In Honor of International Women's Day, Five Fictional Women That Inspire Me

Since it’s International Women’s Day today, I thought I’d celebrate by writing a post about the five fictional female characters who inspired me, who continue to inspire me, and who will always inspire me.

1. Tifa Lockhart (Final Fantasy VII)

Tifa is the fictional love of my life. I adored her from the moment she showed up on my screen in 1999, talking about how much she’d love to fill her bar with flowers so she could brighten the place up a little. She dreams of being saved by her “hero” one day, but when the going gets tough, Tifa is almost always the one doing the rescuing. The game’s male lead would be an absolute mess without her there to pick up the pieces.

She’s physically strong, she’s courageous, she’s emotional, she’s envious, she’s kind, and sometimes she’s even a little cowardly, especially when it comes to her emotions. Tifa showed me that it was okay for women to be more than one thing at a time.

2. Padmé Amidala (Star Wars)

This was a toss-up between Padmé and Leia, but I ultimately decided to go with Padmé for two reasons:

1. she doesn’t get enough love, and
2. I fell in love with Padmé long before I fell in love with Leia.

Sadly, she gets a bad rap because it’s still cool to hate on the Prequels and everything that comes with it, and not nearly enough people give her the credit she deserves. Like Leia, Padmé fought on the front lines with little regard to her own safety. She was beautiful and feminine, showing little girls everywhere that strength came in many different forms. She wasn’t afraid to put her life on the line when the cause she believed in demanded it, and the Rebellion would not have existed without her.

3. Wonder Woman, a.k.a. Diana Prince (DC Comics)

Wonder Woman is probably the most obvious one on this list, but there’s no way she couldn’t be on it. The Princess of Themyscira is an inspiration to grown women and little girls all over the world, and for such good reason. You have to be pretty damn special to be able to handle the likes of Superman and Batman without cracking!

In all seriousness though, the movie Wonder Woman was an incredible experience for me and for many other women out there. I really have no words to explain how powerful I felt watching her move on screen – a movie made by a woman, for women - and I know many others feel the same way that I do.

4. Princess Shuri (Marvel Comics)

I’m not as up-to-date with Marvel as I am with DC, so Shuri is a new addition to the list of female characters I would ride and die for.

I knew when I sat down to watch Black Panther that I was going to adore the witty princess, but I had no idea how very much I would come to love her. Her strength lies in her intelligence, and her compassion. Seeing her get excited about science made me feel excited about science, and anyone who went to high school with me will know that’s quite a feat. I truly hope she inspires little girls everywhere to pursue the sciences.

5. Chloe Frazer (Uncharted Series)

Ah, Chloe. My darling Chloe. She’s never really one of the “good guys”, but also never really a part of the “bad guys” either.

Chloe plays both sides in a conflict to her own advantage, and her allegiances can and will change depending on the situation. But despite her selfish nature, she always ends up doing the right thing.

It’s not often that you’ll see a female character that is morally complex, and since I am eternally obsessed with such characters there was simply no way I couldn’t love her. Well written and a breath of fresh air, Chloe remains one of the best things to come out of the Uncharted series.