I don’t want a ‘strong’, ‘badass’ female character. I want a female character. It should be as simple as that. Lately, pop culture has been using the words ‘badass woman’ in every film, book, television show, etc. It has become the token archetype of a female character. We seem to praise works that use this ‘modern’ vision of a woman way too much for what is actually being put out. Before you roll your eyes further, I am not saying that strong female roles are anything less than a blessing at this point, which is sad, considering it should just be normal. I’m just saying I want more. I want the portrayal of a woman who is strong and weak at the same time, a woman that cries and laughs as much as she fights. I want a woman to be represented with all the eccentricities in her personality. You see, using the trope of a strong woman is a simple way for content creators to seemingly get with the times and care about positive representation of women in general, without having to consider the complexity of her character. Yes, we want a character that fights and kicks ass alongside the rest, but we also need to see that that character is a dynamic being.

I want to see a kick ass female character that is emotionally available, but still afraid of her own feelings. I want a character that isn’t the most confident yet so secure about who she is and her worth at the same time. I want a walking, talking paradox that actually resembles a real woman and captures the internal turmoil of any human being. I want the idea of a dynamic, whole woman to be normalized. One emotional or mental trait should not cancel out the existence of its opposite because we are talking about an actual person. It has become too common for content creators to focus on one dimensional characters that will sell because they seem trendy in their way of being. I don’t want people to think that the only time a woman is valuable is when she is just a ‘badass’. I want the world to stop thinking of women in such a simple way. We are not ‘either, or’ human beings; we are ‘not only, but also’ human beings. Do not attempt to simplify our existence so that you may categorize us in one way or the other to make it easier for yourself to accept us.

I am valuable when I’m a badass, but also valuable when I’m broken down. I am valuable when I decide to take extra time getting ready, for my own satisfaction, and valuable when I decide I really don’t care about how my hair isn’t done as I walk out the door. We are all valuable and our existence and feelings are valid no matter what we choose to do or who we choose to be. And I think it is about time that art truly imitates life.

I don’t just want one type of woman to be represented, I want all women to be represented. And I know we can’t have that in every movie at every second with every character, but we could start trying by removing these stereotypical ideas of what a woman can be from our minds. If I’m going to have a kickass character, let her dress according to whatever type of battle she may face, which may not always include a skintight suit with perfect hair to match. If the storyline is that of the apocalypse, for example, I don’t believe any person, for that matter, would have time to do their hair, or find razors to shave on the run from any type of danger. If she is going to dress a certain way, let’s make sure it actually fits her context and her personality. I want to see a female heroine without a perfect body, and without perfect hair after hours of battle. I want to see more female leads that aren’t comprised of just small white woman.; when I walk out in the street, I find a wonderful variety of women, not just any one kind. But my problem isn’t just with the portrayal of ‘good’ women. This doesn’t just extend to heroines or inherently good female characters.

This extends to female villains, who are often portrayed as desperate, vain and opportunistic. I want a twisted villain, capable of being f scary all by herself, for herself. If a woman is going to be evil, let her be evil because she loves it, let her be truly evil for herself. Do not soften her intentions because of a love interest, do not make her change her ways just because she fell in love, Let it be that characters choice to be unapologetically evil or to regret her choices and deal with the consequences of her actions.

Do not soften the hurricane inside the character to soft showers because it seems easier to sell the idea of a woman being changed by love than it may be to sell the idea of a woman deciding she owes nothing to those around her. Do not try to sell the idea that a woman is only strong and valuable if she is a badass. Come to terms with the fact that all women are valuable when they are weak, strong, whether they fit into your idea of beauty or not, whether they are in love or by themselves.