Strong female character

Kiki overcomes her self-doubt to save her friend in Kiki's Delivery Service.

A strong female character is a character in fiction or a person in non-fiction who is important to the work in a beneficial way. The character doesn't actually have to be physically or emotionally strong, she just has to be a meaningful asset in her own right. I view a female character as "strong" if she shows beneficial growth, copes with her dilemmas, or is a valuable asset to a team. I do not view a female character as strong if she exists primarily to help someone else or as a goal. Despite the fact that women make up half the population, writers frequently regulate women to side kicks, window dressing, damsels in distress, and sometimes they leave them out entirely (like in The Hobbit). Unfortunately, so much media fails to meet this incredibly low bar that a strong female character is a noteworthy trope, so I've added it as a category in my Wiki and apply it to books, films, video games, and other forms of media.

Most video games which feature a playable female character also meet this criteria. However, when the female character is a minor player in a large playable cast, or completely interchangeable in a party of characters, I don't view them as "strong."

I grew up with very few male role models. I viewed most of the older men in my life as bullies rather than mentors, so all of my most formative role models have been women. Because of this, I have always had an affinity for strong women, and I love to see them in media whether it's real or fiction. The fact they appear so few and far between makes me cherish them even more.

Examples

These are works which feature a strong female character that are important to me. For a complete list, see the strong female character category.

Title	Released	Media	Notes
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl	1947-??-??	Biography	Anne shows resilience in the face of extreme adversity.
Anne of Green Gables	1908-??-??	Fiction	Anne grows from child to young woman while never giving up her dreams.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.	1970-??-??	Fiction	Margaret copes with various coming-of-age problems.
Chrono Trigger	1995-03-11	Video Game	Lucca is a genius inventor who overcomes her childhood issues, and Marle is inquisitive and incorrigible.
Contact	1985-??-??	Fiction	Ellie the astronomer is instrumental in the first contact with an alien race.
Daria	1997-03-03	TV Series	Daria, Jane, and Jodi are each strong young women who mature through the series.
Final Fantasy VI	1994-04-02	Video Game	Terra and Celes, and, to a lesser extent, Relm, each overcome various problems.
Funny Girl	2014-11-06	Fiction	Barbara works hard to not be stereotyped.
The Goats	1990-07-01	Fiction	Laura complements Howie and they make a great team of equals and achieve a shared goal.
Gone Home	2013-08-15	Video Game	Sam slowly becomes a fleshed-out human being as you uncover and read through her old journals.
Good Omens	1990-05-01	Fiction	Anathema Device is a strong character, and, to a lesser extent, Agnes Nutter and War.
The Handmaid's Tale	1985-??-??	Fiction	Offred doesn't let the bastards grind her down.
Howl's Moving Castle	2004-09-05	Film	Sophie, though a child, shows the wisdom of her cursed aged self.
In the Unlikely Event	2015-06-02	Fiction	Most of the female characters are strong.
Kiki's Delivery Service	1989-07-29	Film	Kiki grows from an immature child to an independent young woman. Osono and Ursula are also pretty strong.
Little House series	1932-??-??	Fiction	Throughout the series Laura grows, matures, and becomes independent. Mary and Ma are also strong characters to a lesser extent.
Loose Girl: A Memoir of Promiscuity	2008-06-03	Biography	Kerry Cohen describes how she fell into and overcame sexual addiction.
Princess Mononoke	1997-07-12	Film	San, Lady Eboshi, Moro, and Hii-sama are all strong characters.
Spirited Away	2001-07-20	Film	Chihiro grows from being a selfish brat to a strong caring young woman. Despite being the villain, Yubaba is pretty strong too.
Star Trek: The Next Generation	1987-09-28	TV Series	Dr. Beverly Crusher, Commander Deanna Troi, Guinan, and Dr. Katherine Pulaski are all strong characters.
Star Wars series	1977-05-25	Film	Princess Leia Organa is a strong character in the original trilogy, despite being objectified.
A Wrinkle In Time	1962-??-??	Fiction	Meg Murray grows as a character with help from her family and the three old ladies which are also pretty strong.

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