother of two difficult boys and runs a successful marijuana business. Nancy makes the list of inspiring women, because her story of struggling motherhood is relatable and realistic. She earns superhero status by raising her two kids and being a cool mom, all whilst dealing with the business side of the weed business and being beautifully comedic doing it all. She isn’t perfect, and doesn’t try to be and that’s why she is a great role model to look up to.
Jessica Pearson
Jessica Pearson is the epitome of a successful businesswoman as the managing partner at Pearson Darby Specter. She manages the legal world with such grace that many high-profile clients come flocking to put their trust in her. She is cut-throat and just, and never puts her emotions over a practical decision. Jessica does the hard work of negotiating with difficult people and being painfully truthful. In any conflict she thinks thoroughly and executes with the guise of ease, even when the situation is out of her control. She never has a hair out of place or an unpressed outfit, because her appearance reflects exactly who she is – a composed, colored woman who won’t let any man or woman threaten her throne at the firm.
Claire Underwood
Anti-heroes are all the rage with characters, like Walter White and Frank Underwood, and Claire Underwood makes an impact as one of the most influential female anti-heroes of all time. Despite being the wife of the house whip, she takes no backseat, when it comes to politics of any kind. In her free time she is the Executive Director of the Clean Water Initiative, and like her husband she has a clear goal that she is willing to do anything to get to, including firing half of her workforce as well as her partner. She does business with such ruthlessness and calculation that it is hard not to absolutely hate and love her at the same time. One admires her bravery, her unapologetic attitude, and her icy smile. Claire Underwood sets an example of who the wife of a powerful man should be: not his cheerleader, but his equal.
Who else do you think makes the list?
