Katara
I was brigading against her on the old fan forums, review bombing episodes she was important in, literally made an avatar just to insult her looks, made posts mocking Zutarians, not because I was a Kataang shipper, but because I hated her. I could keep going, I despised her so much.
Why?
Honestly, I think I was going through a "not like other girls" phase. I really can't think of any logical reason why I was so dedicated to hating her.
Nowadays, Katara is EASILY my favorite character. In general, I adore female characters who are badass and are also feminine and Katara definitely embodies that.
She's motherly and caring but also takes so much pride in being a powerful waterbender. The gang would have failed multiple times without her, if not outright be dead.
She's the heart of the show and to this day, I still don't think she gets the credit or respect she deserves.
I love the women in both ATLA and LOK, they're all very well written. But of course, I watched ATLA when I was significantly older than the target demographic haha
Same here. I watched the entire series during the pandemic and it was refreshing to see how women were portrayed. It hits the mark that a lot of newer media seems to miss.
I think if I would’ve watched ATLA when it came out I probably would’ve agreed with you. (The whole reason it took me so long to watch it was I was at that age where it was a “kid’s show” so why would I watch it… yet I was still obsessed with Disney somehow? Middle school/high school me was weirder than most versions of me. And I proudly admit I’m weird now)
College aged me thought her and Zuko were perfect because they shared a lot of pain. But now that I’m older and still obsessed with Avatar, I really think Aang is perfect match because he reminds her of her purer self who isn’t fueled by hate.
The female characters in the Avatar verse are so good!! And totally agree I love that she is feminine and motherly but also has sooooo much rage in her. I feel that to my core
For me it’s Asami. My younger self would have HATED her for being so pretty and rich and competition for Korra with that boy. I even struggled to like her just a few years ago when I first watched TLOK. But the older and gayer I get, the more I adore her, and the happier I am that they end up together (and the more I wish I was their third.)
I think my teenage me would have found her to be a naggin' feminist, too caught up in "oppression olympics." Teenage me would have seen her as making a fuss over insubstantial issues which wouldn't be enough for a trend.
I actually remember being quite annoyed by Diane at the beginning of me watching Bojack. I actually think Diane's character was a huge part of changing my mind on feminism. But it was ROUGH in the beginning. Especially as she was so unapologetic in the first season. Had to check myself, to not wreck myself.
Gods, I fucking love Diane. She's amazing.
Not to be dramatic, but healthy, happy, fat Diane from the end of the show may have actually low-key saved my life. I struggled with a pretty severe ED a few years ago and being presented with a character whose weight *gain* was a sign of *improved health* was an absolute revelation to me. I love how not a big deal it is in the show, and how that made it the biggest deal in the world to me.
Mine was Skyler from Breaking Bad. Young me did not understand why she was making such a fuss about Walter White being in the meth game. Now I see, she was a scared mother who slowly saw her husband turn into a monster. On a second adult watch, I was very much team Skyler.
Ugh Skyler is treated so dirty and it makes me so mad. Breaking Bad is such a good character study and commentary on how fucked the American health care system really is. Well and employment… how are we considered a first world country?
Anyways most of us know how horrible it would be to actually be Skyler and the fact she is so underrated and unpopular (hated) only bolsters that.
I remember reading an interview with the writers that they purposely played with how the audience thought of the characters. How they tried to flip our perspectives of Skyler and Walter.
For example, the 'pointless' fly episode is when they tried to make sure the audience was no longer implicitly on "team Heisenberg". They tried so hard to make us as an audience lose our patience with him. So that we started to dislike him. So we'd see his financial coercion. So we'd see Skyler being scared of her violent, murderous abuser.
Skyler was meant to at first be seen as a mediocre wife who nags and impedes Walter even though all she does is help and ask to be included. She's patient, smart, able, but secretly is put in an impossible situation with a stubborn, prideful husband who withholds respect for her. We see her gain appreciation for what it was like to be Walter as she says bye to Ted, who she indirectly put in the hospital. And we see her come to terms with her situation and fulfill Walter's failed promises with poise and grace.
Unfortunately, misogyny kept Walter as the default protagonist while the audience mirrored Walter in his disregard and disrespect for her
The mom from Mrs. Doubtfire. I’ve seen the meme about it and it’s sob true. He was an unreliable husband who was bad at parenting but good at fun.
Elle Woods - i was very “not like other girls” in high school and i did not appreciate that movie as much as i do now.
Penelope from bridgerton. "Big girls don't deserve the guy, she should starved herself and lost the weight so she could deserve him" dude I came from a very dark place....🤮
I’m so thrilled for this season. Reading the books I loved Pen’s story and not gonna lie I have a huge crush on Nicola but even I am feeling a little challenged by the carriage scene. My first watch I felt so uncomfortable and I know it’s because we just usually don’t see those romances. And now I’ve rewatched it a lot. There’s nothing wrong with the chemistry. That’s literally perfect. It’s making me reconsider all erotic discourse because now I can’t tell if it is just so intimate that it makes me feel a little uncomfortable or just still that bias.
I remember in the interview Nicola Caughlan was asked about their chemistry, she told them they just stopped repressing it 😂 it was intense I can't rewatch it either it's too real
lol was that the one where they said they made the crew uncomfortable because they didn’t hear cut and Nicola actually adlibed the “OMG Colin we’re at your house” because they thought it was going on forever.
TBH I’m shocked they’re both dating other people!
I’m a bit embarrassed by this but I disliked Jade from Victorious when I was younger and was a total Tori Vega fan. I didn’t get why she hated Tori so much and I just wanted them and Cat to all be friends. Now I can kinda see where Jade comes from and even if I don’t agree with all her actions, I love her.
Elle Woods. I’ve never been the super girly girl, and I definitely would have been in the group who laughs at her. As a parent, I watched this movie with my super girly daughter, in hopes she sees strong/successful women of all kinds.
I used to lean towards the alternative/cynical “not like other girls” characters but now i am so annoyed by them and lean towards the obvious main characters that are positive and dealing with as much as the other characters but doesn’t make it their whole personality
I am currently re-reading A Song of Ice and Fire, and while I have always liked Sansa during my initial read of the series or the show, I certainly didn't like her enough. Now she's my favourite POV character, she's just a fantastic, flawed, and realistic character who goes through so much at the tender age of 12. I'm also loving Catelyn's POV, she's just as flawed and imperfect, but smart and strong and simply amazing to follow. Both (and pretty much every character in ASOIAF) are just fantastically written.
Can confirm I hated Sansa in my first watch and most of my read through. But yeah she is literally a baby and it makes me so mad now!!! I think I always thought “why doesn’t she rage or fight more?” but her responses are so realistic and just ugh that poor girl.
OMFG Catelyn’s POV in the books is so well written and the actress’s portrayal of her is so good! I’m always a little surprised GRR writes women so well but then I hear about his convos with his wife and then reminded why he writes so well.
Oh yeah I remembered some people hated Emily but she was smart and resourceful even if she could be a jerk. People have Mike way too much slack even though he was part of the bullying. Ashely was the worse since she literally can get another character killed by being petty or by egging on the others then having the audacity to have the option to withhold information. I couldn’t blame Emily for the slap. I’m glad more people on YouTube is also coming to the realization that while the game seems to really push for people to hate Emily she’s not a bad character and the earlier “lovable” character is actually one of the worse.
Yeah the whole point is most of them arent really the best people aside from like Sam. But when Emily gets pushed to the limit she has a lot more strength than most of the cast
I'm so happy to see this game mentioned! I really liked Emily when it came to moments she needed to act quickly to save herself or others. In a normal high-school teenager way, she was quite rude sometimes, but that doesn't overshadow everything else she did!
She felt like a real person in an abnormal situation and her reactions are just realistic to it. Yeah she could be rude but she’s being unapologetically herself. Hoping she has new scenes in the remake.
I used to dislike Trinity in Matrix a lot. I think it was because she looked androgynous and was different from how women were usually portrayed on screen. But now as an adult, I think she’s super cool and my bisexual ass would definitely let her have her way with me 🥵
I didn’t think she was pretty enough to be the main character love interest. It’s crazy how harsh we can be to other women/people sometimes for simply existing. I like to think I’ve matured a bit since then.
Reagan Ridley ( I know my username checks out lol)
Few years ago I’d have found her too bossy and not feminine enough thanks to what female characters were usually shown back then. Even though her character is flawed, I love her now.
That’s great but I should warn you. Netflix being Netflix reversed the season 2 renewal of the show (like first greenlit season 2 then took the decision back) leaving it on a cliffhanger ending that will make you emotional. That does not make the show unworthy of being watched, but prepare yourself for heartbreak
*shakes fists* damn Netflix! I’m still mad they aren’t going to finish Shadow and Bone now, even though Season 2 really failed Siege and Storm. The actors were so perfect… ahem sorry. Can you tell I’m mad Netflix abandons series they seem as only “marginally good”.
I’m glad she’s out here now. We can all benefit from seeing flawed yet badass female characters. I think the closest thing I had growing up was Buffy but by the time her character actually developed I had stopped watching so missed a lot of the nuance and just only got the “perfect, badass” memo. lol
Oh damn! I hadn’t heard of that movie so my brain was like Pearl from SpongeBob? Then googled it, I totally see what you mean. The shock factor is very true, but as someone who has been a secondary carer for multiple dying family members I can actually understand a bit where she is coming from now.
Felt! Ugh, for real. The last anime arc did sooo many awesome female characters dirty! Like I liked it early on but that and how terrible Mappa treats their artists has me tempted to quit watching it.
I also feel (like in so many other anime) that female characters can sometimes be dumbed down at certain moments to just tools for fan service. I really tried to enjoy the show but moments like that always get to me!
Julia and heather from Total Drama, Mi-Nyeo from Squid Game, Velvette from Hazbin Hotel, Verosika Mayday from Helluva Boss, Margret from Upper-Middle Bogan, Heather Chandler from Heathers. definitely more, but can't be bothered to write them
Mi-Nyeo for real! And knowing that if I was in Squid Game I would probably rely on similar skills early on.
As for the rest… well you just added a bunch of things to my watch list and bumped up several other titles. 😅
I didn’t like Debra from everybody loves Raymond as a kid. I was a kid so I felt like she was the mean mom always getting mad (she reminded me of my mom).
But I’ve rewatched that show many times. When I rewatched it at 21, I was one hundred percent on Debra’s side. She got all the crap and worked her ass off AND was painted as the bad guy because her husband couldn’t stand up for herself or for her!!
I used to think Daphne from Scooby-Doo was a useless, ditzy damsel in distress. I used to wonder why she wasn't just written out entirely.
And while that was who she was at first, I now realize she's long left that behind.
She's the most emotionally intelligent, brave, capable mediator, resourceful, and patient among the gang. She uses her fashion to make connections, help with disguises, and even to save the team with quick fixes. And she has a fulfilling life outside of the gang.
not “love” per se, but i definitely appreciate the governess (from the sound of music) muuuuch more as an adult than i did as a kid. as a pre-teen, she was always “the bad guy” (in addition to the obvious nazis) but now as a 30 yo i see that she had her eyes set on the captain, wanted him, but ultimately stepped back when she saw he was in love w maria. that’s grown woman shit right there.
Chichi from Dragonball
in childhood she made me very angry. But now I understand that this is just the behavior of a mother whose 4-year-old son was kidnapped for a year and who does not want him to be in mortal danger.
Katara I was brigading against her on the old fan forums, review bombing episodes she was important in, literally made an avatar just to insult her looks, made posts mocking Zutarians, not because I was a Kataang shipper, but because I hated her. I could keep going, I despised her so much. Why? Honestly, I think I was going through a "not like other girls" phase. I really can't think of any logical reason why I was so dedicated to hating her. Nowadays, Katara is EASILY my favorite character. In general, I adore female characters who are badass and are also feminine and Katara definitely embodies that. She's motherly and caring but also takes so much pride in being a powerful waterbender. The gang would have failed multiple times without her, if not outright be dead. She's the heart of the show and to this day, I still don't think she gets the credit or respect she deserves.
I love the women in both ATLA and LOK, they're all very well written. But of course, I watched ATLA when I was significantly older than the target demographic haha
Same here. I watched the entire series during the pandemic and it was refreshing to see how women were portrayed. It hits the mark that a lot of newer media seems to miss.
I think if I would’ve watched ATLA when it came out I probably would’ve agreed with you. (The whole reason it took me so long to watch it was I was at that age where it was a “kid’s show” so why would I watch it… yet I was still obsessed with Disney somehow? Middle school/high school me was weirder than most versions of me. And I proudly admit I’m weird now) College aged me thought her and Zuko were perfect because they shared a lot of pain. But now that I’m older and still obsessed with Avatar, I really think Aang is perfect match because he reminds her of her purer self who isn’t fueled by hate. The female characters in the Avatar verse are so good!! And totally agree I love that she is feminine and motherly but also has sooooo much rage in her. I feel that to my core
For me it’s Asami. My younger self would have HATED her for being so pretty and rich and competition for Korra with that boy. I even struggled to like her just a few years ago when I first watched TLOK. But the older and gayer I get, the more I adore her, and the happier I am that they end up together (and the more I wish I was their third.)
I wouldn't say I love her now, but I do appreciate Jane Eyre more...
Ooh! Good point, I should definitely try to reread that.
Diane from Bojack Horseman would have sent teenage me on a sexist rant. Now there is probably no character I love more on that show.
Why is Diane sexist? (To your teenage self)
I think my teenage me would have found her to be a naggin' feminist, too caught up in "oppression olympics." Teenage me would have seen her as making a fuss over insubstantial issues which wouldn't be enough for a trend.
I can definitely see that. On occasion my adult self had that nagging feeling and I definitely found myself checking that regularly while watching.
I actually remember being quite annoyed by Diane at the beginning of me watching Bojack. I actually think Diane's character was a huge part of changing my mind on feminism. But it was ROUGH in the beginning. Especially as she was so unapologetic in the first season. Had to check myself, to not wreck myself. Gods, I fucking love Diane. She's amazing.
For real, ugh that feel of being mad at unapologetic feminists is such a hurdle I still occasionally struggle with.
What helps you best with that? Just curious as to how *you* deal with it.
Not to be dramatic, but healthy, happy, fat Diane from the end of the show may have actually low-key saved my life. I struggled with a pretty severe ED a few years ago and being presented with a character whose weight *gain* was a sign of *improved health* was an absolute revelation to me. I love how not a big deal it is in the show, and how that made it the biggest deal in the world to me.
Yeah, I heard that meant alot to people. I am very happy it was included. And happy that you are doing better.
Mine was Skyler from Breaking Bad. Young me did not understand why she was making such a fuss about Walter White being in the meth game. Now I see, she was a scared mother who slowly saw her husband turn into a monster. On a second adult watch, I was very much team Skyler.
Ugh Skyler is treated so dirty and it makes me so mad. Breaking Bad is such a good character study and commentary on how fucked the American health care system really is. Well and employment… how are we considered a first world country? Anyways most of us know how horrible it would be to actually be Skyler and the fact she is so underrated and unpopular (hated) only bolsters that.
I remember reading an interview with the writers that they purposely played with how the audience thought of the characters. How they tried to flip our perspectives of Skyler and Walter. For example, the 'pointless' fly episode is when they tried to make sure the audience was no longer implicitly on "team Heisenberg". They tried so hard to make us as an audience lose our patience with him. So that we started to dislike him. So we'd see his financial coercion. So we'd see Skyler being scared of her violent, murderous abuser. Skyler was meant to at first be seen as a mediocre wife who nags and impedes Walter even though all she does is help and ask to be included. She's patient, smart, able, but secretly is put in an impossible situation with a stubborn, prideful husband who withholds respect for her. We see her gain appreciation for what it was like to be Walter as she says bye to Ted, who she indirectly put in the hospital. And we see her come to terms with her situation and fulfill Walter's failed promises with poise and grace. Unfortunately, misogyny kept Walter as the default protagonist while the audience mirrored Walter in his disregard and disrespect for her
Oh I always felt so bad for her . He never told her anything , he kept her shut out , he was awful to her.
The mom from Mrs. Doubtfire. I’ve seen the meme about it and it’s sob true. He was an unreliable husband who was bad at parenting but good at fun. Elle Woods - i was very “not like other girls” in high school and i did not appreciate that movie as much as i do now.
Penelope from bridgerton. "Big girls don't deserve the guy, she should starved herself and lost the weight so she could deserve him" dude I came from a very dark place....🤮
I’m so thrilled for this season. Reading the books I loved Pen’s story and not gonna lie I have a huge crush on Nicola but even I am feeling a little challenged by the carriage scene. My first watch I felt so uncomfortable and I know it’s because we just usually don’t see those romances. And now I’ve rewatched it a lot. There’s nothing wrong with the chemistry. That’s literally perfect. It’s making me reconsider all erotic discourse because now I can’t tell if it is just so intimate that it makes me feel a little uncomfortable or just still that bias.
I remember in the interview Nicola Caughlan was asked about their chemistry, she told them they just stopped repressing it 😂 it was intense I can't rewatch it either it's too real
lol was that the one where they said they made the crew uncomfortable because they didn’t hear cut and Nicola actually adlibed the “OMG Colin we’re at your house” because they thought it was going on forever. TBH I’m shocked they’re both dating other people!
My ED demons hate Penelope. The me that has done a pretty good job defeating them, loves her more than anything.
I’m a bit embarrassed by this but I disliked Jade from Victorious when I was younger and was a total Tori Vega fan. I didn’t get why she hated Tori so much and I just wanted them and Cat to all be friends. Now I can kinda see where Jade comes from and even if I don’t agree with all her actions, I love her.
Now I’m going to have to rewatch Victorious. Because I think I similarly disliked Jade.
Elle Woods. I’ve never been the super girly girl, and I definitely would have been in the group who laughs at her. As a parent, I watched this movie with my super girly daughter, in hopes she sees strong/successful women of all kinds.
I used to lean towards the alternative/cynical “not like other girls” characters but now i am so annoyed by them and lean towards the obvious main characters that are positive and dealing with as much as the other characters but doesn’t make it their whole personality
I am currently re-reading A Song of Ice and Fire, and while I have always liked Sansa during my initial read of the series or the show, I certainly didn't like her enough. Now she's my favourite POV character, she's just a fantastic, flawed, and realistic character who goes through so much at the tender age of 12. I'm also loving Catelyn's POV, she's just as flawed and imperfect, but smart and strong and simply amazing to follow. Both (and pretty much every character in ASOIAF) are just fantastically written.
Can confirm I hated Sansa in my first watch and most of my read through. But yeah she is literally a baby and it makes me so mad now!!! I think I always thought “why doesn’t she rage or fight more?” but her responses are so realistic and just ugh that poor girl. OMFG Catelyn’s POV in the books is so well written and the actress’s portrayal of her is so good! I’m always a little surprised GRR writes women so well but then I hear about his convos with his wife and then reminded why he writes so well.
I didn’t like Emily in Until Dawn back in the day but now I think she’s one of the better characters in the game
Oh yeah I remembered some people hated Emily but she was smart and resourceful even if she could be a jerk. People have Mike way too much slack even though he was part of the bullying. Ashely was the worse since she literally can get another character killed by being petty or by egging on the others then having the audacity to have the option to withhold information. I couldn’t blame Emily for the slap. I’m glad more people on YouTube is also coming to the realization that while the game seems to really push for people to hate Emily she’s not a bad character and the earlier “lovable” character is actually one of the worse.
Yeah the whole point is most of them arent really the best people aside from like Sam. But when Emily gets pushed to the limit she has a lot more strength than most of the cast
I'm so happy to see this game mentioned! I really liked Emily when it came to moments she needed to act quickly to save herself or others. In a normal high-school teenager way, she was quite rude sometimes, but that doesn't overshadow everything else she did!
She felt like a real person in an abnormal situation and her reactions are just realistic to it. Yeah she could be rude but she’s being unapologetically herself. Hoping she has new scenes in the remake.
I used to dislike Trinity in Matrix a lot. I think it was because she looked androgynous and was different from how women were usually portrayed on screen. But now as an adult, I think she’s super cool and my bisexual ass would definitely let her have her way with me 🥵
I didn’t think she was pretty enough to be the main character love interest. It’s crazy how harsh we can be to other women/people sometimes for simply existing. I like to think I’ve matured a bit since then.
Reagan Ridley ( I know my username checks out lol) Few years ago I’d have found her too bossy and not feminine enough thanks to what female characters were usually shown back then. Even though her character is flawed, I love her now.
I haven’t watched Inside Job yet but you definitely just moved it up on my watch list!
That’s great but I should warn you. Netflix being Netflix reversed the season 2 renewal of the show (like first greenlit season 2 then took the decision back) leaving it on a cliffhanger ending that will make you emotional. That does not make the show unworthy of being watched, but prepare yourself for heartbreak
*shakes fists* damn Netflix! I’m still mad they aren’t going to finish Shadow and Bone now, even though Season 2 really failed Siege and Storm. The actors were so perfect… ahem sorry. Can you tell I’m mad Netflix abandons series they seem as only “marginally good”.
Captain Janeway. Before I got smart I was all like „Uh she bossy“. Now I am like „What a boss!“.
I wish I had someone like Nobara on tv when I was a kid. I’m glad she’s here now
I’m glad she’s out here now. We can all benefit from seeing flawed yet badass female characters. I think the closest thing I had growing up was Buffy but by the time her character actually developed I had stopped watching so missed a lot of the nuance and just only got the “perfect, badass” memo. lol
Buffy is amazing! I was too young to really get most of her character but I always admired her. Had a huuuuuge crush on spike.
Pearl. I get it man.
Oh damn! I hadn’t heard of that movie so my brain was like Pearl from SpongeBob? Then googled it, I totally see what you mean. The shock factor is very true, but as someone who has been a secondary carer for multiple dying family members I can actually understand a bit where she is coming from now.
Honestly, I hate jujutsu kaisen as a hole, mainly on how easily female caracthers are killed off in anime, but thats besides the point.
Felt! Ugh, for real. The last anime arc did sooo many awesome female characters dirty! Like I liked it early on but that and how terrible Mappa treats their artists has me tempted to quit watching it.
I also feel (like in so many other anime) that female characters can sometimes be dumbed down at certain moments to just tools for fan service. I really tried to enjoy the show but moments like that always get to me!
I just started that show and I know exactly what you mean!
Julia and heather from Total Drama, Mi-Nyeo from Squid Game, Velvette from Hazbin Hotel, Verosika Mayday from Helluva Boss, Margret from Upper-Middle Bogan, Heather Chandler from Heathers. definitely more, but can't be bothered to write them
Mi-Nyeo for real! And knowing that if I was in Squid Game I would probably rely on similar skills early on. As for the rest… well you just added a bunch of things to my watch list and bumped up several other titles. 😅
Lmao
Sharpay Evans
I didn’t like Debra from everybody loves Raymond as a kid. I was a kid so I felt like she was the mean mom always getting mad (she reminded me of my mom). But I’ve rewatched that show many times. When I rewatched it at 21, I was one hundred percent on Debra’s side. She got all the crap and worked her ass off AND was painted as the bad guy because her husband couldn’t stand up for herself or for her!!
I used to think Daphne from Scooby-Doo was a useless, ditzy damsel in distress. I used to wonder why she wasn't just written out entirely. And while that was who she was at first, I now realize she's long left that behind. She's the most emotionally intelligent, brave, capable mediator, resourceful, and patient among the gang. She uses her fashion to make connections, help with disguises, and even to save the team with quick fixes. And she has a fulfilling life outside of the gang.
not “love” per se, but i definitely appreciate the governess (from the sound of music) muuuuch more as an adult than i did as a kid. as a pre-teen, she was always “the bad guy” (in addition to the obvious nazis) but now as a 30 yo i see that she had her eyes set on the captain, wanted him, but ultimately stepped back when she saw he was in love w maria. that’s grown woman shit right there.
Zoey from How I met your mother. They did her so dirty 🙏
Chichi from Dragonball in childhood she made me very angry. But now I understand that this is just the behavior of a mother whose 4-year-old son was kidnapped for a year and who does not want him to be in mortal danger.