Strong female character

Kiki overcomes her self-doubt in order to rescue 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 personal growth, copes with her own dilemmas, or is a valuable resource to a team. I do not view a female character as strong if she exists primarily to be another character's goal or when she's used primarily to further another character.

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 it has become a noteworthy trope to see a strong female character, which is why I've added it as a category in my Wiki.

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, viewing most of the older men in my life as bullies rather than mentors. Because of this, most of my role-models during my formative years were strong women which is why I have an affinity for them in media, and the fact that strong women appear so infrequently 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 keeps a stiff upper lip despite the fact that her entire family's lives are constantly in danger.
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 successfully 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 leaves home and refuses to be stereotyped out of her dream to become a comedic actress.
The Goats	1990-07-01	Fiction	Laura complements Howie and they make a great team of equals to achieve their 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	In spite of horrible adversity, Offred doesn't let the bastards grind her down.
Howl's Moving Castle	2004-09-05	Film	Sophie, though only a young woman, gains the wisdom of her cursed geriatric self.
In the Unlikely Event	2015-06-02	Fiction	There are several female characters, and they're all multi-dimensional and real.
Kiki's Delivery Service	1989-07-29	Film	Kiki grows from an immature child to an independent young woman. Osono and Ursula are pretty strong themselves.
Little House series	1932-??-??	Fiction	Throughout the series Laura grows, matures, and becomes an independent woman. Mary, Ma, and Carrie 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 eventually overcame sexual addiction.
Princess Mononoke	1997-07-12	Film	Lady Eboshi is probably the deepest character, but San, Moro, and Hii-sama are all important in their own right.
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 and Commander Deanna Troi are all strong characters throughout the series. Dr. Katherine Pulaski is strong for a season. Guinan is more of a sidekick, but still impressive.
Star Wars series	1977-05-25	Film	Princess Leia Organa is a strong character throughout 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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