Favorite Female Characters for #InternationalWomen'sDay2019

Happy International Women's Day to all the lovely girls and women in the world. I see you. I appreciate you. I'm glad you're here.

In honor of this lovely holiday- I decided to compile a list of my all time favorite female characters (from books specifically, I may to a separate one for movies/tv shows later on) who are fantastic role models and are inspirations. It's so important to read about strong female characters- not necessarily strong in a physical way, but in the mind, heart, and in ideals. Young girls deserve these role models to read about to see what they should aspire to be.

All women deserve recognition, but I do not want to type out a 12 page essay about every single wonderful female character I've read about so I've narrowed it down to a palatable number. So without further ado (the bold ones are special ones):

Hermione Granger- Like many other young girls, Hermione Granger was my idol. She was resilient, brave, kind hearted, and unbelievably smart and talented and I wanted to be her when I grew up. Though she isn't technically the main character of Harry Potter- we all know he would have died and the stories would have been over after the first book if not for Hermione. She wasn't just some sidekick- she was a heroine.

Ginny Weasley- I feel like Ginny doesn't get enough credit especially in the movies. From the little we see of her, she is a brave, bold, and strong woman who wouldn't take no for an answer and who wasn't afraid to fight for what she believed in. They told her she was too young but she proved them wrong time and time again.

Annabeth Chase- Another one of my childhood favorites. Like Hermione, she was often seen as Percy Jackson's sidekick and later love interest, but she was so much more. In the Heroes of Olympus series we see her get her own POV and a book centered around her own plot. We see her rise to the potential of who she truly is- a wise, clever, resourceful, sarcastic, entity who deserves an entire series about her (I'm open to it Uncle Rick).

Piper McLean- Another Rick Riordan character, and she doesn't get enough love. She's a daughter of Aphrodite but not the stereotypical kind- she's the badass, nontoxic version of her mother. I always liked and connected with her character from her first scene in the Lost Hero and I know a lot of people don't like her but I love her. Not to mention, she's the only Native American character I've ever read about in a YA/middle-grade book (Cherokee).

Cinder- Ah, Cinder. She's my favorite of the girls from the Lunar Chronicles but they are all fantastic main leads. They take control of their own lives, resist against those keeping them down, and find their own happiness- iconic. Cinder especially as always been a role model. She was an ordinary girl for the most part (except for the cyborg part of course) but she was also a revolutionary and queen.

Scarlet- Another strong Lunar Chronicles girl.

Cress- ^

Inej Ghafa- The other two bold ones were childhood favorites but Inej Ghafa from the Six of Crows duology is my current favorite. She suffered so much in her past but still she overcame, conquered, and flourished. She proved that even though she was broken in the past and that she always may be a little broken, she was still just as full, just as deserving of any other person. She believed in the good of people even in the harrowing, dark world of Ketterdam.

Nina- She's also a brilliant girl from the Six of Crows duology. Nina is beautiful, vivacious, outgoing, classy, and powerful. She is plus sized and proud, bisexual and proud, hungry all the time and proud. I love her so much.

Anne Shirley/Blythe- Another childhood favorite. Anne Shirley won my heart from the very first time she raised her hand in class. Anne Shirley broke all societal expectations of how a young girl was "supposed" to act in school. She was the smartest, the most ambitious, and she never let anyway try to change her. She valued her imagination above all and believed in using big words to describe her big ideas. Anne is a perfect example to show any young girl how they should be.

Now for the speed round:

Citra Terranova from the Arc of Scythe series by Neal Shusterman.

Lara Jean Covey- Even though she's not a heroine per say- she proved to every girl out there that they could find their own happiness even though all the romcoms feature a limited set of girls that don't look like you. She showed everyone that love was possible and deserving of every single girl regardless of her race, orientation, etcetera.

Katniss Everdeen- Do I even have to explain this? Katniss is probably one of the most famous "strong female leads" out there and for a good reason.

Ruby (The Darkest Minds)- Ruby Ruby Ruby, she's great. This series has one of the best 'ordinary girl in extraordinary circumstances- but also not really because she has powers- stands up and takes down the patriarchy' plot lines ever. Don't judge a book by it's movie adaption guys, go read it.

Ella (Ella Enchanted)- Even though she was cursed, she never let anyone take her life away from her. She may have to listen to every word someone commands, but she still lived by her own rules.

Hazel Levesque- Underrated Rick Riordan heroine. She had a rough past but she used that to fuel her fire and take down Gaea with the other demigods.

Starr Carter- She watched her best friend get shot by a police officer and even though she was traumatized and scarred, even though she knew people wouldn't listen due to the color of her skin and her friend's records, she still used her voice to speak up and tell the world what she believed.

Vivian Carter- First of all, Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu is so underrated and especially because Amy Poehler is directing the Netflix adaption of this book- everyone should read it. She was put down constantly by boys, girls, and even teachers with sexism and blatant ignorance but she had the courage to stand up and create a feminist zine to get the girls in her school united and to believe in their worth. She told girls they were worth it which is one of the greatest things any female lead or any girl in real life can do.

Tessa Gray from the Infernal Devices- She's a reader who'd rather stay at home. She's a warlock- a minority race in this world. She's a hero nonetheless.

Laia Of Serra from the Ember in the Ashes quartet by Sabaa Tahir. She began the series off as a shy, powerless home girl who saw herself as weak and as a coward but she showed the importance of doing everything you can for the sake of family, even if it means faking bravery (which is just as much courage as real bravery) to save them.

Iseult, Vivia, Safi, Stix, literally any female character from the Witchlands series by Susan Dennard- And here's my typical reminder to read this fantastic series but really guys- Susan Dennard writes some of the smartest, bravest, most talented, and best role model females that you can ever imagine. Don't take my word for it- read and you'll see it for yourself.

Okay, so that's it for that list. Trust me, there are dozens and dozens of other strong females out there to look up if you just take a look but these are some of my favorites. I hope every girl and woman out there is feeling loved and appreciated today like I am. You deserve it! This day is another reminder you are worth it and your voice and your skills are valued and needed so don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Have a fantastic day to everyone.

No mourners, no funerals,

-SureenaWrites