Wisdom 1

Florida State University

Warrior Women in Movies:

Grace Wisdom
ENC2135
Professor Daniel Stefanelli
10 Oct 2022
 Wisdom 2

Abstract

This research aims to find a correlation between representation of warrior women based on the

sex of the director. “Warrior women” are female lead characters often characterized by violence,

high levels of motivation, extreme skill in a specific area, and drive due to a particular goal.

Misrepresentation of warrior women includes inclusion of warrior women for the entertainment

of men, who lack a complex character, and who are typically stereotypical. Further, they are

sexualized and inaccurate to female experience. Previous research has been done on the lack of

representation of women on screen (Kunsey, 2018) and the importance of sex of director on the

representation of a female hero (Ingalls, 2020). However, little research has been done on the

effect of sex of director on the representation of warrior women. The research conducted in this

study will consist of a survey administered to a group of 32 female first-year college students.

This survey will consist of 10 warrior women, 5 from male-directed movies and 5 from female-

directed movies. The purpose of this survey will be to find a possible correlation between

positive representation and female directors. I found there is a correlation between these two

attributes, but my survey is extremely limited due to time administered and response. These

findings can be used as basis for other research within the field of film and gender intersect.
 Wisdom 3

Introduction

Representation of warrior women in movies is a largely unresearched subsection of

representation of females on screen. There is much discussion within the film community on

how the sex (or other traits) of the director affects the representation of the character on screen.

This ‘representation’ will be defined in greater detail through this research paper, but it mainly

refers to the accuracy of the depiction of the female experience. Warrior women are a subset of

female characters who oftentimes serve to uplift and empower the women who see them on

screen. This research aims to find if the sex of the director of a movie in which a warrior woman

is the lead influences how good or bad the representation of the woman is.

It is essential to first understand precisely what ‘representation of women’ entails.

Movies and television continue to play a vital role in popular culture (Kunsey, 2018), even as

things change- the introduction of streaming services, less interest and popularity of movie

theaters, and seemingly endless production of content. However, even with the levels of

popularity and exposure, women are not proportionally represented in film (Kunsey, 2018).

Female characters lack complexity and are often portrayed stereotypically, common in

Hollywood and the media (Kunsey, 2018).

Because of its role in popular culture and society, film reflects attitudes about issues such

as gender within society (Kunsey, 2018). Further, the lack of ‘good’ representation of women

(not stereotypical and with complexity), can be connected to the overall lack of women within

the filmmaking industry. A line can be drawn between the better representation of women and

the existence of women in behind-the-scenes roles. When performing my research, I will divide

warrior women depicted by women and men equally to examine the difference in their

representations.
 Wisdom 4

It is equally as important to understand what is meant by ‘women’. Gender, as understood

in this research paper, is a social structure (Risman, 2004). It is better to think of gender as

something that is “done”- you can choose to do it in an endless number of combinations of

masculinity and femininity (you are a masculine person who identifies with being female; a

feminine person who identifies with being a woman; an equally masculine and feminine person

who identifies with being non-binary; etc).

The claim has been made that on a scale of masculinity and femininity, warrior women

tip more toward the masculine side. Even further, warrior women could be considered another

‘gender’ of sorts- characterized by the strengths of both femininity and masculinity, lacking the

weaknesses of either- a true hero (Bennion-Nixon, 2010).

In the context of this research, warrior women will not be defined this way. However, it

is important to mention the many definitions and interpretations of warrior women that exist

within the literature.

Literature Review

Some research has been done on warrior women in the digital age. Bennion-Nixon

explores her definition of a warrior woman, examples of them, and implications and application

of their existence in movies. She begins by defining warrior women, through both examples and

her interpretation. There is a large focus on the shortcomings of some famous warrior women

from the current digital age- for example, the female protagonist from Avatar. Although she was

not a stereotypical female protagonist and had complexity, Bennion-Nixon concluded she was

another failed attempt at an animated warrior woman.

Bennion-Nixon finally focuses her argument on potential animated warrior women, and

how our ‘digital age’ calls for them. She keys in on the potential of Lara Croft from the video

game and movie series Tomb Raider. Contrary to Bennion-Nixon's claim, Lara Croft aligns with

the stereotype of a warrior woman- she always looks beautiful, she maintains an excellent figure,

and she is extremely good at fighting and solving clues. In her conclusion, Bennion-Nixon finds

that the digital warrior woman is a performance of gender identity and representation (Bennion-

Nixon, 2010).

These findings and conclusions are individual in that they focus primarily on what a

warrior woman is, instead of misrepresentation or their appearance for the wrong reasons.

Although some of her claims and definitions of warrior women will not be applied to this

research, Bennion-Nixon offers insightful commentary on the intersection of gender and warrior

women- that they may exist outside of traditional ideas about gender.

Further, research has been done on the effects of the author’s gender on the creation of

warrior women’s characteristics (Ingalls, 2020). Ingalls focuses on how the character of the

female hero may differ based on the sex of the author. She finds that male authors are predicted

to create female heroes who are more physically powerful and more likely to engage in physical

conflicts than female authors because males benefit more than females from physical battles.

From an evolutionary standpoint, males can win fights, allowing that male to either control

a group of females or attract females and therefore pass on his genes (Ingalls, 2020). However,

females do not need to win a fight to get a mate, and a female should be reluctant to engage in

physical fights as injury could decrease her ability to produce offspring (Ingalls, 2020). Ingalls

explains that most traditional heroes are males, oftentimes defined by their courage and physical

characteristics. Therefore, men create a similar character when writing female heroes. Women,
 Wisdom 6

however, create heroes that rely primarily on methods other than physical battle (such as

cleverness and information acquisition) to achieve their goals (Ingalls, 2020).

Ingalls discusses the implications of creating a “universal” hero that does not consider the

complexities of sex and is defined entirely by men (Ingalls, 2020). Ingalls concludes if the

characteristics of fictional female heroes are impacted by the sex of the author, there is reason to

be concerned that girls are presented with female heroes primarily created by men (Ingalls,

2020).

This evidence supports a conclusion heavily discussed within the film community: the

gender of the person behind-the-scenes (whether it is the author or director) affects the

representativeness of the characters on screen. This continues to build and add to the

conversation, stretching evidence out of the general ‘female characters’ and into the specific

‘warrior women'. Ingalls stresses the implications of the misrepresentation of female heroes,

noting that it can affect young viewers' interpretation of their gender.

It is necessary to distinguish between warrior women and female heroes- some female

heroes can be warrior women, but not all warrior women are female heroes. Female heroes are

characterized primarily by their morals, while warrior women are defined more by their skill,

motivations (which may be selfish), and flawed nature (overly violent, emotionally unavailable).

For this research, I will use the definition above (some female heroes are warrior women, but not

all warrior women are female heroes) when constructing my survey.

Further research has been done on Asian warrior women (Funnell, 2010). Funnell

examines how Pan-Asian, Asian American, and Asian Canadian warrior women function as a

source of transnational female identity for local, Pan-Asian, and diasporic Asian audiences
 Wisdom 7

(Funnell, 2010). She argues Hong Kong cinema (not Hollywood) has offered space for the

development of Pan-Asian and Asian North American screen identities which challenge racial

stereotypes historically associated with the Asian female body in the West (Funnell, 2010).

Although Funnell’s work does not directly correlate to my understanding, her examination

of the impact correct representations of warrior women can have on Asian identity is essential to

the larger conversation. As seen in Funnell’s work, correct representation can correlate to a more

positive sense of identity. This idea can be found in other identities. For my research, using

Funnell as the backbone, a possible application of better representation of warrior women on

screen could correlate to a better sense of identity for women.

Research has been found regarding the representation of women on screen (Kunsey, 2018),

the definitions of gender (Risman, 2004), the definitions and issues with warrior women

(Bennion-Nixon, 2010), how warrior women of transnational cinema lead to a sense of female

identity (Funnell, 2010), and how the sex of the author effects the portrayal of female heroes on

screen (Ingalls, 2020). The gap utilized for this research is how the sex of the director affects the

representation of warrior women on screen.

Methods

I will be utilizing a survey to gather research on the representation of warrior women.

The survey will contain five warrior women from movies directed by women, and five warrior

women created by men behind the scenes. The characters from movies directed by a man are

Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games, The Bride from Kill Bill, Sarah Connor from

Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Ripley from Aliens, and Lara Croft from Tomb Raider (2019).
 Wisdom 8

These characters were chosen from an Esquire article entitled “10 Of the Most Badass Warrior

Women Ever” (Jonier, 2022), and Bennion-Nixon's piece.

The characters from movies directed by a woman are Black Widow from Black Widow,

Wonder Woman from Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn from Birds of Prey, Captain Marvel from

Captain Marvel, and Andy from The Old Guard. These characters were chosen because they fit

the definition of a warrior woman and were from a movie directed by a woman. It is important to

note these characters will only be considered from the movie mentioned, as some are seen in

other movies directed by men. Further, it is imperative to note it was extremely difficult to find

even five warrior women from movies directed by women. The last character mentioned, Andy,

is not widely known and is from a relatively recent movie. However, this character was the only

one that I could find that fit the parameters.

The survey will begin with a brief definition of ‘warrior women’ and context for the

survey group.
 Wisdom 9

Then, there will be a multi-select option for the question “What do you consider to be a

good representation of warrior women? (you may select more than one option)”. I included

common definitions, critiques, and praises of warrior women.

For the purposes of comparison, I included the same options for the next question “What

do you consider to be a poor representation of warrior women? (you may select more than one

option)”.
 Wisdom 10

Next, the ten characters listed above were presented with a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being the

worst representation of warrior women and 5 being the best. The characters were not listed in

any order. Below, there is a text box where respondents were able to briefly describe why they

chose that rating.

I will be administering this survey to a group of 32 members of my Living-Learning

Community for Women in Science, Math, and Engineering. I expect at least 10 respondents,

which will be sufficient to form a small correlation for my research purposes. Based on their

responses, and I can gauge whether there is a correlation between women behind the scenes and

more positive representation of the warrior woman. Further, I will be able to pinpoint how

women define ‘good’ and ‘poor’ representation.

Results

The survey was live for three days and unfortunately, I only received 6 respondents.

Although a longer time would have been preferred, extenuating circumstances prevented the

survey from running any longer. However, even from the small response, correlations were seen.

Firstly, “powerful” and “skilled in multiple specialties, not necessarily male-dominated"

were the two highest selected traits for defining a good representation of warrior women, with 6
 Wisdom 12

selections each. The next most popular was “highly motivated” (with 5 selections), and “does

possess ‘feminine’ traits” (with 4 selections).

“Is sexualized” received the most selections (6) for a poor representation of warrior

women. Second to this was “always looks put together” (5 selections), “helps her male

counterpart in his character development” (4 selections), “feels she belongs more with men” (4

selections), and “lacks traditional ‘feminine’ traits” (4 selections). “Physically attractive” and

“cannot beat men” (3 selections each) are notable mentions.

The highest rating for the characters was 4.5/5, given to Katniss Everdeen and Wonder

Woman. The next highest rating was 4.33/5 (Harley Quinn), 4.2/5 (Black Widow), 3.8/5 (Sarah

Connor and Captain Marvel), 3.5/5 (Lara Croft), 3.4/5 (Ripley), and 3.2/5 (Andy and The Bride).

The responses will be organized based on whether the movie the character was from was

directed by a man or woman. First, warrior women from movies directed by women.
 Wisdom 13

Responses to Wonder Women included “strong and still emotional”, “romance not the

whole focus of the plot”, “she is the definition of warrior woman”, and “she is awesome”.

Reponses to Harley Quinn included “uses every asset to her advantage”, “can manipulate anyone

she wants”, “she is amazing”, “escapes male domination”, and “very violent”. Responses to

Black Widow included “badass”, “the movie was a way to rush a character’s development after

being killed off”, “she’s a badass”, “multiple types of unique relationships”, and “not overly

sexualized”. Responses for Captain Marvel included “incredibly powerful”, “badass and she has

superpowers”, and “I wish she was less stoic and uptight”. Responses for Andy included “she is

a lesbian representation”, and “morally grey girl boss”. Most respondents said that they have not

seen this movie.

Responses to Katniss Everdeen included “she is very skilled”, “a lot better represented in

the books”, “movie focuses too much on her relationships”, “she can handle anything”, “isn’t

always put together”, and “strong yet feminine”. Responses to Sarah Connor included “she can

handle guns and isn’t scared of anything”, “overly violent and sexualized”, and “somewhat plays

into the damsel in distress role”. Most respondents had not seen this movie. Responses to Lara

Croft included “definition of badass” and “like Indiana Jones”. Most respondents had not seen

this movie. Responses to Ripley included “her femininity doesn’t influence her ability to combat

the alien and escape its clutches”. Most respondents had not seen this movie. Responses to The

Bride included “The Bride is good at fighting, well disciplined, and clearly aware of the

consequences of her actions”, “characters are underdeveloped”, “quite sexualized”, “she gets

vengeance” and “extremely violent and attacks other women”.

Discussion

The responses for “what do you consider to be a good representation of warrior women”

were largely expected. “Powerful”, “highly motivated”, “skilled in multiple specialties”, and

“possesses feminine traits” were all expected responses and aligned with my expectations for

how a woman would answer. However, there were some unexpected results. “highly skilled in

male-dominated skills”, “can beat men”, and “she uses her sexuality as an advantage” each

received one selection. These do not align with the definition of a “good representation” of

warrior women based on my research.

The responses for “what do you consider to be a poor representation of warrior women”

were not quite as expected as the previous. The top choices, “is sexualized”, “physically

attractive”, and “always looks put together” were largely predicted, but I did not expect the

respondents to choose “helps her male counterpart in his character development”. Although it is

not discussed in detail for the context of this research paper, the issues with female characters

existing just for the sake of her male counterpart’s character development is an issue widely

discussed within the film community. I did not expect the respondents to be aware of this issue.

However, it is significant that they were, and used this trait as a characteristic of a poor

representation of a warrior woman.

I was not surprised at Katniss Everdeen and Wonder Woman receiving the highest rating

out of the 10 warrior women. Further, Katniss Everdeen received the highest praise both from

her rating and from the short responses. Although The Hunger Games was directed by a man, the

character and story of Katniss Everdeen was created by a woman. Many respondents pointed out
 Wisdom 15

how she was a better character overall in the book compared to the movie, reaffirming the

importance of sex of the author in representation of the character.

The mean rating for warrior women from movies directed by women was 4.006. The

mean rating for warrior women from movies directed by women was 3.68. Therefore, based on

this data, there is a correlation between how “good” a representation of a warrior woman is on

screen and the sex of the director. It is extremely important to note this was a very small sample

group looking at merely 10 examples of warrior women. This does not prove causation.

Further, every character received at least one positive comment from a respondent.

Because all these movies are relatively recent or chosen because they are famous, positive

examples, we can conclude misrepresentation of warrior women is not quite as severe as it has

been. This is not to say the importance of the sex of the director is irrelevant, and there are

implications related to female heroes written by men. Instead, it is to say there are movements in

a positive direction.

On the contrary, however, it is extremely important to discuss the level of difficulty

finding warrior women that were from movies directed by women. As seen above, only one

respondent had seen The Old Guard, which was the only other movie I could find directed by a

woman with a lead character meeting the parameters of a warrior woman. This small part of my

research (merely conducting the survey) reaffirmed the lack of women in behind-the-scenes

roles, particularly in action movies involving female leads. Although the representations

themselves may be getting better, they are still directed by men.

Limitations
 Wisdom 16

I experienced multiple limitations in my research. When examining where I could have

improved, the choice for warrior women should have been based, at least partially, on popularity.

It is difficult to gauge opinions on warrior women from a movie you have never seen before.

Next, I could only find 5 female-directed warrior women movies. Consequently, not all of them

were popular enough for my respondents to form an opinion on.

The largest limitation to my research was my response size and my respondents

themselves. My response size was extremely small in proportion to the scope of this research.

Further, my population group only included women. Therefore, I have no data on men’s

interpretation of this issue.

Recommendations for Future Research

After conducting my research, the area of sex of director and representation of warrior

woman is a gap worthy of future research. I would recommend two options. First, a larger study

including a proportionate number of males to females. This study would include more examples

of warrior women, preferably some that are more popular. Even if not all the movies had been

seen, more data could be collected if there were numerically more warrior women.

Second, a study including both males and females in which the subjects were shown a

proportionate number of female and male directed movies with warrior women in the lead role.

Immediately after viewing the film, the subjects would be asked to fill out a survey detailing

their thoughts and interpretations of the warrior women in that film. This way, the thoughts will

be fresh in their minds.

Another option for similar research is showing two conceptually similar movies, one

directed by a female, and one directed by a male with a warrior woman in the lead role. The

subjects, after viewing both films, would be asked to compare the characters they just witnessed.

Finally, additional research should be done on female’s interpretations of warrior women

on screen. Because my research contained some surprising results, specifically with how females

define “good” and “poor” representations of warrior women, it could be helpful to perform more

research to better understand differing personal definitions of warrior women, especially within

younger age groups.

Conclusion

Warrior women are a subset of female characters on screen largely unexplored and

unresearched, though important to a woman’s interpretation of herself. In my research I have

explored the current understanding of warrior women, representation of women, and importance

of sex on portrayal of women. Through my survey, I was able to find a possible correlation

between sex of director and better representation of a warrior women. Further, I found surprising

results regarding the definition of warrior women based on the response to my survey.

Warrior women should continue to be researched and examined so that they will reflect

accurate representations, empower and uplift women, and examine the importance of sex of the

director on the representation itself. At their core, warrior women reflect the trials and

tribulations women themselves endure- they should be accurate and reflective of the female

identity.
 Wisdom 18

Works Cited

Bennion-Nixon, Lee-Jane, et al. “We (Still) Need a Woman for the Job: The Warrior Woman,
Feminism, and Cinema in the Digital Age.” Senses of Cinema, 19 Dec. 2010,
http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2010/feature-articles/we-still-need-a-woman-for-the-job-
the-warrior-woman-feminism-and-cinema-in-the-digital-age/.
Funnell, Lisa. “The Warrior Women of Transnational Cinema: Gender and Race in Hollywood
and Hong Kong Action Movies.” Scholars Commons @ Laurier,
https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/1091/.
Ingalls, Victoria. “Who Creates Warrior Women? an Investigation of the Warrior Characteristics
of Fictional Female Heroes Based on the Sex of the Author.” Evolutionary Behavioral
Sciences, vol. 14, no. 1, 2020, pp. 79–91., https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000176.
Joiner, James. “10 Of the Most Badass Warrior Women Ever.” Esquire, Esquire, 29 June 2022,
http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/a29936/ten-badass-warrior-women/.
Kunsey, Ian. “Representations of Women in Popular Film: A Study of Gender Inequality in
2018.” Cinema and Television Arts, 2018.
Risman, Barbara J. “Gender as a Social Structure.” Gender & Society, vol. 18, no. 4, 2004, pp.
429–450., https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243204265349.