Pink is not Weak

There seems to be a trend that make female characters, especially in YA, in order to be strong they are more likely to be tomboys. I am guilty of this at times. Being feminine is not being weak. There is nothing wrong with heroines liking the color pink and wearing dresses.

There are times when having a tomboy character is very applicable, Kat from HUNGER GAMES. But I wish there were more female characters that were strong even as they wear pink or a dress. Being strong isn’t about physical strength, or tough attitude, or hating the color pink. It is about knowing what you want and going for it. There are times that women do need to be physically tough. One of my favorite examples of a strong female character is Miss Parker from THE PRETENDER television series. She is not a tomboy, by any stretch of the imagination. She is very feminine and yet you know she will get what she wants.

Next time you are writing a female character, especially a teenager, think for a moment if it would add more depth to your character to make them a tomboy who wears baggy jeans or if they are feminine. Keep in mind that feminine is not ditsy or prissy. Think of Jane Austen’s characters or even Katara and Suki from AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER. You don’t have to make an effort to point out that maybe they like shopping but you don’t have go out of the way to say they hate the color pink and wouldn’t be seen dead in a skirt.