As a mom, I have always taught both of our children (our son and daughter) that they can be whomever they want to be. We’ve never tried to steer them in any direction other than the direction THEY wanted to go towards.
I appreciate that there are plenty of strong women that can be role models for our daughter. I don’t ever want her to think she can’t achieve something simply because she’s a female. There are so many amazing women who are busting through that “glass ceiling” that often holds some women back.
Women can do anything a man can do, no matter the challenges and difficulties. We can be Firefighters, Police Officers, hold government positions, race cars, climb Mt. Everest… we can do it all.
Gone are the days where a woman’s role was to stay home to cook, clean and care for the children. Women can – and still – do all that, but they can also find cures for diseases and fight in the military.
It’s great to see that entertainment is also showcasing strong women. I like that our daughter has plenty of movies and television shows available that have a female in a strong, leading role.
Studies have shown that girls as young as six are influenced by gender stereotypes, and that role models from the entertainment they choose can have a lasting effect.
We’re a Netflix family. Our daughter especially watches Netflix almost exclusively. I can’t even remember the last time she watched a network television show. Her current favorites are Shameless, One Tree Hill and Parks and Recreation. Our daughter will be 20 this year so she watches grown up shows.
There are plenty of great shows for younger girls to watch that feature strong girls. You have Violet’s (A Series of Unfortunate Events Netflix series) quick wit, Elena’s (the new One Day at a Time series, also on Netflix) activist mentality, or Deidra & Laney’s (Deidra & Laney Rob a Train – airing on 3/17/17) unorthodox thinking. You also have someone from my favorite Netflix series, Stranger Things, where Eleven is helping to save her new friends and even a cartoon character like Tip (Dreamwork’s Home series) showing that true friendship knows no bounds.
For older girls shows like Girl Meets World, Fuller House and Gilmore Girls also have characters that are strong willed and don’t fall victim to old fashioned gender roles.
My personal favorites are the women of The Walking Dead. You will not find a “damsel in distress” among any of those characters (Michonne, Maggie, Carol, Rosita, Beth…). As for myself, I don’t think I could be as strong as fierce as those women. No way! I’d see a zombie come at me and I’d just lose it. I’d want to be saved! There is no way I can walk up to a hungry zombie and stab him/her in the head. I’d be afraid of becoming it’s lunch. But for the women of The Walking Dead it’s no big deal. They do what needs to be done.
Even though it’s a fictional show about zombies, the female characters make great role models for young women. In my opinion anyway.
Our daughter is also a big fan of The Walking Dead. I don’t know if she’s as tough as the women on the show, but I know she’s a lot tougher than I am.
As you can see, there are plenty of shows for girl, both young and old, on Netflix that put females in leading roles.
Do you have a daughter or granddaughter? Is she strong minded? Who does she look up to as a role model? What does she aspire to be when she grows up?
Feel free to share your thoughts. I always love to hear from readers.
For more information about Netflix, visit Netflix.com. They can also be found on social media.
Kimberly
*I have partnered with Netflix to bring you this information. I have received free service and promotional products in exchange for my participation. There is no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
Auriette says
I’ve never been a fighter. If someone ever hit me, I would have just cried and not fought back. Today’s mindset is that I’m not a worthy person, because a woman should never need rescuing. I’m married, whereas today’s woman shouldn’t need or want a man.
Certainly a girl or a woman can be anything if she puts her mind do it and develops those talents, but as much as I would have liked to be an astronaut (at one point in my youth), I can’t grasp math. Period. I don’t like it, and I struggle with the basics, much less advanced concepts. Looking at the Common Core standards, I’m certainly glad I graduated when I did, because I’d still be in high school. And I’m 51 years old.
I was an only child, and I had girl toys (dolls, a Suzy Homemaker oven, and horses) and boy toys (Matchbox cars, Lincoln Logs) growing up. I read books that featured both boys and girls as main characters. I never found myself wishing that it was a girl who got shipwrecked on the island with the Black stallion (although I was envious of anyone who had a horse).
So, I think it’s okay for a woman to be a damsel in distress once in a while, although I willl shout at the TV if she bad guy’s getting the upper hand on her rescuer and she doesn’t bash him in the head with the nearest lamp).