In all honesty, there should probably be more than one International Women's Day a year--doesn't it seems odd that despite two whole millennia of civilization, around half of our population is glaringly underpaid and underrepresented when compared to the other half? Strong women are all around us, from mothers and friends who support us daily to the public figures who inspire us with their work. Sometimes, even fictional characters can be a source of strength and empowerment, but then again, that should come as no surprise to anyone who's ever enjoyed Jane Eyre.
It's maddening when television shows aren't realistic or relatable in their portrayals of women, but sometimes, either through stellar performances or sharp plot direction, the woman on screen really does become someone you can genuinely see as a sister to learn from. Here are some of the silver screen's strongest offerings right now:
Ostensibly, the strongest Shonda Rhimes character on screen is Viola Davis’s headstrong lawyer in How To Get Away With Murder, but it’s Scandal‘s Olivia Pope who makes this list for the simple reason that she’s genuinely dangerous. Kerry Washington’s facial contortions can be distracting on screen, but the threats she makes as Olivia Pope are the whole reason I watch the show. People either see her character as a god or as a scared little girl always getting trapped by increasingly complex circumstances, but the whole point is that most of the show has always been Pope against the world, and to see Olivia Pope survive–maybe even thrive–through crises is entertaining if not endearing. (Also, for anyone that thinks Olivia Pope is as soft as her wardrobe makes her look, that one time, she beat someone to death with a chair because he made lewd comments intended to trigger her PTSD.)
