This incredible flowchart from Overthinking It breaks down the many clichés female characters fall into. Note to writers: The "Mama Bear" and "Vanilla Action Girl" do not count as "strong female characters."


Overthinking It's Mlawski writes that the infographic is a companion to her essay on why we need interesting characters who are female, rather than more one-dimensional women who brandish a sword or mouth off to the male protagonist to prove they're no damsel in distress.

While there are obviously many male tropes in pop culture as well, Mlawski says, "Hollywood has a significantly harder time writing non-stereotypical female characters than male ones, so I made this chart to help out." It seems most writers still haven't wrapped their heads around the Bechdel Test, but hopefully they'll find this picture easier to understand.




Click to enlarge.

The Female Character Flowchart [Overthinking It]

Why Strong Female Characters Are Bad For Women [Overthinking It]