Star Wars Day: Strong Female Role Models in The Force Awakens

Happy Star Wars Day!

In case you weren’t aware, May 4^th is a beautiful day on which Star Wars fans around the world celebrate our beloved film series.  Of course, any Star Wars fan could tell you that really we celebrate every day, but May 4^th holds a special place in our hearts.

Game on Mom wants to take part in the fun this year, and I thought I would focus on a topic that I think deserves attention every day of the year:  strong female role models for girls.

Before I get started, just a note:  most of the girls in my life are under the age of 7, which means Star Wars: The Force Awakens was the first Star Wars film to be released during their lifetime.  The same is likely true for many of your lovely young ladies (unless they’re old enough to have been here for the release of the “prequels”), so I’ll focus solely on the newest characters. Also, this should go without saying, but there may be spoilers below.

So, back to strong female role models.  We all know how important they are, and of course we teach our girls about real-life role models as often as we can.  Let’s be honest, though – we can’t avoid media and entertainment, and it’s crucial that we find role models there, as children’s eyes will inevitably fall on film and television characters.  Thankfully, they’re appearing more often these days.

That said, it’s not always perfect. My major complaint about many leading women in action movies is that no matter how strong, how fierce, how intelligent, or how driven they are, they’re often sexualized by revealing (or skintight) outfits or romantic interests that cut awkwardly into their story.

On the flipside, Star Wars offers some of the best. One way that J.J. Abrams and the other writers for The Force Awakens impress me so much is their refusal to sexualize Rey or make her dependent upon a male character in any way.

Rey is dressed exactly like a scavenger on a desert planet would be dressed, and while her clothing at the end of the movie is ever-so-slightly different, her style never changes or creates any sense that she’s leaving behind her values or the truth of the character we grew to love so quickly. As for depending on others, we can see from Rey’s earliest scenes that she was forced to become independent and strong from an early age.

When she meets Finn and they begin their adventure, there is never any indication that she “depends” on him for her own success. In fact, it’s clear that their partnership is one of equality and mutual learning and growth. What a great message for young girls to receive from a film that is also a ton of fun and excitement. Long story short, Rey is amazing, and she is one of my all-time favorite characters!

Another strong female character in The Force Awakens is Maz Kanata, who becomes a very brief mentor to Rey. They only interact for a few minutes, but Maz’s conversation with Rey about the Force is what ultimately gives Rey the strength to fight back against Kylo Ren in one of the movie’s most important and telling scenes. Maz is Force-sensitive and at least a thousand years old, and she’s a tiny thing. To have run her castle unfailingly amid all sorts of questionable characters, and to understand the Dark and Light so well, it’s obvious that she is a remarkably strong role model.

As for me, I love seeing Star Wars goodies everywhere, and I’m so happy that much of it features Rey. Initially there was some unrest because there was far more Finn on the market, but after the film was released Rey thankfully began to fill the shelves. I walked down the toy aisle at Target the other day and saw so much Rey merchandise (even a costume), that I left feeling giddy. Hasbro and Disney, of course, have gone all-out with their Star Wars range of toys, including the Rey and Kylo Ren dolls shown above. You can grab those and so many others online or at most retailers (including Target, Walmart, and Toys R Us) nationwide.

If you’ve seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens, what do you think about Rey and Maz? If you’ve not, who are your favorite female role models in other films or television shows?  We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Have a wonderful day, everyone, and May the Fourth Be With You!