Game of Thrones seems to be everyone's favorite fantasy show. The epic saga of Westeros is about halfway through its sixth season, and since the show's beginning, the female characters have been a force to reckon with. While season five had its low points for these women, season six is bringing them back in full force. There have been several moments over the past five and a half seasons that left viewers speechless, and many of them include these incredible characters.
From Daenerys Targaryen to Cersei Lannister, the women of "Game of Throne" are fierce, strong, and undeniably in charge. Despite some of the more problematic moments (which are, unfortunately, more frequent than they should be), "Game of Thrones" features some incredible feminist characters from whom we should all take inspiration.
"I don't want to be a lady." - Arya Stark
Arya Stark doesn't care about what anyone else thinks. Arya Stark wants to get revenge, and she knows exactly how she's going to do it. From the first episode of season one, Arya is shown to be independent, fierce, and nonconformist. She may not want to be a lady, but she's the perfect example of how being a lady and being a woman aren't mutually exclusive. She may not adhere to what society thinks is right, but she'll be damned if she doesn't go after what she wants. Arya is an inspiration to all of us who don't quite fit in with what's expected of us, and most importantly, she serves as a reminder that even the smallest people are mighty.
"I want to be the queen." - Margaery Tyrell
Margaery Tyrell has no time for small goals like being the lady of one of the seven houses. She knows what she wants, and knows exactly how to get it, and she isn't afraid of making those plans known. While she might seem sweet and demure at times, she is fierce and full of ambition. The feminist lesson to learn from Margaery: Know what you want, and don't be afraid to do whatever it takes to get it.
"All men must die. But we are not men." - Daenerys Targaryen
While Daenerys already has a plethora of titles--Stormborn, First of Her Name, the Unburt, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons--she should definitely add Actual Feminist Badass to the list. Despite the fact that she is continually belittled by the men she encounters, she never gives up on her quest to regain power over Westeros. Sure, the fact that she has three dragons might up the intimidation factor, but still, the fact that Daenerys constantly takes down the patriarchy at every chance she gets is pretty fucking admirable. Daenerys has no time for sexist bullshit, and she will literally set people on fire if they try to impose their patriarchal ideals on her.
"All my life men like you've sneered at me, and all my life I've been knocking men like you into the dust." - Brienne of Tarth
Brienne should be everyone's hero. In direct defiance of the expectations put in place for her, she chooses to follow her dreams of becoming a knight. She is a skilled swordswoman, and gives no fucks about what anyone else thinks. She knows people make fun of her, and instead of allowing their comments to bother her, she just goes on with her day and knocks them on their asses. Brienne is unafraid of teaching patriarchal assholes a lesson, and we should all take a leaf from her book and stand up to people making stupid or ridiculous comments.
"Woman? Is that meant to insult me? I would return the slap, if I took you for a man." - Daenerys Targaryen
Daenerys might be one of the greatest female characters in the history of television, and one of the reasons she's at the top of the list is for her unabashed hatred of people who try to put her down. She's the definition of girls who run the world, and she isn't afraid to let anyone know how she feels about their ridiculous views. She may be the mother of dragons, but she's also the resident "Game of Thrones" feminist. Daenerys has dealt with too many terrible men to put up with it anymore, and everyone should follow suit. She's the poster child for #fuckthepatriarchy, and while we don't all have dragons to set the haters on fire, we can take inspiration from her to always stand up for ourselves in the face of gender-based injustice.
