Gotta Have It / Make It Stop is hosted by I Love Teen Books
This week's topic? Strong female leads!
My thoughts are after the break...
Strong female leads? Gotta have it, definitely.
For too long, Young Adult fiction seemed to be taken over by female characters with Bella Swan-like tendencies. Now, let me stop you there. I loved Twilight as much as the next person and Bella did have some redeeming qualities, but in a genre that many young and impressionable girls read, looking up to characters that only resemble Bella Swan can be definitely detrimental. What's wrong with Bella, you ask? She was far too passive in many respects, sometimes seemed only to live for Edward, and allowed others to make major life decisions for her. (This view is only my humble opinion... and I'm not looking for a fight... If you disagree, please let me know why =]!)
There is something to be said about kick ass female leads like Hermione Granger, Katniss Everdeen, Rose Hathaway, and Lizzie Bennet. Sure, they each fall in love and have their own faults and short comings... but they think for themselves and aren't afraid to get their hands dirty.
How about you? What are your thoughts on strong female leads?
And, while you're here, have you checked out my giveaway?
Happy reading!
-Alyssa
I love strong female leads who have weaknesses just like everybody else and depth. They don't have to be a genius or as physically strong as a warrior or anything to be a strong female lead. I want a strong female lead who doesn't always make the right decision & struggles with getting to the point where she is genuine about making it right. Because sometimes it takes awhile for us to see our mistakes & why they were mistakes. I want a strong female lead who knows when the right time to be passive is. It is okay to surrender at times and let other people do the protecting, nurturing, etc... but I want a strong female lead who knows when to draw the line and get up to do things for herself. I want to see a strong female lead who knows that it is okay to fall in love but sometimes love isn't enough. Where's a book like that? Any book recommendations on that last point?
ReplyDeleteFinally, I agree with what you've said about Bella and I too like the Twilight books. Not a Twi-hard but I did enjoy the books at the time that I read them. Woo! I hope this comment wasn't too long haha. New to your blog, great stuff on here!
I replied to this earlier on my phone... but apparently my phone ate it, so...
DeleteFirst and foremost, thank you for your thoughtful response. You've beautifully articulated what I was attempting to say in a much better way. I think that when I boil it down, at least in my opinion, a strong female lead is a character who goes through serious growth and development, and understands why she needed to get to that point... at least at the end. That isn't to say that Bella didn't grow and change through out the Twilight series but it just felt... shallow. But I've also become slightly disenchanted with that whole franchise. But anyway. The only heroine who even comes close to possessing all of those/these traits is Hermione Granger. At least, from what I've read.
But again, thank you for your comment! I hope you enjoy my blog. I also have a Youtube channel as well! =]
You are so welcome! Thank you. I totally agree! Yeah, I feel the same way about Twilight. But even before I grew apart from the series, I felt the same way. Hermione is a perfect example of a strong female lead, love her to pieces.
DeleteAlso, subscribing to your YouTube but you have to start watching Buffy ASAP in return!
I definitely agree! Rose is probably my favorite! I grew up in a Buffy The Vampire Slayer house hold so I love strong female characters I wish I could kick butt like them haha!
ReplyDeleteRose is SUCH a strong lead... (sometimes to a fault) but that's why we love her, right? I've never seen Buffy.... =\.... Everyone keeps telling me that it's a must see. Especially because I really like Joss Whedon!
DeleteHow can you love Whedon but never saw Buffy! It is awesome weird at times but a great show!
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