Why we should love female heroes
I’ve been concerned about all the damage and suffering as a result of both ongoing wars and climate change. Unfortunately, the developing world is most affected and least equipped to deal with the destruction.
The real devastation is yet to come in the form of economic disaster and its impact on nutrition, child mortality, vaccination, and education. In many developing regions, when economic challenges occur, girls and young women too often absorb the worst.
“We know that when families don’t have enough food, they sometimes feed their sons while starving their daughters, or they marry off their daughters as child brides,” said Nicholas Kristof from the Times. “So, we may see more girls go hungry, more girls pulled out of school permanently, and more girls married in their early teens.”
The potential fallout on our girls is so disturbing. It got me thinking just how important it is to change the narrative about girls in popular culture. I’m not advocating this over putting food in hungry tummies and providing much-needed medical care. What I am saying is it’s also important to change the narrative and alter perceptions about our girls’ place in society.
You may know that my debut novel, Found and Lost, will be released soon. The story centers around a girl, Lucy Lewis, who had become trapped in a cave with a monk and learned the mystical arts. When she reenters the world, readers get to experience the world through her innocent eyes and her journey of self-discovery as she has to make sense of an unfair, strange world.
As a storyteller and mother of a strong daughter, I take responsibility for opening readers’ eyes to the endless possibilities for girls everywhere so they can see themselves reflected in more places than just the mirrors in their bathroom.
Found and Lost (book one of The Great Way series) tells the story of a normal girl who acquires mystical Siddhis (powers) and is tasked with easing the suffering of others. While Lucy epitomizes wisdom and inner strength, she is also vulnerable and imperfect like all of us.
Some of the things I learned from Lucy’s character and about girls are,
Girls must “kick down more doors” to get what they want.
Girls have the strength and ability to kick those doors right off their hinges.
Girls have grit. They can pick themselves up again and again.
Lucy, like most girls, is strong, complex, and capable but also vulnerable, self-doubting, and real.
Lucy is an icon for future generations.
Studies have shown that media has a concrete impact on how we relate to people different from us. Women no longer need male heroes to make everything alright.
At this unprecedented time, let’s not put more obstacles in the way of our girls but rather put them on an equal pedestal and let them show the world their true power.
