strong female characters

Lately I've really been into the whole idea of feminism, and the power that it gives females. Not only that, but coinciding with this newfound interest, I've noticed that the music I've been listening to lately has been all about the ladies. Debbie Harry, Courtney Love, and Patti Smith just to name a few.

I really love the idea of women being independent from men, and being able to do what they desire, as a female. I am powerful, I am a conductor of divine light, free from oppressive influences. I am classy and feminine, yet I don't need to constantly fit within society's feminine ideal to feel secure with myself, nor do I accept being treated as though I am lesser than anyone else. I'll attach some photos of chicks who I look up to in this respect; who are fierce and who pave their own path- both real and fictional.

("Mathilda", "Mia Wallace", Chloe Sevigny, "Annie Hall", Tavi Gevinson)

The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, "It's a girl."

~Shirley Chisholm

The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it.

~Roseanne Barr

You don't have to be anti-man to be pro-woman.

~Jane Galvin Lewis

Women are not inherently passive or peaceful. We're not inherently anything but human. ~Robin Morgan

Girls can wear jeans
And cut their hair short
Wear shirts and boots
'Cause it's OK to be a boy
But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading
'Cause you think that being a girl is degrading
But secretly you'd love to know what it's like
Wouldn't you
What it feels like for a girl

~Madonna

Instead of getting hard ourselves and trying to compete, women should try and give their best qualities to men - bring them softness, teach them how to cry. ~Joan Baez

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I don't believe that woman should be used simply for sexualization. I don't believe that women should assume they are the damsel in distress. I don't believe that women should rely on men in a marriage; they should fight to accomplish what they desire in their careers as well as in their spiritual lives. The way that the media portrays females is disgusting. Marriage should be an equal partnership where both individuals express how they feel to one another, lean on each other for support, and help lift each other up to success. I love the idea of a woman who is poise, intelligent, strong, fashionable, and cool.

I read this quote, and I find it to be entirely incorrect:

[Feminism is] a socialist, anti-family, political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians. ~Pat Robertson

This is obviously coming from someone who views feminism only from the frame of reference of radical feminists. To me, feminism is not about a woman being better than a man. It is about equality and female empowerment.