Our Favorite Quotes from 14 Strong Female Characters
March 19, 2021
In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating the strong female characters who inspire us! From The Golden Girls, to Hulu Original icons like June from The Handmaid’s Tale, these leading ladies deliver the strong, relatable, empowering energy we love to see.
Check out some of their famous lines, and the must-watch shows and movies with female leads streaming now on Hulu.
Movies With Strong Female Leads
Booksmart
“Good morning, winner. Take a deep breath. Good. You’re ready to dominate this day.” —Molly, Booksmart (2019)
Sometimes we need to be our own hype-man — or hype-woman — and the women of Booksmart remind us of that. Follow these two super smart high school seniors and best friends as they set aside the looming anxieties of college admissions and set out for a wild night to remember.
Watch: Booksmart
Hidden Figures
“There’s only one thing to do: learn all we can.” —Dorothy, Hidden Figures (2016)
Speaking of strong female leads, enter the leading ladies of Hidden Figures: Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson, and Janelle Monáe. Together, they tell the untold true story of three brilliant Black women, who were the brains behind NASA’s launch of astronaut John Glenn.
Check out this and more Black stories streaming now.
Watch: Hidden Figures*
*Hidden Figures is available with The Disney Bundle. Access content from each service separately.
Little Women
“I intend to make my own way in the world.” —Jo, Little Women (2019)
The March sisters inspire us by dreaming big and living life on their own terms. Don’t miss the 2019 retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s famous novel Little Women, starring dynamos Laura Dern (Marmee), Meryl Streep (Aunt March), Saoirse Ronan (Jo), Florence Pugh (Amy), Emma Watson (Meg), and Eliza Scanlen (Beth).
Watch: Little Women*
*Little Women requires STARZ® on Hulu add-on subscription.
Little Women © 2019 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. and Monarchy Enterprises S.àr.l. and Regency Entertainment (USA), Inc. Starz and related channels and service marks are the property of Starz Entertainment, LLC.
Legally Blonde
“If I’m gonna be partner in a law firm by the time I’m 30, I need a boyfriend who’s not such a complete bonehead.” —Elle, Legally Blonde (2001)
There’s no motivation quite like revenge, and Elle Woods serves it hot. When her boyfriend dumps her for not being “smart enough” or “serious enough” (yawn), the Delta Nu sorority sister finds herself enrolled at Harvard Law to prove him wrong.
Check out Legally Blonde and more empowering breakup movies streaming now.
Watch: Legally Blonde*
*Legally Blonde requires SHOWTIME® on Hulu add-on subscription.
The First Wives Club
“I drink because I am a sensitive and highly strong person.” —Elise, First Wives Club (1996)
This classic rom-com follows three college best friends, Elise (Goldie Hawn), Annie (Diane Keaton), and Brenda (Bette Midler), who reunite after 30 years and realize their ex-husbands have taken them for granted. The divorcées form the First Wives Club and hatch a plan to get revenge.
Watch: The First Wives Club*
*The First Wives Club requires SHOWTIME® on Hulu add-on subscription.
I Feel Pretty
“I’m beautiful!” —Renee, I Feel Pretty (2018)
Every woman deserves to feel as beautiful as Renee in I Feel Pretty. Produced by and starring comedian Amy Schumer, the film follows Renee Barrett (Schumer), a woman whose insecurities fade away when she wakes up from an intense fall believing she’s the prettiest woman on Earth.
Watch: I Feel Pretty
TV Shows With Strong Female Leads
Little Fires Everywhere
“We all have parts that scare us, parts that we run from, parts that we’re afraid to look at…” —Mia, Little Fires Everywhere
The EmmyⓇ-nominated series Little Fires Everywhere, based on the popular book by Celeste Ng, centers around two intensely strong women, Elena Richardson (Witherspoon) and Mia Warren (Kerry Washington). The only thing the two have in common is that they’re both keeping secrets — secrets that may or may not hold the key to how the Richardson’s house caught fire.
If you love Little Fires Everywhere, be sure to check out more shows based on books streaming now.
Watch: Little Fires Everywhere
The Handmaid’s Tale
“Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum. Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” —June/Offred, The Handmaid’s Tale
Offred (Elizabeth Moss) and the women trapped in the totalitarian society of Gilead only want one thing: freedom — and they’ll stop at nothing to get it. The female-dominated cast of The Handmaid’s Tale stuns in this story about one woman’s fight to escape the confines of her new life as a handmaid and reunite with her family. Don’t miss this high-stakes Hulu Original drama.
Watch: The Handmaid’s Tale
Empire
“I’m always going to eat, just not with you.” —Cookie, Empire
Few can match the boss lady vibes we get from Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) in Empire. After being released from prison, the quick-witted queen bee reunites with her family and claims her husband’s music empire, which she believes is rightfully hers.
Watch: Empire
The Golden Girls
“Nobody ever believes me when I’m telling the truth. I guess it’s the curse of being a devastatingly beautiful woman.” —Blanche, The Golden Girls
The Golden Girls don’t hold back — and that’s why we love them. This classic ’80s comedy perfected the recipe for hilarity with three women, all at a turning point in life, who answer a supermarket ad to live together in Miami, Florida.
There’s Dorothy (Bea Arthur), a quick-witted school teacher; Blanch (Rue McClanahan), a man-hunting Southern Belle; and, of course, America’s sweetheart Betty White plays the lovely Rose. As if this trio weren’t hilarious enough, enter Dorothy’s Mom Sophia (Estelle Getty), who literally has no filter after suffering a mild stroke.
Watch: The Golden Girls
Mrs. America
“I didn’t get anywhere in my life waiting on somebody’s permission.” —Shirley, Mrs. America
It’s tough to find a more inspiring group of women than the feminist pioneers behind the Equal Rights Amendment movement.
The popular FX on Hulu series Mrs. America captures the culture wars of the ’70s and feminist leaders like Shirley Chisholm (Uzo Aduba, who won an Emmy® for her role in 2020), Gloria Steinem (Rose Byrne), and Jill Ruckelshaus (Elizabeth Banks), as they took on the opposing party leader, the “sweetheart of the silent majority,” Phyllis Schlafly (Cate Blanchett).
Check out this and more of the best patriotic movies streaming now.
Watch: Mrs. America
The Mindy Project
“Sir? You’re not using enough cheese on that pizza, sir.” —Mindy, The Mindy Project
As one of our favorite quotes from The Mindy Project implies, Mindy (Mindy Kaling) is all of us. She’s an imperfect person who, for whatever reason, feels like she has to be perfect to land that happily-ever-after type of love. But, as we know, it’s the journey — not the destination. You’ll love watching Mindy’s journey.
Discover more titles starring female comedians streaming now.
Watch: The Mindy Project
The Great
“Ever since I was a child, I felt like greatness was in store for me. Like God himself had spat me forth to land on this Earth and, in some way, transform it.” —Catherine, The Great
Catherine the Great was a royal badass — let’s just get that on the table.
With that being said, it’s no surprise that the Emmy® and Golden Globe® nominated series The Great delivers major female empowerment vibes. The satirical comedy-drama stars Elle Fanning and puts a fun, modern, fictionalized spin on the rise of Catherine the Great, who was the longest-reigning female ruler of Russia.
Discover this and more shows and movies about royals streaming now.
Watch: The Great
Big Little Lies
“You never let a bully win. Do you hear me? You have to speak up, Amabella. You have to be a big girl and use your voice in this world. That’s why they call me a bulldog because I had to learn how to fight back with a bully.” —Renata, Big Little Lies
There’s no doubt you’ll find yourself channeling some Renata Klein (Laura Dern) energy after watching Big Little Lies. The popular HBO series, starring she and Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, and High Fidelity’s Zoë Kravitz, follows the unraveling of the doting mothers of a small beachfront town in California.
Watch: Big Little Lies*
*Big Little Lies requires Hulu with HBO Max® add-on subscription.
Loving these powerful female characters? Discover more empowering movies and shows and Hulu’s Made By Her Collection, featuring stories that earned the ReFramed Stamp for gender-balanced production.
