Willow Rosenberg from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Willow is smart -- very smart. She's does well in school. Willow is good with computers, can hack into almost anything, and deciphers ancient texts in her spare time. She enjoys reading, programming, and friends. Despite being super smart, she respects other people's limitations.

While she's a bit clumsy and shy, Willow is pleasant and gets along with almost anyone. She is super cute, feminine, and has a gentle nature. By embracing her differences, Willow evolves from a shy introvert to a strong female character. She never limits herself and shows unparalleled bravery to protect the people she loves. She is able to keep healthy and lasting friendships and relationships.

Temperance "Bones" Brennan from Bones

Bones has become one of my favorite shows simply because of the Dr. Brennan character. She's a forensic anthropologist. She keeps her clothes on. She's intellectual, well-spoken, and multi-dimensional.

Dr. Brennan had a difficult childhood in and out of the foster care system. Her family life, at best, is a jumbled mess. Despite this, she has at least 2 doctorate degrees. She rationalizes almost every action and is highly analytical. Her intellectual abilities make her a leader in her field.

In her spare time, Dr. Brennan writes bestselling crime novels. She is trained in martial arts and has a legally registered gun. Dr. Brennan knows at least seven languages. While Dr. Brennan is occasionally involved with males, they don't define her character and often disappear after a few shows. She is devoted and dedicated to her work -- something which she excels at beautifully.

Dr. Brennan's weakness is sometimes being overly analytical and cold. A psychologist on Bones suggested that she used her analytical nature as a defense mechanism.

(Kathy Reich, the creator of this character, is even more interesting and amazing... but not fictional, so I'll leave that for another blog.)

Mission Statement

THE ISSUE

Lately there has been a lot of focus on the lack of women in certain scientific fields -- including engineering and computer science. Personally, I don't consider myself to be a feminist. However, I did notice, while growing up, that there were certain things that were off limits. Certainly, even today, women seem more inclined to behaviors and careers which are more socially acceptable.

GROWING UP

I was of an offbeat and intelligent kid. I was always reading. My dad is an English major and always had books around. My father also went through a huge movie phase. He managed to collect about 3,000 movies and television shows within a 5 year period. By the time I was 10, I was reading comics in mass quantities. At 13, we got access to the internet -- a then new and exciting technology.

As a child in the 1980's, I had very few role models. My own mother never learned to drive and dropped out of college. I was constantly being told to limit myself to feminine pursuits by the women in my family. My grandmother told me to become a secretary or a teacher. My mother always told me to marry a rich man and stay pretty. I'll never forget the student teacher that punished me for reading beyond the class level in the first grade. I refused to read again until the third grade. Certainly, intelligence was punished and penalized in my home and school life.

FRUSTRATION

I usually associated more with intelligent men in fiction. The women were usually portrayed as malleable, whiny, and/or vapid. Who wants to be pigeonholed into such a role? I went through a phase where I denied being female. Even today, I get frustrated by the lack of intelligent, strong, or otherwise admirable female role models in popular culture. There are a few shining contradictions to this observation and for that I am sincerely grateful.

BE THE SOLUTION

Throughout the years, I've learned to see myself as my own primary role model. The things I respect are poise, grace, intelligence, maturity, and self acceptance. So much of this was learning that being intelligent, strong, and feminine are not contradictions. Along the way, I have been fortunate to find a few female role models. They have helped shape me into the woman I am today.

This blog will focus on positive fictional female role models. I will discuss different female characters in an attempt to promote positive ideals for intelligent and capable women.