"Smart, Strong Woman:" Is this phrase an insult?

I was going to post a review today, but I just finished reading a fascinating article about an interview conducted by Linda Holmes of NPR and Shonda Rhimes, creator of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal.

Part of the interview involved a discussion in response to an article that appeared Friday morning in the New York Times which referred to Ms. Rhimes as an "angry black woman," which the writer apparently meant as a compliment, but was not taken that way by anyone else, least of all Ms. Rhimes.

Anyway, the interview between Linda Holmes and Shonda Rhimes touched on the racial aspects of the television industry and also discussed gender issues. Ms. Rhimes said that she hates the frequent description of her characters as "strong, smart women." Why use those descriptors, she asks? Is the alternative writing "dumb, weak women?" She goes on to note that male writers are never complimented for creating "smart, strong men."


I thought it was a very thought provoking statement. Particularly because I, and most other book bloggers, often describe female characters in books that we love as "smart and strong." Should we be doing that? By describing the characters as such, are we inferring that such characteristics are unusual?

I posit that descriptors like "Smart" and "Strong" are worthwhile, within limits.

The fact is, that especially in Young Adult literature, the stereotypical female character is weak, prone to insta-love, and willing to die for the boy she loves. This is largely due to Twilight and subsequent copycats (although as a Twilight apologist, I've always argued that Bella is stronger than she's given credit for).

As a YA book blogger, I feel that I not only have to review the book at hand, but also defend the genre as a whole. You never know if the review you're writing today will be the first YA book review someone unfamiliar with the genre comes across. They may be imagining a whole genre full of Bella's in their head. Reading a review that describes the female lead as "smart" and "strong" may help dispel that stereotype.

On the other hand, Twilight was so 2008. Since then we've had a plethora of strong female characters in popular YA franchises: Katniss, Tris, Hazel Grace, and of course Hermione. I don't know that weak female leads are the main stereotype of YA characters anymore.

The problem with "Smart" and "Strong" isn't so much that they are insulting terms. The problem is that they are limiting. It is much like describing a book as "interesting." At least we know it's not boring, but what in the world does "interesting" mean?

Smart and strong are merely adequate descriptors. We can do better. If I describe a character as blonde, that gives me a vague idea of what she looks like. Is her hair curly, straight, wavy, or frizzy? Is it dishwater blonde, golden blonde, or bleached white? Is her hair short or long?

Perhaps instead of describing a character as "smart," you could say "Not only is she the top student in her class, but she can belittle a bully so subtly that he thinks she's complimenting him." As for "strong," what about "She knows exactly what she wants and how to charm her way into getting it" (which I think describes Bella quite well) or "She loves {boy character} with all her heart, mind, and soul, but it's obvious that if he dropped off the face of the earth that she'd be able to carry on and achieve just as much." I think descriptions like these give you a greater idea of the character than basic terms.

Is Ms. Rhimes right in that male characters are typically not described as "smart, strong men?" Yes and no. In the culture at large, it is assumed that a man is "strong." A discussion of a male character's relative strength often only comes up in regards to accusations of weakness. A "weak" or "effeminate" man is a far greater sin than either a "strong" or a "weak" woman, in this world where femmephobia reigns supreme.

I do think that YA literature often bucks this trend. Yes, the typical male lead in a YA novel, particularly a dystopia or paranormal, has rippling muscles, a strong jaw, and phenomenal fighting skills. But there are plenty of other male love interests who are primarily defined by their quirkiness and charm. I'm particularly thinking of Stephanie Perkins and John Green's characters. (Cricket comes to mind first). This is one area where YA literature is ahead of the curve. Hollywood is afraid to give us leading men who don't look like they could physically take on the world or cut glass with their chins.

YA literature bucks the stereotype of girls defined by solely by a boy (I bet a lot more books pass the Bechdel test than movies) and also the idea that attractive boys have to be stoic, perfect physical specimens.

Female characters in YA are indeed "smart" and "strong." But they deserve more than those two words to describe them. My frequent use of these words are generally due to laziness rather than a lack of anything better to say. I strive to be better about describing why characters are intelligent and emotionally or physically strong. Similarly, I strive to look beyond cultural norms of masculinity in describing male characters.

*This of course is all a very heteronormative discussion. Stereotypes are much more layered and fraught with discrimination when get into the LGBT world, and I don't feel adequately informed to opine on that. Plus, it's after midnight and I really need to take my contacts out and go to bed.

What are your thoughts on this issue?

I'd love to hear them