When I think about the women who have inspired me or said something that resonated with me, I’ve never associated them with being “fatale” so to speak. Growing up through the 90’s and 00’s, I followed the obsession shows like The O.C., Friends, Gossip Girl, and of course the cult classic movies like Clueless, Cruel Intentions, and 10 Things I Hate About You. There were always characters or actors I resonated with more than others. Looking back, I aligned with these stand-out names because they possessed traits that were independent, fierce, strong, and sexual. At least this was the case with the stand-out female personalities that I’ve really found adoration for. Looks like I was always a bit of a fierce human even before I wanted to start this blog.
Below is a list of female characters and celebrities that have had an impact on me and why. Some are fictional, some non-fictional – I’m pulling face-value characteristics for this summary. If there’s someone you don’t know, I urge you to look them up!
Cher Horowitz – Clueless – 1993 (played by Alicia Silverstone)
I strongly believe half the reason women say “like” and “whatever” is because they’ve seen Clueless 20 times. Cher, for me, (originally an adaption of the rebellious Jane Austen’s Emma) was the epitome of strength and charisma. Not only was she gorgeous and extremely fashionable, she had values and standards for herself that went against the norm.
“High school boys are like dogs. You have to feed them, clean them,” Insert Gif here
As an impressionable pre-teen at the time, Clueless sparked my love of excessive shopping and carrying multiple department store bags. However, it also helped set my own expectations. I thought there would be nothing better than having a boyfriend in High School. After all, having that validation (AKA a man wants to be with me) brought me to a higher popularity rank. But Cher knew there were bigger things in High School, like makeovers and setting up teachers because your grades are below average!
I’ll admit it, Cher isn’t the cookie-cut MFF to tick all the boxes. However, she certainly knew who she was and did not apologize for it.
Kathryn Merteuil – Cruel Intentions – 1999 (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar)
We all saw it. We all had the soundtrack. I was at a party not too long ago and Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve came on and the drunk morons needed to go into detail about the scene where she bursts out of the hall and is ambushed by the contents of her late step brother’s diary. She was, for all intents and purposes, a bitch. A villain; the person whom the audience least emphasizes with.
I want to take a step back for two seconds. This movie encapsulates everything that makes me so furious about the perception of the femme fatale. Kathryn is a powerful, strong, sexually energized girl (she’s in High School, remember). She’s student body president (I can’t imagine hitting that rank at a private school in the upper east side is easy), she’s got connections within privileged society, and she knows what she wants. Tick, tick, tick – what a boss.
So, why don’t we like her? Because she’s manipulating people to get what she wants like it’s a game of chess. Uncool – I’ll agree with that, especially when the person she was mad at was an ex who fell asleep while she was going down on him. Agenda aside, it’s the way she was framed that made her seem evil - sexy, well-dressed, powerful, educated, and aware of advantage over her counterpart Sebastian. Who (and this is where I get annoyed) is forgiven within the hour because he… what, shared his feelings? Pfft.
I loved Kathryn and I was bummed when her secret stash of blow was the catalyst of proof that revealed her to be evil. Please… we all knew the principal would be racking up lines in the teachers’ lounge 20 mins later.
Katherine Pierce – The Vampire Diaries – 2009-2017 (played by Nina Dobrev)
Possibly one of the greatest shows ever created. I’m not apologizing; I’ve watched it, start to finish, 4 times. I’ll probably do it again. In case you’re unfamiliar, The Vampire Diaries follows the love triangle between the main protagonist Elena Gilbert and two vampire brothers, both obsessed with her. YAWN. Elena is good, but Kathryn Pierce is bad. And she’s Elena’s 500-year-old vampire doppelganger.
Katherine is perceived in the show as the “baddest bitch” – and she is. She’s selfish, self-absorbed, and cunningly deceitful. Every move she makes is to benefit herself and she never apologizes. I don’t give a flying hoot – she’s a bad-ass with attitude. She goes after what she wants and she usually gets it - not to mention her fashion sense is jaw-dropping. I have a Pinterest board just for her outfits.
Emily Nelson – A Simple Favor – 2018 (played by Blake Lively)
I read the book first and had no love for Emily’s character at all. However, when I watched the movie I was awestruck by Blake’s depiction. So cutthroat! So colorful! Potty mouth, to say the least. She even repetitively calls out Stephanie (played by Anna Kendrick) for her excessive apologizing.
There’s a quote from the movie: “Don’t do that, don’t apologize. It’s a fucked up female habit. You don’t need to be sorry for anything ever.” I can’t even begin to explain the fire that ignites in me when I hear that.
Margery Tyrrell – Game of Thrones – 2011-2019 (played by Natalie Dormer)
Possibly the only character to be actually “playing the game” for the throne; working her way to the throne using her feminine power to entice and seduce the kings. She knew exactly what she was doing. Smarter than anyone, like her grandmother.
Margery was a people-person. She used her femininity to seduce and gain the trust of the highest-ranking man in King’s Landing, but she was always playing five steps ahead – gaining information on various players and carrying that knowledge to strengthen her agenda.
Her obvious and unapologetic seduction of not one, not two, but three kings (granted, they were children)… the point is, she was one of the only people playing the actual game of thrones. And, had her love for her brother not been so strong, she may have survived.
Whoops, couple of spoilers there! But let’s be honest, if you haven’t watched it then you deserve to be spoiled.
Sutton Brady – The Bold Type – 2017-Present (played by Meghann Fahy)
Instant girl crush on Sutton when I started watching The Bold Type. A woman who refuses to be spoilt by her partner, wants to work hard to get to her dream position, and is sexually adventurous and proud… I love her! Sutton is a natural charmer – yeah, she’s gorgeous, but that isn’t what makes her so irresistible to watch. She’s confident. She’s playful. She’s open-minded and friendly.
Without intentionally giving away spoilers (after reflecting, I think I should have put a spoilers disclaimer at the start of this blog), Sutton makes bold moves in seasons 1 & 2 of The Bold Type by risking a stable career in corporate sales to pursue an avenue with less pay but that’s more aligned with her passion. However, the real defining moment is when Sutton recognizes that the world is bigger than her relationship and chooses herself over her delicious older boyfriend. Her strength is revealed in spades and I think it’s inspiring to watch her mourn and get back on top. The point is, she stayed true to herself and what she wanted rather than following the “rom-com” fantasy and choosing love over her career.
Brooke Davis – One Tree Hill – 2003-2012 (played by Sophia Bush)
I’ve honestly watched all seasons of One Tree Hill, back to front, start to finish, 5 whole times. I also follow the fan pages and Spotify playlists, read the blogs, and chase the memes. I sometimes binge all the “top ten times One Tree Hill moved us”-like YouTube clips. I can’t help myself – every time I’ve watched it, I’ve found another life lesson deep-rooted in the behaviors and interactions. I could do a whole blog around One Tree Hill, but part of the reason I keep coming back is for the charming, witty, sex-positive fierceness that is Brooke Davis.
Not once has Brooke made apologies or excuses for her behavior. Plus, she’s more than aware of the power she has over men - not to mention her one-liners are gold. When I was growing up, I wanted to be Brooke Davis because of her popularity, her attractiveness, and her dedication to the things she loved. We were both social butterflies and loved spoiling our loved ones with gifts, parties, and favors! But now, being in my 30’s and watching One Tree Hill (yet again), I know that Brooke’s charisma was an attribute of her early self-respect. She never let anyone disrespect her, which forced the people around her to respect her. She wasn’t afraid to get physical and stand up for her friends.
Brooke was originally skewed to be the show’s “bitch” or villain if you will. Alas, it did not resonate and she quickly became the star.
As a little girl, I’m sure different characters made you want to dress like them, act like them, or follow them in all their movies. I remember my friends loving the Olsen twins or Hillary Duff. Sure, they were great leads, but they weren’t as confident or powerful as my fatale idols.
Comment on who you idolize – and reveal how they inspire you to be fierce.
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