Inspirational Female Leads On Screen

Female protagonists have been shown in roles relative to male heroes for the longest time. Such that their only purpose is to look pretty and enable the continued existence of a romantic arc. However, female leads in the contemporary era are breaking these patriarchal conventions and providing adequate and distinguished role models for the upcoming generation of young women.

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First of the lot is Jo March from the 2019 Greta Gerwig directorial – “Little Women.” In this adaptation of the literary classic, Jo is played by Saoirse Ronan. Her character’s positioning in the narrative with her sisters provides an outstanding example of entirely women-run households and communities that are not only valid but also offer platforms for women to organize and survive. Jo empowers younger girls to seek a livelihood for themselves outside the economic institution of marriage. But not only that, she teaches them essential lessons in selflessness in instances where she gives up her ambition for other family members, only to realize the ultimate balance between pursuing her dreams of becoming a writer while being there for her sisters. She is inspirational in how she teaches generations of young women how caring for family and chasing one’s dreams might be a complex navigation, but it is by no means mutually exclusive.

Another distinguished female protagonist on the list is the animated Disney princess – Mirabel Madrigal- from “Encanto,” released in 2021. Mirabel is inspirational because of her subservience to Abuela. She is a natural leader in how she encourages her family members to change their perspectives about their collective past. Moreover, she empathizes with everybody in her deranged household, even when she doesn’t understand what Bruno has undergone. Her relationship with her younger cousin -Antonia- and the children of the neighborhood in general, where she advises and carefully listens to their problems, makes her an excellent role model for young audiences, specifically those on the nerdier side like Mirabel with her heavily-rimmed green glasses.