Bad Ass Girly Girls

There's a recent trend in TV, movies, and books to have a strong, female character. This trend has helped create fan favorites like Katniss, Tris, and Black Widow. These characters are strong - they save the world, busting ass and never worrying about their make up. But alas, we are not all like that. Nor should we be.

I wanted to take a moment to applaud the other strong female characters that have graced our screens and hearts. Those who are traditionally girly, who care about what to wear, what to say to boys. They did not have to be clad in all leather suits or carry bows and arrows to make a lasting impression. These are strong women who are bad ass simply because of their morals and their bravery to be soft in this cruel world.

Elle Woods from Legally Blonde

Elle is the picture perfect example of staying true to yourself. Her obsession with beautiful shoes and manicures never got in her way of being a fantastic lawyer and friend. Her positivity and enthusiasm are inspiring still.

Gigi from He's Just Not That Into You

Gigi has a lot of faults but she bravely admits to all of them and turns them into her strength. One of the best scenes in this movie is when Gigi stands up for herself and discovers she would rather be a hopeless romantic than cold.

Ella from the 2015 live action Cinderella

Ella's mantra, "We must simply have courage and be kind" teaches us all that bravery is more than marching into battle with our heads held high. Often, the bravest thing we can do is forgive those who have treated us poorly and be kind to all.

Giselle from Enchanted

Yes, she beats a dragon while looking beautiful in her purple gown. But what's even more impressive is that she teaches Patrick Dempsey's character into believing in magic and happily ever afters even in today's world.

Lizzie McGuire from Lizzie McGuire

Lizzie over and over again showed her watchers that growing up is hard, but that one can do it with grace and humor and a dazzling personality.

Quinn James from One Tree Hill

There are a lot of role model women in this show but Quinn is a personal favorite of mine. With a love of photography and sports, she helps Clay heal from the death of his loved one and assists her sister in recovering from depression. She is a bright light of hope and, in a more traditionally bad ass scene, she fights off a serial killer who attacks her in her beach house.

Kate Fitzgerald from My Sister's Keeper

Kate's story is beautiful in both the film and the novel. Having suffered her entire life from a cancer diagnosis, she remains a loyal and loving sister and daughter bravely pushing herself to find love and happiness in her short time left.

April Kepner from Grey's Anatomy

April Kepner can be irritating and I know that not all of the show's fans love her. But I do. She is emotional but she does everything she can to be a good friend and doctor. And [SPOILER ALERT] in the recent season finale, April showed the world just how strong she was in order to save her baby.

This list is certainly not all encompassing. These are some of my favorite ladies and I'd love to hear all of yours. Add your favorite bad-ass female characters in the comments!

~ Jenna