Favorite heroines

I've seen lots of blog posts lately about favorite fictional heroes, and that makes sense because we often read romance or watch movies and/or TV programs because of the heroes. I have to say, I like a heroine who can hold her own too. I like heroines, and even write some of them, who can kick butt and take names and still be feminine at the end of the day. All you have to do is scan the bookstore shelves, the TV Guide or the DVD selection at Best Buy to find that this type of heroine is popular. I think it's because we, as women, want to feel that we can hold our own with men, we can be in control without giving up those aspects that make us uniquely women (oh, say, like enjoying buying cute shoes).

Let's take a look at some popular gals who fall into this category:

1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer -- I admire show creator Joss Whedon a great deal for the strong heroines he writes and his dedication to showing the strength a woman can possess. Buffy was a cute little blond teenager when she came into her powers, but looks were deceiving. She could kill vampires and various demons with an ease the grown men in her world couldn't even dream of. And the vast majority of the time, she was stylin' when she did it. Even if she was a badass, she still dealt with things like dating problems, losing her first love, and sibling rivalry. Willow Rosenberg, her good friend, was a very powerful witch who could even kick Buffy's behind if she fully tapped into her power.

2. Wonder Woman -- She was the first superheroine I remember, both on the Superfriends cartoon on Saturday mornings and in the Lynda Carter primetime show. Being a fan of Wonder Woman led to being a fan of other superheroines like Elektra, Firestar, Jean Grey, Rogue, Storm, Sara Pezzini/Witchblade, and Xena.

3. Max Guevara -- from the show Dark Angel (one of Jessica Alba's easier roles); she was a genetically enhanced super-soldier.

4. Bionic Woman -- Lindsey Wagner's version of Jaime Sommers was a childhood favorite, and I've been enjoying the new version played by Michelle Ryan.

5. The heroines of urban fantasy -- Urban fantasy is a very popular genre right now, and many of the protagonists are women. Authors such as Patricia Briggs, Rachel Caine, Laurell K. Hamilton, Tanya Huff (her Blood books have made it to the small screen in the form of Lifetime's Blood Ties), Rachel Vincent and others bring strong heroines to the reading public.

6. If I think about just the TV shows I watch now, there are very strong women in Bionic Woman, Blood Ties, Heroes, Supernatural, Smallville, and Stargate Atlantis.

Even though many of these heroines either have superpowers or are just trained to be able to handle themselves in tough situations, that isn't the end all and be all of strong heroines. An everyday woman like those who appear in our Harlequin American novels can be strong too. They can face adversity, weather it, and come out the other side even stronger. I'm in the midst of writing my second American (actually that's why I'm late blogging today -- oops), and the heroine has had to be strong because her life was totally turned upside down by something someone close to her did. She's having to start over even though she doesn't know if it'll work out. That takes a different kind of strength, but strength nonetheless.

Give me a heroine who is strong any day, whether that strength is superpower in nature or just the strength of the Average Jane. Just don't give me a wimpy, whiney heroine. That will make me close a book or click off the TV faster than anything.

Okay, now it's your turn. Who are some of your favorite fictional heroines from books, TV or movies?