A favourite rom-com, especially at this time of year, can be the perfect distraction and mood booster. Recent reflection on some classics left me thinking about the influence of some of these movies’ iconic female characters. While there are far too many to touch on in one article, in honor of international women’s day, I wanted to highlight some of the leading ladies that have impacted me.
Bridget Jones – Bridget Jones’s Diary
Bridget is messy, charming, and often painfully relatable. Yet, one of her most endearing qualities is an ability to take frequent moments of hilarious public embarrassment in stride. She doesn’t let these incidents get her down or stop her from chasing after her goals. Despite the intense second hand embarrassment that accompanies watching Bridget brave through moments in which the average person would wish to be swallowed into the floor, I was left admiring her attitude. So, the next time I think about leaving the library after waving back to a stranger who was not, in fact, waving at me, I will remember that Bridget Jones remained at a soirée after turning up as the only person dressed as a playboy bunny.
Judy Maxwell – What’s Up, Doc?
This 70s gem is my favorite rom-com of all time, and criminally underrated. The movie’s charm largely comes from its female lead: the magnetic and unpredictable Judy Maxwell. Self assured, Judy navigates life with a sense of humour that leads to even the most disastrous of situations working out in the end. Her commitment to seeking the most joy out of life may get her into some comedic scrapes, but it also allows her to live life to the fullest. It’s hard not to want to strive to be a little more unabashedly yourself after watching Judy dazzle her way through this movie.
Josie – Bottoms
Describing Bottoms as a rom-com might be a bit of a risk here, but it is a comedy and it has a romantic plot, so I’m standing by my choice. Josie spends the first half of this movie being persuaded by her best friend into some questionable decisions, such as starting a girls only after-school fight club, in order to impress her crush, Isabel. Eventually, in a classic turn of events, Josie realizes that all her attempts to change and/or hide her real personality were totally pointless, as the rest of the characters appreciate her far more when she’s her most self-confident, authentically embarrassing version of herself. While Josie’s character’s trajectory is far from unique, her ability to embrace her awkwardness, while also gaining the skills to stand up for herself, is as admirable as it is side-splittingly funny.
Toula Portokalos – My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Staying on character development, the final example is Toula, who has one of the greatest character transformations in rom-com history. At its heart, this movie is Toula’s experience of coming into her own and gaining self confidence that dramatically changes how she sees the world. As she becomes more independent from her overbearing, but well-meaning family, Toula is increasingly able to invest in herself and her happiness and quality of life improves dramatically. Her transformation not only changes how others see her, but more importantly how she sees herself. Rewatching this film, it feels impossible not to be cheering her on.
All of these characters are united in their ability to seek confidence, even when times are tough. Whether they start the movie naturally self-assured like Judy, or it takes a while for them to find their feet like Toula, each of these ladies’ lives are impacted by adopting a self-confident approach to the world around them. This sort of confidence, although it doesn’t necessarily come easily to me (an experience I know I share with many other young women), is a quality I have tried to build. I hope watching characters like these endearing rom-com heroines, inspire and guide viewers to build their own confidence.