12 Arts

The Rise of the Female

Action Hero

Laura Mooney Arts Editor Ace heroes have been the prominent protagonists in films since before many of us were born. From Steve McQueen to Bruce Willis, the action hero has been saving lives and kicking butt since the early part of the century. But when one thinks of an action hero, what is the image that first pops info your head? Typically it is a strong, overly muscled, independent, burly man who swoops in to save the world. Whether it is from terrorists, or even aliens, the action hero always wins his battles and always gets the swooning girl before the credits role. Although this particular description of an action hero is very archaic and was the general archetype for action heroes during the 7Os, 80s, and 90s, as the years went by the action hero slowly developed into a character with more substance, eventually the action hero even took on a whole ditferent gender. Action heroes have always typically been male, with many mediums featuring main female characters, but never having them as the lead in the story. However, in order to target the untapped market of young girls looking for a female action hero role model, novels and films began to expand and develop action heroes that were female. These female action heroes were fully capable of protecting themselves, were independent, not focused on love, and most importantly, were self assured and provided a character to which girls could look up to. One can take a look at the top three female action heroes that have recently been featured in young adult novels, and what exactly makes them not only great action heroes, but also great role models for girls around the world.

1) Katniss Everdeen - Probably the most recognized female action

hero is The Hunger Games Katniss Everdeen. Since the beginning, Katniss has presented herself as a strong, independent, and confident young

girl who has overcome adversity and rose up in dire situations. With her amazing archery skills and proficiency for hunting, Katniss not only shows that she has the fighting skills that make her an excellent action hero, but also provides young girls who love to hunt someone to look up to. Katniss

also chooses to rise up in the face

of adversity after her father is killed

in an accident. Although she comes from the poorest area of the country and the odds for her family’s survival without a patriarchal figurehead

are very slim, Katniss shows her resourcefulness and her own personal feeling of responsibility by taking it upon herself to keep her family alive. Judging by the usual woman's role

in past action movies, Katniss would have been expected to give up hope and not do much to help until perhaps her mother remarried. Katniss shows just how much of an action hero she really is by saving not only her family's lives, but by also aiding many of her other neighbours. As well, while most other females in novels and films are generally focused on a romantic interest of some sort, Katniss chooses to focus on the tasks at hand and not worry about relationships. For the most part, Katniss is oblivious to the male attention she receives, with more than one boy in the novels fawning over her. But even when she does finally accept that boys do have feelings for her, Katniss knows that she must not give in to such things, and focuses on the wellness of her family. This shows that like the classic action hero, Katniss is an independent person who would enjoy a romantic relationship, but does not make it her first priority. By using Katniss as a role model, young girls everywhere could see that you do not need to be with someone in order

to be happy. It is because of these reasons that Katniss Everdeen is one of the top, upcoming female action heroes and role models.

2) Beatrice Prior - Perhaps one of

the best female action hero novels released in the past five years, Veronica Roth's Divergent introduced the world to a young action hero who was fiercely independent like never before seen in young adult novels.

The story follows Beatrice Prior as she navigates through a dystopian world where young children are forced to choose between multiple factions

all specializing in a certain way of thinking, such as favouring bravery

or intelligence. Essentially, this is the practice of children choosing what they want to be when they grow up,;but they do not always choose the same faction that their families have

chosen, thus having to leave their families forever. Beatrice shows her

action hero roots as she goes against her conservative family’s wishes and chooses the most dangerous faction of them all. Beatrice's independence and willingness to do what she knows is right for her is a true definition of an action hero, and shows that sometimes you must do what is good for you despite what others may think. Once into her chosen faction, Beatrice overcomes insane obstacles such as the initiation challenges, dealing with bullies, being a minority, and even a sadistic instructor determined to start a revolution. Throughout every challenge presented to her, Beatrice handles them with poise and determination not common fo many other female literary characters. She shows readers that sometimes you must face your fears and persevere through a situation in which you are not quite sure what

do. In the end, Beatrice provides a solid role model for young women everywhere and shows that she is one upcoming action hero to keep a lookout for.

3) Tally Youngblood - Although the novel by Scott Westfield called Uglies was released back in 2005, Tally Youngblood still remains one of the top female action heroes in young adult fiction to this day. Uglies is the story of a world where once a young person has turned 16, they are subjected to complete cosmetic surgery in order to make them “pretty.” Tally watches as many of her friends go through the transformation but is always unsure about it, until one day an opportunity to run away from the city and not have to undergo the surgery is presented to her. The story follows Tally as she adjusts to her life outside of the city and the repercussions that come with disobeying the government. The story also touches on the major issue of accepting who you are inside and out.

Tally provides the perfect role model for young teens that are questioning their own appearances and feeling as though conformity to a certain way of looking is becoming more prominent

in their own society. By running away, Tally shows that she is a true action hero because she refuses to be another statistic, and instead chooses to leave the pack and be her own person, even if it means being different and getting in trouble with the law. Just as any action hero, Tally also proves to be a fearless leader and eventually leads a rebellion against those who have repressed and controlled society for so long. Similar with the other female heroes mentioned, Tally also chooses not to place her focus on romantic relationships. Although she does fall in love, she knows that the rebellion and standing up for what is right must come first. So even though Uglies may not be as well read as The Hunger Games or Divergent, the character of Tally still stands up to the best female action heroes around,

all while providing one of the best messages ever delivered in a young adult novel.

Although there are countless other excellent female action heroes and role models out there for young

teens, these three have been in the spotlight and have become more recognizable than anyone else

before. The encouraging thing is that this trend of female action heroes looks as though it will not be slowing down anytime soon. With The Hunger Games releasing its final two movies in the next couple years, and Divergent having just released its final book with a movie soon to follow, female action heroes look as though they are here to stay and will continue fo provide some diversity to the action genre, as well as providing someone whom people can emulate.