pandora/ipod: "i know what boys like" by the waitresses
So as I mentioned earlier this week, I'm part of a blog chain today. Several of us were discussing female heroines in YA fiction - the varying types and tropes - and we decided to do a blog day on a subject near and dear to all of our hearts:
GIRLS WHO KICK ASS
Or, Strong Females in Fiction
What makes an ass-kicking chick? Abs like Lara Croft? Mad staking skills like Buffy? A one-eyed sword fighter like The Bride?
Yes.
What that's not all. Personally, I've always been drawn to another kind of ass-kicking female: smart chicks.
Maybe it's because I am one (shut up), or maybe it's because I'm about as coordinated as a linebacker in stilettos when it comes to things like Kung Fu and Jiu-Jitsu. Either way, I've always been drawn to the smart chick - the Velma (Lord help me) - the girl who can figure out what no one else can, who can solve the puzzle, who can save the day with her brain instead of her fist.
My girls! Anne Shirley never shied away from being the smartest in the class, even if that meant beating the boys. Nancy Drew, despite the sickly sweetness of the times, wasn't intimated by anyone. Jo March was balls to the wall in the mid 19th-Century, defying tradition and saving her family. And of course, freaking Elizabeth Bennett who taught me to appreciate brains above all else.Sometimes I worry that intelligence is underrated these days. But WHEN YOU REACH ME's Miranda, THE RUBY IN THE SMOKE's Sally Lockhart, THE WISH LIST's Meg Finn, A WRINKLE IN TIME's Meg Murray and of course Hermione Granger - these are smart girls. Girls who value, who cultivate, who strive towards intelligence, wit and strength of mind. These are the characters I love, the characters I want to write about, and the characers I hope will inspire a new generation of YA readers.
Bring it, girls. Let your inner geek out. It's sexy. Trust me.
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Check out the other participants in today's chain for other takes on this topic!
Tracey Martin
Debra Driza
ChristaCarol Jones
Jennifer Walkup
Shveta Thakrar
Great post, Gretchen!
ReplyDeleteOh, wow - how could I have forgotten Hermione when I was trying to think of examples? Duh. Yes, let's hear it for smart girls!
ReplyDeleteLove this! I'm all for the return of the smart girl. I feel like I grew up with Meg Murray, and I love Sally Lockhart.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the links. I'll check them out.
I like the smart girls too. I can't fly kick someone across a room, but I'd like to think I could help solve a mystery - Velma style :D
ReplyDeleteLove this! Inner geek, all the way.
ReplyDeleteGretchen, the story I'm working on has a younger female lead, so it was fun (and timely) reading your post. As a dude author ('played by a dude author, disguised as another dude author, etc.'), I really had to put a lot of time into thinking about how I've crafted her character. Hermione was a major influence, but not just in the know-it-all book smart way. Hermione's character wasn't only brilliant, but was also the person you'd most want next to you in a foxhole when the poop started flying.
ReplyDeleteMy best real life examples of the fairer sex are women who are smart, a little vulnerable, tough as hell, could beat me in a game of basketball, and determined beyond belief. That's my picture of the girl who kicks ass, and it's also the female lead I hope I've created ...
Thanks again for the fun post.
Thank you for reminding us that kick-ass girls don't necessarily have to dress in black spandex and literally kick ass! I can only hope that girls everywhere are reminded of just how sexy brains, confidence, and ambition are frequently.
ReplyDeleteW00t for the smart girls!
ReplyDeleteOh, Meg Murray. She was totally my role model when I was in middle school. :)
Love the inner--geek! Awesome post! :D
ReplyDeleteGreat post. :) Anne Shirley is my hero. When I was middle-school/high school-aged, I was told by a "friend" that boys didn't like me because I was too smart...then found out years later that most of them had secret crushes on me. Hmph. Anyway, I married my Gilbert Blythe who was the only one willing to verbally spar with me, and was smart too (like Gil). :) And we laugh at those simple-minded folks.
ReplyDeleteHave you read the Betsy-Tacy books? Betsy was another kick-butt girl who didn't let anyone get in the way of her dreams or her brains.
Great post! I'm a huge AoGG fan. And Meg Murray. The list goes on.
ReplyDeleteI love all the Anne and Meg fans! Those girls really shaped my life and I'm so, so grateful to have had literary role models like them!
ReplyDeleteAnne is my hero!
ReplyDeleteNice post. I love nerd heroines, like Harriet the Spy and Hermione.
ReplyDeleteHermione rules my world. Period.
ReplyDeleteBut everyone else you mentioned deserves the praise. For shizzle.
Great post!
Smart chicks rule. Excellent post!!
ReplyDeleteKellion - Harriet the Spy! EXCELLENT example!
ReplyDeleteLike Juliet from Guernsey! She's a smart, kickass character in a more literary novel lol
ReplyDeleteANNE SHIRLEY IS MY BEST FRIEND IN WHOLE WIDE FREAKING WORLD.
ReplyDeleteahem.
i had to get that off my chest.
(also: you are INSTANTLY awesome for posting this.)
And Katsa from Graceling.
ReplyDeleteHunger Games' Katniss. And let's even mention Millicent Min, Girl Genius. Good topic!