The makeup of a heroine

Katachi iPad Magazine

By Rebekah Law, 2012 

It seems most people can at least understand another’s criteria for a list of heroes. The list itself must be affected by factors such as political partisanship or sporting preference, but the criteria seem to be more universal: bravery, intelligence, strength, skill, appearance. For a comprehensive list of heroines, disputes abound. There are fundamental disagreements; one person simply cannot accept the criteria for another’s list of heroines.

Are you searching for the female protagonist in a story, a damsel in distress, a woman braving all to lead in battle, a political leader, or perhaps a modern heroine with...well let’s call them more obvious charms?

How do Margaret Thatcher and Jade Goody both make the cut? Is Baroness Margaret Thatcher a political hero or a nightmare old battleaxe? Was Jade Goody a down-to earth woman who battled a terrible disease or a gobby, racist Essex-girl eventually glorified by the media?

Some heroines defy categorisation but on the whole there seem to be four types of ideal heroine:

Type one: The damsel in distress

These beautiful heroines tend to grace the pages of children’s stories or Mills and Boon novels. They are sickeningly patient, completely hopeless and desperately in need of rescue by a handsome, exceedingly wealthy prince/doctor/other terribly respectable professional. 

They always fall in love with their hero and live a very unlikely life of bliss. Almost always stupid and/or weak, their main appeal lies in their beauty and the simplicity of their lives. Feminists despair at this type of heroine, Disney has found them to be a lucrative business. Perhaps the least realistic type of heroine-but there is something charming and inspiring about their contentment.

Type two: Classic protagonist

These fictional heroines tend to be a more palatable version of the damsel in distress heroine. Often pretty, witty and wise they tend to be a romantic figure with an active role in a plot-line. Austen’s Lizzy Bennet, Dickens’ Lizzy Hexham and Rowling’s Hermione Granger are all heroines of this type. Attractive, intelligent and self-sufficient they often achieve great feats of bravery and have even been known to rescue the hero of the piece from various dangers. Again a feeling of contentment at the end of the classic protagonists’ stories captivates fans of this type of heroine.

Type 3: Women breaking stereotypes

For centuries women have broken the mould to take on traditionally male roles with great aplomb. This type of heroine often has similar qualities to a traditional hero, strength, willpower, leadership, skill and intelligence. Saint Joan of Arc was this kind of heroine as she led the French army to victory in several key battles during the Hundred Years’ War. Margaret Thatcher is another who broke the mould as the first female Prime Minister of Great Britain. 

Sporting stars have had a long-fight to achieve the same recognition as their male counterparts. Steffi Graf and the Williams sisters, the most successful female tennis players ever, have gone some way to achieving an equal standing of men’s and women’s tennis. Not typically known for softness (although there are exceptions) this type of heroine is less comforting than the previous two but often has a greater impact on the world around her.

 

Type 4: The modern heroine

Some love to hate them, some just love them. These are often famous, loud, proud, attractive women who tend to live out crisis-ridden lives in the public eye. Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Jade Goody, Katie Price, Kerry Catona are just some of the modern heroines that grace the pages of magazines across the world. Their cult-following and hero-status are often to do with the way they cope (or fail to cope) with their lives. Their vulnerability, generally masked by defiance or anger, attracts fans to these women. It is perhaps easier to relate to these women who struggle with disaster and a comfort to believe that they would cope with disasters you face with far less dignity and patience. The great strength of all of these women is it makes it OK to struggle with life. 

Who is your heroine?

Here at Katachi we have included a wide-range of heroines in this issue. The late New Zealand born aviatrix, Jean Batten; Kate Middleton, the picture-perfect Princess-in-waiting; the talented but enigmatic Comme des Garcons designer, Rei Kawakubo and Incredible entrepreneur Yenn Wong have all been declared heroines within this issue.

http://katachimag.com/heroine/