For International Women's Day I thought I'd do some of my favourite fictional badass women the honour of dedicating an entire blog post to my top three.558Please respect copyright.PENANAgZNHLNNrCO
As a child I grew up with the likes of Hermione Granger, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Evie Carnahan, as well as Mulan and others. I simply did not recognise, as a young girl, that there were people out there that would tell me what I could and could not achieve. Part of that stems not only from the fact that I grew up with such amazing fictional characters, but also from the fact that not one single member of my family ever told me that I couldn't do something because it was "unladylike". When I said I wanted to be an archaeologist, I wasn't told that I'd get my hands dirty, that it was a job for the men. I was handed a kid's excavation kit. When I said I loved history, I wasn't told it was a men's subject for men's history - I was taken to museums and digs and bought magazines on ancient Egyptian gods that came with tiny porcelain figures. Until I got older, I simply didn't know that some people considered girls inferior to boys, and when I discovered this, I didn't - and still can't - fathom it. It was due to the likes of such strong women - fictional or not - that led to that, and as such, I thank them.558Please respect copyright.PENANAm6o92DfNqg
Evie Carnahan558Please respect copyright.PENANAmUiYh50uUN
As I write this, The Mummy is playing in the background. Evie was probably the one that triggered my love of ancient Egypt and of history in general. She is this amazingly clever, intelligent, badass woman that barely bats an eyelid when she raises a mummy from the dead and just gets on with figuring out how to put him back down again. When the Egyptologist says when they reach Hamanaptra: "They're led by a woman. What does a woman know?" We are invited to laugh at his stupidity, to realise that Evie's probably got more brains than the lot of them put together. But she's not this stuffy, up-tight know it all, she's funny and clumsy with her own sense of humour that revolves around describing the horrors of mummification to those that have no idea what it entails. Evie Carnahan is a pioneer in a field almost exclusively male, and for a young girl like me, surrounded by Disney princesses that sit back and wait to be saved, she was a beacon through the darkness. (Whilst its true Rick does come to rescue her, in the end it is she that reads ancient Egyptian and makes Imhotep mortal. She is not totally a damsel in distress, and she can hold her own pretty well in a fight).
Buffy Summers558Please respect copyright.PENANAPtvlJP1XlS
When I was little, my mum watched Buffy (she had this purple velvet backpack with the Buffy 'B' on in gold; I absolutely loved it, and if I could find it now I'd probably still use it). I didn't watch it religiously when I was little but rediscovered it a few years back. Buffy, like Evie, is one that goes against every single female stereotype ever. Sure, she makes mistakes, but that's what helps in her presentation - she's not this godly figure that means badass women are only possible when they've got superhuman powers, it means that women can have superhuman powers and kick ass and still be human. Buffy, but also Willow and Anya and every other female on that show proved to me that girls can be powerful. Girls can save the world just as much as the men. We are far from weak and feeble. As the example of Buffy goes to show, when the world is in danger, it's a woman that comes along to sort it out.558Please respect copyright.PENANARlrlpOkeao
Hermione Granger558Please respect copyright.PENANACBTV12GKUy
Although we're all supposed to think Harry Potter is the hero of the series, for me it was - and always will be - Hermione. Where would Harry have been without her? Dead, probably. It is her quick thinking, her absolutely insane knowledge and her dedication that keeps the trio alive, even from the very first book. If not for Hermione, they would have been killed by Devil's Snare in the Philosopher's Stone. Whilst some are quick to mock her for being a 'know-it-all', Hermione's shameless use of her knowledge inspired me. The bookish types that saved the world were always more relatable to me than the Disney princesses with no personality, ambition or personality (don't get me wrong though, the princesses are still awesome). Hermione Granger was the brave girl, the outsider muggle-born that had to sacrifice everything to save the ones she loved - whilst Harry was willing to give his life, Hermione had to erase herself from the memory of her parents, and I don't think she ever got enough credit for that. So when we're thinking of Harry Potter, Harry doesn't appear to me as the hero. He would have gotten nowhere if Hermione weren't stood behind him every step of the way.558Please respect copyright.PENANAkFfSfrGI8H
Also of honourable mention here are Mulan (she saved the whole of fricken' China for Christ's sake!); Lila Bard (from the series A Darker Shade of Magic: she's a cross-dressing thief that dreams of being a pirate, knows exactly what she wants and breaks every gender stereotype ever); Demelza Poldark (from the Poldark series. Another that knows what she wants, that doesn't give a rat's ass about what you expect from her (though she does try to conform sometimes) and is strong enough to endure everything you could possibly throw at her); and some that are most certainly not fictional: Hatshepsut (the ancient Egyptian pharoah that was determined to be king so much so that she dressed as a pharoah and ruled as one, despite the fact that a female pharoah was, at that point, unheard of); Elizabeth I (She was another that couldn't care less what you wanted of her; her ministers constantly pressured her to get married, a request which she constantly refused, refusing to settle for anyone or anything less than what she believed best for herself and her country); Eleanor of Aquitaine (rebelled against her husband in the interest of her sons. Was still traipsing around Europe well into old age in order to fix the messes her son's made as kings of England, and she worked tirelessly until her death to protect their interests); Anne Boleyn (She knew exactly what she wanted and was willing to go to any lengths to get it. The ambition of Anne and her determination was astounding, especially at a time when ambitious women were considered as the height of evil); Margaret of Anjou (When her husband was unable to defend his throne, Margaret took it upon herself to bring hell crashing down on those that dared to threaten the stability of her family. She was later called a 'she-wolf' for her determination. She raised armies and waged war, invaded England and defended and reclaimed her husband's throne.); Isabella of France (The original 'she-wolf'. She invaded England and kicked her husband Edward II off the throne and replaced him with their son because she was sick of him parading his male lovers in front of her and running the country with no thought of what was in England's best interests).
So today we'll celebrate incredibly powerful, badass, determined, powerful, brave women, both fictional and non-fictional, in the hopes that some parts of them will stick with us. Days like today are important; women are so often ignored in the records of history, when we are half of the world's population. We are not the weaker sex, we do not have smaller brains and though we may be smaller in stature, I can assure you that we are not smaller than men in ambition, courage, knowledge or determination.558Please respect copyright.PENANAkH2rJu6OV1
To end, I would like to share this Shakespeare quote that I believe is so incredibly powerful from A Midsummer Night's Dream: 558Please respect copyright.PENANABdUrLfUXi9
"Though she be but little, she is fierce".558Please respect copyright.PENANA41cenH1BvX