This International Women’s Day I felt empowered looking at all the inspirational women around me and their contributions to the world. I felt hope that maybe we were getting somewhere in the world and that the pay gap and sexist agendas really could become a thing of the past.
Then I settled in to start reading one of my favourite female authors, JK Rowling. I was settling into the 4th novel of the Cormoran Strike series when the thought hit me. JK Rowling is one of the most well-known feminine icons, and her books have some of the strongest feminine heroines in them too (Hermione, Professor McGonagall, Molly Weasley, Bellatrix Lestrange, etc.) But as I thought of all the strong female characters, I realised that none of them were ever in the lead. You have Harry Potter, you have Fantastic Beasts, you have the Casual Vacancy and you have the Cormoran Strike series. All of them with male leads, and strong supporting females. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to have strong female roles who are often just as (if not) more powerful than their male counterparts, but as a strong feminine icon, why isn’t JK Rowling writing about women at the front of the story?
Luckily it doesn’t happen much in today’s society anymore, but this caught me. We should be celebrating the women who are putting women at the front! I wonder whether the male lead is subconscious, or whether it’s because we know that in today’s society, books with female leads are never going to have the impact that those with male counterparts have. It’s hard to know, all I know is that growing up Hermione was someone I aspired to, and how good it would have been to be following a series that was about her and her saving the world.
Don’t get me wrong, JK Rowling is still a heroine and I still aspire to have an impact on the world like her, but she is also missing an opportunity. An opportunity to write more female characters who are the star of the show, so more young girls can grow up aspiring to be great, and realising they can great in their own right, not as a side show for someone else.
Happy International Women’s Day everyone, I hope one day thoughts like this will never have to cross my mind because we will see just as many female literary heroes as male ones!
A Turtle Stranger 