GIRLS! The creator of a website that I follow, nerdygirlnotes.com, is currently compiling of book of letters to female characters in pop culture. It's essentially an outlet for fans to appreciate the multitude of incredible woman that have graced our screens and literature over the years. I recently found the courage to submit a pretty personal letter to one of my favorite female characters, Rae Earl, from British show "My Mad Fat Diary." When writing this letter, I realized that I rarely choose women characters as my favorite. My favorite character in probably 95% of the media I consume is male. Why is that? I tend to compare myself to every other woman in the world. This is apparently not limited to real life woman. I see a strong fictional female character and I instantly feel like I can't relate to her strength. I can't relate to her confidence. The truth is, I don't allow myself to relate. I sustain a very surface level affection for female characters in my favorite shows while I FANGIRL and literally flail over my favorite men. But, hey…they're cute. And as a woman, I can't really identify with them so it keeps me from diving into a pit of self-reflection that ultimately ends in the counting of my flaws. Or wishing I was super super good with a katana. Both are very dangerous things. Katana appreciation. Anyway, I REALLY enjoyed writing a letter to Rae Earl. I enjoyed digging into why I enjoy her as a character and what her story has taught me about myself and the world around me. I had so much fun doing it I decided to spend some time reflecting on other female characters in my favorite shows. Below are some short thank yous to female characters that inspire me to be the best version of myself. Leslie Knope, Parks and Recreation Dear Leslie, Thank you for encouraging me to dream but also thank you for encouraging me to make the most of where I am. To embrace each day as if it is the best day I could possibly have in my life. To find joy and comfort in the little things that make me happy. To never be embarrassed that some days I want to just sit in a restaurant and stuff my face with waffles. Thank you for inventing Galentine's Day and for embracing the power of female friendship. Madeleine Albright is lucky to have known you. Michonne, The Walking Dead Dear Michonne, Thank you for showing me the power of perseverance. You had a lot of incredibly terrible set backs that would make most people throw in the reigns. But you never gave up. I'm not sure if it was because self-preservation instincts kicked in or because it's just in your nature to WANT to live. I choose to believe it's the latter. You have a quiet leadership and a strong heart. You care deeply and so often put others before yourself. If I were ever in a zombie apocalypse, I would 100% want you on my team. If I were ever just perusing through an art exhibit I would also 100% want you on my team, because that cat statue really was a beautifully weird piece. Let's just say in any situation I would want you on my team because you are a boss. Dutch, Killjoys Dear Dutch, Every single time someone tries to bring you down, you get right back up. You fight for yourself, your beliefs and the people you care about most. Thank you for showing me that even in failure we can find the strength to move on. Thank you for being a staunch individual but also recognizing the validity in asking for help from friends. You are a warrior. Tami Taylor, Friday Night Lights Dear Tami, There's not a single word in the dictionary that can encompass the amazing, strong, beautiful woman that you are. You're a nurturing mother that disciplines with a fair hand. You're a mentor that guides even the most wayward of souls. Motherhood, for me, is a ways away if it is ever to be but thank you for giving me such a solid picture of what it could and should look like. I've never wanted to emulate a character more than I want to emulate you. Texas forever. Tami Taylor forever. Octavia Blake, The 100 Dear Octavia, The gif above is you in season one. And this is you in season two. Girl. Octavia, you are the definition of growing into the best version of yourself. You grew up under a floorboard. You had little to no identity because you had to be kept a secret. The only social interactions you ever had where with you mother and brother. When you were ultimately tossed into an unforgiving world, you tripped and stumbled, but used those moments to begin building yourself into the person you wanted to be. That is what I love about you most. You said "screw you" to the people who wanted to paint you one way and decided that only YOU would be in charge of your destiny. Peggy Carter, Agent Carter Dear Peggy, Thank you for showing me what it means to be a woman of my own agency. To never let a man, or even another woman, try to compartmentalize me because of some weird societal standard. Thank you for knowing your value and for encouraging me to embrace mine. I appreciate your unwavering strength of character in the face of all adversity. In a world full of super heroes, you are the truest hero there is. Rae Earl, My Mad Fat Diary Dear Rae, *This is a small (I WROTE A LOT TO HER, GUYS) snippet of the letter I sent to the NerdyGirlNotes project. I'm hoping that when it is self-published you will find the rest inside of its pages: You're a rockstar. Not in the literal sense even though your taste in music is pretty stellar. You are a rockstar because you deal with the worst kind of personal demons and yet you consistently slay them. Self hate is so easy to fall into. It's easy to pinpoint our flaws because so much of our culture points them out for us. Skinny is beautiful. Geeky is weird. Things that are true but are often used to hurt and harm and shame people. Yes, skinny can be beautiful but every size is beautiful especially when the person wearing that skin owns a beautiful heart. Yes, geeky is weird but weird is good. Weird is fun. You, Rae Earl, are weird and good. You're not skinny and you're still beautiful. I'm not skinny and I'm still beautiful. It's taken me a long time to get to a point of understanding that and I definitely don't believe it all of the time. Watching your story unfold, Rae, really truly helped in my journey to discovering a me that I love. I believe in the power of television and film. I believe that a good character can influence a person to reflect on who they are or who they want to be. I believe this because I've seen plenty of people on various social media platforms attest to the influence of a fictional character in their life. People who do not have a strong, real life female presence to speak truth into their life's story so they are forced to look elsewhere. It is in these times when a Leslie Knope is IMPERATIVE because she can look into a young girl's eyes (through the tv, just roll with me) and let her know that she is capable of ANYTHING if she just believes in herself, dreams big and works hard. The media in our world can tear us down in an instant. But the media in our world can also build us up. There are SOOO many wonderful female characters littered throughout various forms of media and fortunately we live in a time where people are DEMANDING more and the higher ups are being forced to listen and produce. Every single one of these ladies has shown me a different aspect of what it means to be a strong and capable woman. To be a flawed and graceful woman. To be a weird and uniquely beautiful woman. So, thank you to them. And to all of the people that created them. -Jordan
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