Times have changed. Presidential hopefuls can be ruined by taking the wrong stance on human, or women’s rights. The days of old are gone. Gone are the days of women as victims and helpless damsels. Even historicals are starting to see a trend in woman who break the molds. Woman no longer want to be portrayed as a frail bird wilting under a leaf waiting for her handsome to come and save her. Did anyone see the new Shrek? Well the newest. Fiona got tired of waiting and saved herself. Rapunzel hits a man upside the head and kid-naps him. What does the character in Brave do? Well I don’t know, I haven’t seen it yet. Sorry for all the cartoons but I have a toddler.
The fact of the matter is, our women need to have a mind, a few guts, and need to take the bull by the horns. Sure they can still be rescued, just in a whole new way. Heck maybe the woman saves the man. As long as the guy is still desirable and a little manly you can get away with anything these days. Or almost anything. Gone are the days where woman sit around, so don’t make your character THAT woman. Like I said there are a lot of historicals now that even have women acting out against the norm of society. Sure you have to adjust public reaction to fit the time, and generally your heroine is still going to be more reserved then a heroine of today, but she can still be strong minded. Note, I did not say they could make some air-headed moves, being a little ditzy at times, or need a man to open a jar. Woman just need to be a little more assertive in getting the help they need rather than be the wilting flower.
These days it seems like usually the woman’s attitude is the catalyst to the story, making more stories character driven rather than plot in the romance world. What is your opinion on female characters and the trends on what makes a character likable or popular?
michelle ziegler 