Our favourite fictional women

In honour of International Women’s Day today, this gives us the pefect opportunity to talk about our favourite female characters that we have been loving and admiring as of recently (not that we ever need a reason or an excuse to do that). We love the villiains, the protagonists, the heroes, and we love the ones who blur the lines between them all! Here’s some names worth mentioning:

NOBARA KUGISAKI

For the fans of Jujutsu Kaisen, it is no mystery why Nobara is on this list: as a genre that is typically aimed towards the male audience and falls victim to oftentimes appeal to the male gaze, an anime character like Nobara is refreshing and so empowering to see! She is strong-minded and spirited, unapologetic, brave and her determination to build a name for herself and become even more powerful is truly something remarkable. Not only that, but we see her as an actual human, with good and bad within her, instead of something idealised and unrealistic. She doesn’t fall into the trap of stereotypical female representation in anime but is instead out to challenge it and serve as a complete opposite to it!

AGATHA HARKNESS

WandaVision was a culturally-resetting text for the MCU and it completely altered the trajectory of Marvel as we know it. It also gave us a really intricate and cunning villain: Agatha Harkness. She showed us how evil mixed with determination really go a long way, as Agatha was ready to stop at nothing to achieve her plans of defeating the Scarlet Witch and acquiring her powers. And while things didn’t end up in the best way for her (or did they?), it was magnetising to see the extent of Agatha’s magic and how wicked she could truly be.

 

HARLEY QUINN AND POISON IVY

We have seen Harley Quinn appear in many different forms in media, and reimagined through the eyes of many writers, but her most recent portrayal in the HBO Max show has to be one of our favourites. She is still as bad-ass and as reckless as ever, but seeing her healthy and balanced romance with Posion Ivy is not only a massive step forward for on-screen LGBT representation but also a relief for the fans of Harley, after the torture and abuse she has endured from the Joker in most of the depictions of their relationship.

 

ELEVEN

Stranger Things took over our lives once again this past summer, blasting us through the hearts with the nostalgic references and emotional twists and turns of the story. Eleven not only reestablished herself as the main protagonist, but also the main hope against ever defeating Vecna and putting an end to the Upside Down once and for all. Her journey through this season was really a sight to see, especially for young women, teaching them that while it’s okay to lean on others for help and share the burden you carry, the only one who could truly help you unlock your potential and strength, and your true self, is you.