Fictional Females

A tumblr dedicated to the celebration of fictional females in media and the cultural impact they have made. Fictional Females only focuses on the positive attributes of female characters in hopes of promoting equality through positivity. These are the fictional ladies we enjoy in media that have encouraged and inspired many of us in our lives; this is our way of saying these are the females we love and want to see more of in media. Submissions are open. All fictional characters that identify as female are welcomed on this blog.

[fictionalfemales]

I read your description of Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon and I wonder why you presented her relationship with Mamoru as based on mutual love, respect and support only in manga, and not in anime?

Mainly because in the comic I feel that the strength of their relationship is undeniable, while in the cartoon it’s much more debatable by fans in certain instances. I think I could show a convincing argument as to their strengths in the cartoon, but that would go beyond my self imposed text limit and that isn’t what this blog is about. I also want to avoid anything that may spark a debate that does not focus on the highlighted character.

I don’t want to present incorrect information, either. My hope is to strike a balance between presenting information and being concise on why these fictional females are amazing.

[fictionalfemales]

I love the positivity vibe, but don't you think it is also beneficial to examine the ways in which women are poorly represented in fiction, to encourage more progressive and complex portrayals of women? Seriously, though, awesome blog. :)

Yes, I definitely agree! I actually started this blog because I felt I couldn’t properly contribute to criticizing and illustrating problems with females in fiction. I also can’t handle being consistently angry about the issue, so decided to help in the way that I could, and that’s by focusing on what positive female characters we do have. It helps my health and I hope is productive to the overall issue, so it’s a win-win for me! I hope it also creates a small haven for others to feel good about female characters and strengthen the resolve to insist on better and varied portrayals of women.I hope people do not use my blog as an example of why we shouldn’t continue to fight for proper characterization as that’s not my intent and something I do not believe. I want to show what we do like about these characters, why they are empowering, and why we need more of them. :D!

Thank you for your kind words!

[fictionalfemales]

Who is she?

Usagi Tsukino is the titular character of Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon, an anime and manga series that ran from 1992 to 1997. The series follows the trials and tribulations of her growth as young woman saddled with the responsibility of keeping the world safe with her magical powers as Sailor Moon. She is a 14 year old junior high student in Azabu-Juuban, a neighborhood in the Azabu district of Minato-ku, Tokyo. During the course of her story she befriends several other girls with magical powers similar to her own, the strength of their friendship and unity helping them to overcome many obstacles. Usagi eventually learns she is the princess of the ancient Moon Kingdom, destroyed by an evil force that drove the people of Earth to war with the Moon. She and her lover, Prince Endymion of Earth, were killed during the war and were reborn on Earth. Usagi's journey ends as the future queen of Earth in the anime. It is ambiguous in the manga if she becomes the most powerful Sailor Soldier in the universe after becoming queen.

Sailor Moon has been dubbed in several different languages and aired in several countries since it first aired in 1992. It is currently airing in Italy. Code Name: Sailor V is the prequel to the series following Sailor Venus' adventures until she meets Usagi. Sailor Moon has also inspired several stage musicals and in 2003 became a tokusatsu television show (similar to Super Sentai/Power Rangers) in Japan. The manga was re-released in 2003. A new stage musical and anime revival are set to start in late 2013.

Why is she important?

For many non-Japanese fans, Usagi is one of the first minority heroes that sparked admiration and inspiration across many cultures. Although in many of the dubs Usagi is localized, with the growth of the internet and widespread information, fans were able to learn the origins of one of their beloved characters and the culture she represents.

However, Usagi remains largely the same in all adaptations. She is a character of purity, love, and forgiveness. Usagi self describes herself as clumsy and a crybaby, and fully admits she is not very smart. At the start of the series she is easily flustered, scared and overwhelmed by her new found powers, more willing to run away than to stay and fight. Over the course of the series Usagi gains the courage to stand in the face of danger to protect and save the people and world she loves despite her fear. Usagi grows into an idealist. While this sometimes gets her in trouble, her drive to do what is right without the sacrifice of others wins her respect among her peers. Her dedication never wavers, making her quite formidable against her foes. We see Usagi constantly sacrificing herself (it's debatable if all instances are done knowingly), believing the strength of her convictions will give her the power to save everything she holds dear. And yet, when given the choice to remove all evil from the world, she decides against it, wanting to not change the world, but help and protect the people in it.

Usagi also promotes friendship and loyalty. The strength of her love for her friends and willingness to see the good in others is promoted as a positive and worthy attribute. She calls on the power of her friendships time and time again to provide her the strength she needs to succeed and to comfort her during her darkest times. Her relationship with Mamoru also provides her strength, and in the manga they provide mutual support and a fierce determination to work together. More importantly, their relationship in the manga depicts one of love and respect to work through insecurities and issues. Usagi's sexual interests never invalidate her purity, showing that pureness comes from strength of heart and the want to do good. More importantly that Usagi is a character of self recognized faults that never detracts from her ability to inspire and be a beacon of hope.

[fictionalfemales]

Who is she?

Kimberly is the first Pink Power Ranger and appeared in the first three seasons of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Like her teammates, she attends Angel Grove High School, eventually becoming Class President. She is a talented gymnast, later leaving her duties as a Power Ranger in order to compete in the Pan Global Games. During the course of the series she is romantically involved with fellow ranger Tommy Oliver (and to the dismay of many, breaks up with him in a Dear John letter during Power Rangers Turbo).

Kimberly also appears in both Power Rangers movies. In the first movie her character appears to be second in command. In Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie she is captured by Divatox and presented as an offering to awaken the evil monster Maligore. She is brainwashed by Maligore's evil power, but is eventually cleansed and helps protect her friends.

Why is she important?

Kimberly starts out as a superficial and stereotypical "valley girl" character, disinterested in saving the Earth and anything that inconveniences her. Over the course of the series she becomes compassionate and caring, essentially becoming the heart of the team. Kimberly is one of the few good guy characters in the series to show clear maturity and growth, Kimberly given more responsibilities and power as she matures. It's debatable what Kimberly's official rank is in the Power Ranger team, but her experience and willingness provides many opportunities for her character to take charge.

More importantly, Kimberly is labeled the girly character because she is the Pink Ranger. The series plays this up by having her care about her appearance, fashion, and often having her respond to unfavorable items as, "Ew, gross." Kimberly shows that you can be girly and that's okay, because it has never prevented her from reaching her goals or others questioning her leadership abilities. She is also considered formidable by her foes, furthering that compassionate and girly characteristics does not prevent her from being an unquestionably strong person. Kimberly's friends and enemies respecting her strengths and taking her seriously reinforces that femininity is not a weakness.

[fictionalfemales]

Who is she?

Princess Adora and her alter ego She-Ra appears in the 80's cartoon She-Ra: Princess of Power. It aired after the end of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and lasted for two seasons. The series is set in the Masters of the Universe universe. Adora is Prince Adam's (He-Man) twin sister, kidnapped at birth by Hordak, a leader of the galactically feared Horde and was once Skeletor's mentor. Hordak raises Adora on the planet Etheria and brainwashes her to serve him in oppressing the people of Etheria. With the help of her brother and the Sorceress, Adora is able to regain her agency and chooses to become She-Ra, the strongest woman in the universe. With her new found powers, Adora joins the Great Rebellion in hopes of freeing Etheria from the Horde. Adora's adventures are currently continued in the Masters of the Universe comic revamp with a digital comic released in December 2012 and she was added to the ongoing series in April 2013.

Why is she important?

As She-Ra, she provides a figure of immense strength and cunning that allows her to go toe to toe with the Horde, often times with little trouble on her part. She usually easily out maneuvers and out powers most of her adversaries while also taking care to not seriously injure or kill her opponents. Against those she finds to be of formidable strength (such as Huntara), she does not take their abilities lightly and actively develops plans of attack on the fly.

She-Ra also possess healing powers with the ability to speak to animals. While this is common with female characters, especially in a fantasy setting, because it is paired with great physical ability, She-Ra demonstrates that females can be both exhibit passive and aggressive abilities and that both are equally important. It's She-Ra and Adora's ability to be empathetic that separates her from others that abuse their impressive power.

As Adora, she exhibits the strength and cunning of her alter ego, though her physical prowess is certainly less than She-Ra's. However, her abilities were impressive enough that she was made Force Captain and oversaw the military branches of the Horde, including other individuals with supernatural talents. Adora was raised to believe the Horde provided just rule across Etheria. However, these teachings were not enough and she was subject to many brainwashing spells over the course of her life. We see that Adora's strength of will and sense of justice is stronger than magic as she is able to break free from the spell on at least two occasions.

She also has a natural rebellious and curious streak, leaving the Horde's stronghold called the Fright Zone undercover to see first hand how the inhabitants of Etheria are treated after being told of their oppression. After realizing the truth for herself, she challenges Hordak directly, bringing to light of his misdeeds. Adora later seeks redemption and forgiveness from the people of Etheria and joins the Great Rebellion, using her tactical abilities to lead them into battle and keep their secret camp safe.

She-Ra's truth strength resides in Adora's strength of heart and mind, showing that a respected leader requires more than brute force to succeed.