Where are the positive female role models in film?

Last year Lindy West wrote about the most pathetic female role models in film , highlighting the likes of Twilight's Bella and Willie Scott from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom among those with a general inability to do anything without a man present. Focusing on the positive, I thought it might be an idea to think about some of the more impressive female role models. Here are my top five, in no particular order: 1. Julia Roberts as Erin Brockovich Not only can she outwit a whole group of corporate lawyer know-it-alls, but she also manages to do it without any qualifications whatsoever, and while simultaneously kicking ass as a single parent. 2. Mulan She exceeded everyone's expectations (expectations of women are always generally quite low, aren't they?), defeated the enemy and got her man (albeit while still dressed as a man herself. Discuss). 3. Olive Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine The youngest, and probably the most unconventional heroine in the list, Olive is a little girl who not only refuses to accept society's superficial understanding of beauty, but also solves all her family's problems with bop and a twist to Super Freak – really puts the saying "dance like nobody's watching" into a new perspective. 4. Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games The contemporary feminist role model to replace Disney princesses and damsels-in-distress , so prevalent in the film industry. Katniss makes archery cool, steps up to protect her younger sister and even saves a man from certain peril. 5. Ellen Ripley in the Alien series She's a space engineer, a mother, and she kills aliens (but only when they cross the line). That combination of toughness and compassion is hard to come by in any lead character, let alone a female one. • Who's your favourite female role model? Do you think we need more female leads in films? Have your say in the thread below.