Nowadays there are many diverse female characters on television, exploring various themes concerning women.
For example, The Handmaid’s Tale which tells of a possible future where women are suppressed as the gender equality is completely thrown out of the window.
It’s hard to watch some of the scenes in this series because there are still some rural places in the world where women are socially defined only as a means for procreation leading to victimisation.
Then there’s Big Little Lies which is set at a wealthy neighbourhood in the United States, where seemingly only the most glamorous and most beautiful people live. But strip that top layer, and you see that domestic violence and rape still occur anywhere regardless of status.
Meanwhile, GLOW showcases women who are flawed in many ways but they are also strong, both physically and mentally. They have to be in order to wade through the male-centric world of wrestling, fighting against any and all kinds of stereotyping.
These shows, and more, keep to a somewhat real-life backdrop. Since television is a medium for fictional settings, there are rooms for extraordinary characters to populate it as well.
One of the most popular plots that has empowered women audiences are shows where the female protagonists have a superpower. These women literally save the day because it’s their duty to do so. And wouldn’t you know it, they do it with style and sass.
Here are five series featuring awesome female leads.
For seven seasons, viewers watched as the plucky teenager, who’s full of wit and powerful kicks, grow from strength to strength not only in her ability to fight the evil forces and stop apocalypses, but also as a woman who has to balance everyday problems like earning money, falling in love, taking care of a spoiled baby sister and losing a parent.
Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar convincingly turned the dumb blonde stereotype into a bada** chick, who never says die.
In an interview last year, Gellar told W magazine: “I’m so proud of what we did. It’s hard in the moment. You’re so busy, you’re focused, you’re working, and then you leave and realise what an important show you were a part of.
“People discover that show today and it still means the same thing: standing up to your oppressors, female power, all of those things. It’s once in a lifetime.”
This is one complex woman. Although she has super strength, the titular character (Krysten Ritter) also has a lot of issues and an abundance of attitude.
A private eye by profession, Jessica uses her superpower here and there to solve the cases that end up on her messy table..., and those that do not as well.
For instance, she has no qualms about flying (or rather jumping really high) into an apartment for a closer look in search of an evidence or a clue.
She perches herself at really dangerous places to get the money shot. Jessica may not care for much, but she’s quick to flex her muscle when someone close to her or an innocent is in danger.
One thing’s for sure, if you get Jessica on your side, she will be there for you no matter how dangerous a situation may be.
This is what Ritter told E! News about playing Jessica: “I love that she really doesn’t care what people think of her, and that’s something that we could all adopt a little bit of.
“She’s definitely given me more confidence in my own skin, and I’ve always been sort of confident, loud and outspoken, but I feel like maybe I am even more so now because of her.”
Like her Kryptonite cousin Superman, Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) goes to great lengths to ensure Earth’s safety and every person living in it.
Putting herself in the face of danger has cost her own personal life to be in turmoil, but like a trooper, Supergirl continues to do the right thing every single time.
It’s easy to dismiss Supergirl as a two-dimensional hero, but what makes her much more layered is her determination to stand up for what is right and true.
And like everyone else, there are times when she feels powerless in the face of unstoppable things like a terminal disease.
Recently, it was announced that the upcoming sixth season will be Supergirl’s last.
Benoist wrote this on her Instagram: “To say it has been an honour portraying this iconic character would be a massive understatement. Seeing the incredible impact the show has had on young girls around the world has always left me humbled and speechless.
“She’s had that impact on me, too. She’s taught me strength I didn’t know I had, to find hope in the darkest of places, and that we are stronger when we’re united.
“What she stands for pushes all of us to be better. She has changed my life for the better, and I’m forever grateful.”
What makes her extraordinary is that she can see a hidden world of colourful creatures called “jellies”, that’s created by the remnants of human’s hope and desire.
Some jellies are harmless while others bring bad luck and misfortune if allowed to linger too long.
So, besides curing the youngsters at her school, Eun-young makes it her job to go around defeating the harmful jellies with a shiny rainbow toy sword and a toy gun.
Never mind that she looks like a weirdo swinging her toy weapons around at nothing, Eun-young gets the job done.
It also helps that she found a friend in In-pyo who has the ability to recharge her depleted energy so she can continue to defeat the jellies.
As actress Jung describes Eun-young in the series production notes: “She’s quirky but tough. She appears brusque but in fact is very loving. She lets viewers know she doesn’t enjoy what she does, but she drudges on, fighting the jellies.
“She is gruff on the outside but soft on the inside, which makes her really fascinating.”
This strength, that is passed down through the women in her family, is something she never asked for.
Hence, this petite lady feels the need to hide her true self and pretends to be timid.
But her inner kindness won’t leave things alone. As she starts to use her strength to help people in secret (and sometimes for fun, to shut the bullies up), as well as fall for a guy who totally loves her strength, she begins to discover that it’s OK to be a woman and be physically strong at the same time.
In an interview, actress Park gave this as a reason why she accepted the role of Do Bong-soon: “She has enormous strength which could look cool.”
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