Shailene Woodley in “Divergent.”
(Jaap Buitendijk / Summit Entertainment)
As someone who is an avid reader, I love when my favorite books are turned into movies. I love seeing the pages play out on the screen, and seeing if the movie matches up to my imagination of the events in the story. Recently, there’s been a rise in young adult novels that have been adapted for the big screen. Movies like Divergent, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, and The Hunger Games have been wildly popular amongst audiences. One thing all these movies have in common: a strong female lead.
Take it from someone who reads a lot of books–there are a lot of stories that focus on a male character, and may have a supporting female character. The Harry Potter series, the Percy Jackson series, and Ender’s Game are just the beginning in a line of books-to-movies that focus on a male lead with secondary female characters. These adaptations have been successful, but there is definitely a recent trend of taking books with a strong heroine and adapting those to movies.
So what does this say about movie audiences? It says that people are ready to see women in powerful roles that can save themselves and also their male counterparts. These books with a main female character have gained enough popularity on their own to warrant movie adaptations. Divergent’s Tris, The Mortal Instrument’s Clary, Vampire Academy’s Rose, and Katniss from The Hunger Games are just the beginning in a line of tough female role models for young readers and movie-goers.
So whether these movies inspire young women to take up archery, or just inspire them to feel more self-reliant, I know I love this new generation of women to look up to. I can’t wait to see more tenacious heroines in books and on the big screen!
-Jess Outten
Junior Girl
Girl Museum Inc.