11 Female Role Models for Boys

The Guardian’s article about the new Pixar film Onward reinforced this weird idea that not all children’s media is for all children – that some films are FOR boys or FOR girls. The headline read:

“Onward review – Pixar’s best film in years is Frozen for boys”

But we know that media featuring female protagonists and a wide range of role models is helpful for ALL kids. Here’s why it’s especially helpful for boys to imbibe media with female leads.

If you think the boy in your life is going to reject female-dominated shows or books, perhaps you’re not giving him enough credit. Or perhaps his exposure to female role models isn’t wide enough.

Today we have a collection of children’s media featuring awesome women and girls that EVERY child is sure to love.

Women still get less air time in “girl shows”

First, let’s break down some of the myths out there.

Even when shows and movies feature female protagonists, that doesn’t mean that women and girls occupy most of the air time. In fact, while The Guardian implied that Disney’s Frozen is not FOR boys, the facts disagree. Even with Anna and Elsa as the stars of the animated film, a whopping 59% of speaking lines go to males in Frozen. 59%!

Creators often get nervous about having too many women center the plot. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss leading Veep? Sure, but we need to surround her by an influx of white men. Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss in Hunger Games? Great, but 55% of dialogue goes to men. Zooey Deschanel centering Fox comedy New Girl? Awesome, but she was surrounded by a lot of guys.

Perhaps it’s not so surprising when you learn that, out of the 1300 top-grossing films from 2007-2019, less than 5% of directors were female. (Women and Hollywood.)

The Smurfette effect: the lone girl

Second, we often don’t notice tokenizing when it happens because we’re so conditioned to accept male as the default. It took me years before I realized that every single character in Winnie the Pooh is male except for Kanga, the sole female, who is primarily defined by her status as a mother. This tokenizing, which constantly occurs on a racial basis too, reinforces boys as the adventure takers, the leads, while a girl is just there to be “a girl.”

As one of the last people on earth to see Toy Story (just last year), every time a new toy spoke, my heart sunk lower and lower as I realized there was ONE female toy – Bo Peep. As the lone female, must she have a romantic relationship with a male toy? Yup. I’m aware that Bo Peep receives a meaty storyline in Toy Story 4, but we had to wait fourteen years to get there.  (More on this recurring theme in Winnie the Pooh and Toy Story from Flickfolosopher.)

Ok so let’s get to it. If you forgot all of the reasons that you should be filling your son’s books, toys, and shows with female characters, refresh your memory here.

Once you’ve inventoried his media diet, go get these!

11 Female Role Models that Boys Will Love

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Bessie, Queen of the Sky

Andrea Doshi tells the story of Bessie Coleman, the first black female pilot. It combines whimsical details (her pet bird) along with realistic ones about discrimination she faces and hurdles she overcame, such as learning a new language and moving to a new city, to reach her goals.

Doc McStuffins

Oh, Doc, how I love you. Doc McStuffins, a young Black girl with a physician mother and stay-at-home dad, diagnoses and fixes her toys and stuffed animals. She singlehandedly influenced my own 4 year-old’s proclaimed desire to be a doctor, leading to frequent check-ups with her doctor’s kit and daily lab coat wear. Plus, those Disney folks can really write a song.

However, no show is without criticism, so be aware of concerns about whitewashing and color-blindness. Overall, I love that Doc McStuffins normalizes women of color to be seen as doctors, and it can serve as a springboard for parents to discuss with children historic discrimination and underrepresented groups in certain professions. Find it on Hulu.

Dora the Explorer

Dora, Dora, Dora the explooooorer! Just try getting that song out of your head. While Dora received a thinner, more sexualized “makeover” in recent years, the original show remains strong. Dora loves adventure, and solves problems every episode with the help of her friends Boots and Backpack. While sometimes I think the villain Swiper is unnecessary for a young crowd, Dora incorporates Spanish word education, as well as interactive questions. Every time my child watches this show, I hear her calling back to the television with answers and suggestions to find clues.

Find the original series on Amazon prime streaming.

The Hot Air Balloon Adventure Series

MDLM Books’ series of four books centers three cousins as the protagonists – girls who love to take risks and embark on wild adventures. With zero emphasis on appearance or beauty, this series unapologetically focuses on action and heroism without relying on the modern-day trend of “girls can love tiaras AND tigers” – a sentiment that, while true, often implies that girls who are heroes should also be gorgeous. Check out a more complete review of the series here.  

I am Enough

By Grace Byers of the hit show, Empire, this poetic book helps children to see the internal beauty in themselves and learn how to embrace anyone who is “different” from them. A worthwhile and valuable book to fill any child’s shelf.

LEGO Women of NASA

Some of you are already drowning in LEGOs. But this set is a must. It immediately sold out when it hit the shelves in 2017, perhaps a message to LEGO execs about what kids really want. It features Mae Jemison, Sally Ride, Margaret Hamilton, and Nancy Grace Roman, and helps all children to understand that women have contributed to space exploration from the beginning.

Rosie Revere Engineer Series

Andrea Beaty’s books rock! Rosie Revere is the first book in a set of books about girls who are interested in engineering, science, and politics. They encounter barriers along the way, and learn new ways to overcome them. Along with Rosie, we also love Ada Twist, Scientist, and can’t wait to get the new one: Sofia Valdez, Future Prez.

Anne of Green Gables

Admittedly, the original PBS mini-series aired in the ‘80’s, so it might appear to be a snoozefest upon first glance. But stick with it and you’ll fall in love with Anne Shirley, the spunky teenager who speaks her mind (often to others’ horror) and waxes philosophical about “kindred spirits” and life’s great questions. A new PBS series and Netlix series update the original, too, if it feels too old fashioned for your little ones. However, it’s hard to imagine Anne without the original Megan Follows.

Rad Girl Revolution

If you’ve hung around here for a while, you know our love of Rad Girl Revolution. This book features stunning photography of real girls engaging in real occupations, from rock star and artist to architect and judge. It empowers kids to see the amazing things girls can do – a must for boys to learn from a young age, too. Check out our interview with the author and illustrator here.

Persistent Sisters trading cards

Persistent Sisters trading cards are a fun and modern update to our generation’s baseball cards and Garbage Pail cards. Creator Ellen Schaeffer created these cards to teach her daughters about women in history, and their collections continue to expand, with a STEM set and an artist set. Yes, it’s wonderful for girls to be inspired by women in history, but it’s just as important for boys to see women as critical pieces of world history, especially in countries that have more than forty white male presidents. (Cough cough.) Read our full review here.

Strong Girls Gift Set

This set of biographies by Brad Meltzer profiles courageous women in history, such as Harriet Tubman and Amelia Earhart – figures whom we want our boys to know about, too. They include detailed facts about each person’s life that any history lover will enjoy.

Who would you add to this list? Tell us below.