THROUGH the years, there have been many different films about female characters. Yet, they only used to take on the role of the love interest to the dashing male hero, always needing to be saved by them.
That was before. Nowadays, female characters have become strong independent women who have been able to move the plot and their lives forward. Yes, some of them still fall in love and end up in relationships but they are co-equals. Sometimes they are both CEOs of companies or co-captains in their teams, and sometimes they are equal in the sense that they restart their lives pursuing their dream jobs.
So, in honor of Women’s Month this March, let’s look at some of these strong female characters from the big and small screens:
Sara Lance from “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow,” “Arrowverse”
First up, we have Sara Lance (played by Caity Lotz). She started out on the show “Arrow,” one of the CW’s original superhero shows where she played the sister of Laurel Lance and the other woman of Oliver Queen (The Green Arrow), her sister’s boyfriend.
Her story starts when Oliver takes her on board his family yacht where they get caught in the midst of the storm, causing them both to be shipwrecked on the island known as Liam Yu. She was taken in by Ra’s Al Ghul who is the leader of the League of Assassins, which Sara becomes a part of. She gets trained in their ways and soon does his bidding, making her a well-known anti-hero.
Eventually she finds her way back to civilization and becomes a member of Team Arrow, taking on the mantle of Black Canary. Then she was given her own spinoff called “Legends of Tomorrow,” where she now becomes a time-traveling hero under the name White Canary (her sister took on the role of the Black Canary while she’s away).
She and her team work together to make sure time stays mostly on track. After a while, she eventually becomes the leader of her team and takes charge in planning missions and saving history. She was a great captain who managed her team and life well, allowing her to meet the love of her life and co-captain, Ava Sharpe (another strong female character). Together, they led and fought valiantly as they balanced their personal lives. It is just unfortunate that they were unable to finish their story since the show was cancelled.
Debbie Dunn from “Your Place or Mine”
Debbie Dunn (played by Reese Witherspoon) is a single mom in the movie “Your Place or Mine”. It’s about a mom who tries to take strides to move forward with her life though it is pretty late in her life. The story starts with Debbie planning to go to New York to finish an accounting course since it was a practical choice. She plans to stay with her best friend Peter Coleman, who lives there, but changes plans when her son’s babysitter gets a job out of the country. This causes Debbie to put her life on hold yet again… or so she thinks.
Later, Peter calls her to say that he will go over and take care of her son while she goes and finishes her degree, thus reversing the traditional male and female roles. Peter stays with Debbie’s son and helps him make friends and enjoy school, while Debbie takes strides in her career.
While in New York, Debbie starts out sticking to the practical beliefs she has as she takes classes and fixes Peter’s place. Then she starts to explore things outside her comfort zone and the passions she had to leave behind. By the end of the story, she learns to embrace those passions which allows her and Peter to pursue their dreams of editing and writing stories.
Georgina Lorenzo from “You’re My Boss”
Georgina Lorenzo (played by Toni Gonzaga) works in marketing. She is a career-driven woman who is up for a promotion but before she can do that, she tries to close a business deal on behalf of her boss. She meets with the client but trouble arises when the client does not want to talk to her because she is not the boss, so she enlists the help of Pong, the chief commercial officer, to pretend to be the boss and close the deal.
The two go on a whirlwind adventure as they try to close the deal. Georgina helps Pong to pretend to be a boss by dressing him up like one and teaching him how to speak like one while she works on the business side and tries to close the deal.
After that whole adventure and a trip to Batanes, she learns to let go and be honest, and comes clean about her lies. Though this resulted in her losing the deal and her promotion, she was able to win back the client and Pong with her honesty.
Do Dohee from “My Demon”
Do Do hee (played by Kim Yoo-Jung) is the young CEO of Mirae Food and Beverage company. Her story starts with her winning an award as a CEO and her grandmother figure and boss, Madam Ju, sending her out on blind dates.
It takes a turn for the worst when she almost gets killed. This forces her to make a deal with a demon (that she accidentally went on a blind date with) but their fates get entangled when she ends up with his powers. This forces them into a deal and a marriage as Do hee tries to find her and later her grandmother figure’s killer and helps Jeong Gu-won (the demon) get his powers back.
Throughout the story, we see her take charge and push the plot forward as she looks for clues and leads that take her closer to the killer, all while running a company and almost becoming chairman. In the end, she finds her answers and stays CEO of food and beverage while she gives the chairman position to someone she trusts.
Maxpein Del Valle from “He’s Into Her”
Maxpein Del Valle (played by Belle Mariano) is a young high school student who gets pulled out of her simple provincial life and into the deep end as she moves to live with her dad and his wealthy family. She is a family-oriented girl who cares for her grandmother back home as well as her friends. This is actually why she decided to move to get a better life and pay for her grandmother’s medical bills with her dad’s help. While in the city, she gets a part-time job at the local hangout called The Barb to help out as well. At The Barb, she juggles school, friends and bullies who want her out of their school.
She is a no-nonsense type of woman who stands up for herself and her friends. This causes her to get into trouble from time to time which forces her to team up with her main bully, Deib Lohr Enrile. Together they make an anti-bullying campaign, bringing them closer together and helping them make up. With the campaign, she and Deib were able to stop bullying and make school a more bearable place to go to.
In Season 2, we get to see more of her and we learn more about how hardworking she is as she tries to help her uncle with his case and Deib, too. On top of that, she has to organize events and deal with a new bully in the form of Kim, Deib’s ex.
Caroline “Ling” Tiu from “Can’t Buy Me Love”
Mariano makes it on the list again with her latest role as Caroline “Ling” Tiu, a daughter of a wealthy man with a different mom from her siblings. She is angrier and quieter than Maxpein since she had to grow up in a house with half-sisters and her auntie Cindy who hates her. She also goes through some dark moments such as a kidnapping and dealing with her mother’s death while the family sweeps it under the rug. Yet through it all, she keeps her tough exterior as she gets to the bottom of it while juggling her work and training.
She’s not alone though: she has Bingo, a kind-hearted boy who wants to start a business and prove to his mother (who ran away around the same time Ling’s mom died) that he can be successful as well. With his help, she could understand and find clues about her past. Aside from solving mysteries, she tries to help Bingo start his career and agrees to be his business partner.
The series is ongoing. You can catch it on Netflix from Friday-Tuesday and with any luck, we finally see Ling uncover the secrets to her past and find justice for her mother, and see her and Bingo start their business.
Most of these shows and movies are available on streaming platforms such as Netflix so you can enjoy a good Women’s Month marathon. Hopefully we can learn from these female characters as we lead and take strides in our own lives.
