Strong? How about Interesting?

I have to admit that I wasn't very concerned with this until very recently. I wasn't concerned with the fact that I was being influenced by those around me to think a certain way and from birth. I was taught by the media and movies and books that men were good protagonists and women either had to be side characters or “strong” female leads. When I was younger I used to see these feminist debates about female characters needing to be a necessity and that there were far too few of them to go around.  I promptly decided then that I didn't care and went back to reading novels with male leads because they were more interesting and female leads tended to whine a lot.

 When I was little I got into science fiction and fantasy. I would watch Star Trek with my dad and when Lord of the Rings came out I almost lost my mind. But even when these female characters were there right in front of me I didn't see them for what they were. I tend to think back now and wonder why I never looked up to these characters, like Eowyn and Arwen? I wonder why I didn't see them and want to be just like them. Eowyn is a total badass, she was the only one to fight and kill the witch king. Yes, they were strong characters, but what is the point of a strong character if they aren't interesting?

More recently there is Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, Mother of Dragons and Breaker of chains from the George R.R Martin series A Song of Ice and Fire, or a series more commonly known as Game of Thrones.  She’s a character that people can look up to. She went from being a scared little girl to one of the most powerful women across the Narrow Sea.  Not only is she a strong character but she is incredibly interesting as well. She is not always this hard and callous woman, she has genuine emotions of fear and desperation and she is passionate about what she believes in. These are things that make dynamic and interesting well rounded complex characters. These are the types of female characters that should be accepted.

I want to bring up one more character that is not from a book, but from a video game. Her name is Ellie and she is sarcastic and headstrong fourteen year old. I read an article a while back about how Ellie wasn't a good example of a “strong” female character. I’m sorry I don’t remember the name of the article or where I found it. I think it was fan made. The person’s entire basis for this opinion was a scene in the middle of the game where she had a break down. She started crying and suddenly she isn’t what the audience thought she was.

For one thing, how does crying make a person weak? In Ellie’s defense she had just been through an incredibly hard situation where she was almost murdered, and I thought that she had an appropriate response. When finally being safe after an incredibly dangerous situation it is okay to have a moment of release. However, because she is showing this hysterical side of herself she was automatically deemed weak.  

I really don't like the term “Strong Female Character”. It gives the impression that if a female character isn't made of stone and doesn’t have real emotions then they aren't strong as well. So let me tell you what makes an interesting character. A character who cries and a character who gets angry, a character who is sarcastic and witty, even a character that lets their emotions get in the way of their reasonable thinking.

I don’t want a strong female character, I want an interesting one!