Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Awesome Female Role Models- Meg


A few months back, there was a huge "to-do" about the owner of Abercombie and Fitch and how they only market to the "cool" kids, and their sizes for women don't accommodate for girls of larger sizes.

During this time, to combat A&F, a college friend of mine wanted to start featuring on her Facebook real women who she thought were truly beautiful inside and out. I thought it was a great idea and considered stealing it for the blog. The thing is, when we try to do things like that we always end up leaving someone out. Forgetting someone. Not because we don't think they're beautiful or amazing, but just because that's how life is. 

All of this died down. Then, not long ago I saw that Hercules was on Netflix. Naturally I watched it right away. Gotta love Disney movies.

As I was watching, I started to think about the character of Meg and I remembered how much I loved her.

Which got me to thinking. 

What if I pointed out good female role models from the media? Movies, books, TV, shows, etc. Some that would be pretty "typical" and others that may not be thought of right away. 

Thus - my new blog series "Awesome Female Role Models!" (If you have any suggestions for a better name... let me know.) Every week I'll feature my favorite fictional female characters. I'll share pictures of them, quotes, share why they're awesome, but also point out their weaknesses. No one is perfect, you know.

And first up is the one who inspired it all...

Meg from Hercules

Why Meg is awesome:
  • This is a girl with backbone. She knows how to take care of herself. She ties her own sandals and everything.
  • Meg has a past and will admit to it. Meg knows who she is and won't apologize to anyone for it.
  • As tough as Meg is, she has a soft side too. She shows it the most to Hercules who sees through her act right away. He knows that she has a good heart on the inside and brings that out in her.
  • She's hilarious. I wish I could come up with the one-liners that she does.
  • Meg is willing to give everything for the people she cares about. Yeah, sometimes it turns out badly for her. But there's that whole cliche of "it's better to have loved and lost than to not have loved at all..." And she learns this less (the hard way) in the movie, but also sees that some people are 100% worth it.
  • Hercules gives up being a god for her. That's saying something.
  • Meg makes a lot of mistakes in her life, but she learns from them and becomes a better person. I think really this is part of what ultimately makes someone a good role model. No one is perfect and we all make big mistakes. But it's all about what you do with it and how you learn and grow from them. Meg is a great example of this.
Source
A few flaws to look out for:
  • Selling your soul to Hades isn't a good life choice.
  • She gave up her soul for the man she loved, which is great! But she clearly has bad judgement in character since the guy cheated on her later.
  • She's pretty manipulative and lies a lot. But thankfully she learns her lessons through the movie.
Source
Quotes:
  • I'm a damsel, I'm in distress... I can handle this. Have a nice day!
  • It's been a real slice.
  • "Sometimes it's better to be alone." "What do you mean?" "Nobody can hurt you."
  • Is Wonderboy for real?
  • Pinhead with hoofs? Well, you know how men are. They think "no" means "yes" and "get lost" means "take me I'm yours."
  • I'm a big tough girl. I tie my own sandals and everything.
  • People do crazy things... when they're in love.
Do you love Meg too? What are some other fictional women that you would want featured?

13 comments:

  1. Belle and Mulan!! Love them both!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have a feeling a lot of Disney ladies are going to be showing their faces around here... which I think is awesome! Disney princess get a bad rap sometimes. :)

      Delete
  2. Hmm, I have a feeling this is one of those things I will keep thinking of! Off the top of my head- Katniss from The Hunger Games, Hermione from Harry Potter, Scarlet from Gone With the Wind (I know she is spoiled, but the sheer determination she has amazes me)- and also Melanie from GWTW (for completely different reasons but they both rock). For the Disney lovers, Merida!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Katniss and Hermione are givens. ;-) And I've thought about Scarlett and Melanie. I love both of them and they're both really strong in their own ways!

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  3. Belle, Mulan and Tiana from Disney, Scarlett from Gone with the Wind Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice

    But Meg is one of my favorite Disney Heroines, she is just so freaking spunky!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love all of those Disney ladies! Sometimes Disney princesses get a bad rap, but I think they're awesome! And I love Scarlett and Elizabeth too. :-)

      Delete
  4. I haven't seen Hercules, so I can't add an assessment on the Meg situation. But I have to add Zoe from Firefly to the list. Because of all the reasons.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. WHAT???? You need to fix that. Hercules is awesome and just... go watch it. And I'm definitely adding Zoe to my list!

      Delete
  5. Here are some of my favorite strong female characters:
    Jane Eyre, Hermione Granger, Hester Prynne of The Scarlet Letter, Eowyn of The Lord of the Rings (she's a warrior!!), Sarah Connor of The Terminator series, Princess Leia of Star Wars, and Belle (had to throw in a Disney gal!)

    I loved your blog entry today on Meg. I absolutely love her character. Hope my list is helpful!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooooo! I hadn't thought of Jane Eyre, Hester, or Sarah yet! Might need to add those...

      Delete
  6. I adore Meg, however my favorite is Esmeralda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame and I so hope you feature her! She is an amazing role model. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Esmerelda is amazing- and I hear Hunchback is on Netflix instant play now!!!! :-D

      Delete

Share with me your thoughts! They make me smile.