Since the early 2000s, we, as a society, have seen a massive spike in female cartoon characters that aim to empower young girls. Now, more than ever, we are beginning to see a grand expansion in the different “types” of women. It’s no longer girly versus tomboy, or smart versus dumb; instead, girls are given the chance at having a personality that isn’t defined by one single attribute.
#5. Tina Belcher – Bob’s Burgers
Our resident awkward, quirky girl earns herself a spot at number five on our list. Tina really spoke to girls like me. Fanfiction obsessed? Check. Year-round horse lover? Check. Can’t make an “everything is fine” face? Double-check. Even though she can sometimes be a bit stand-offish to the other girls in her class, it is NEVER in the name of internalized misogyny.
#4. Mabel Pines – Gravity Falls
Mabel Pines is a girl that I feel a lot of us can relate to. She loves her pet pig, Waddles, enough to literally break the space-time continuum. She (much like myself) has a deep affinity for emo boys, and let’s be honest her sweaters are top tier.
#3. Isabella Garcia-Shapiro – Phineas and Ferb
This Fireside Girl can truly do it all. She loves helping others and doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty if it means the citizens of the tri-state area are taken care of. Not only is she able to do these things, but she is also able to lead an entire troop of Fireside Girls whilst being under a constant love spell.
#2. Marceline – Adventure Time
At times it can seem like Marceline may have had some confusing motives, but in the end, she really pulled through and made some phenomenal advancements in both the show and real life. Growing up, there weren’t any role models for young queer girls, especially not ones that didn’t fit a strict feminine standard. Though I didn’t start watching Adventure time until I was much older, I really think that Marceline would have made me feel a lot more comfortable when I was coming to terms with my own sexuality.
#1. Penny Proud – The Proud Family
I remember staying up all hours of the night, hoping to catch an episode or two of The Proud Family. Penny was such a comedically aligned role model. She usually messed up in some way or another, in every episode, but this is what made her so relatable to young girls. No girl wanted to watch a show where the main character was absolutely perfect, where was the fun in that? Penny showed us that you can mess up and still be a good person.