In my attempt to create a comprehensive, A+-worthy essay on Shakespeare's As You Like It, I came across key elements of popular culture relating to feminism and the rhetoric used to describe it. Of course, “strong female character” is a very popular term these days, however, I never took a moment to think about what it meant. Unfortunately, my research has uncovered a plethora of disturbing ideas about what traits strong women possess, and has led me to think that films should no longer portray what is now classically called "strong" and instead produce more female characters. realistic, thus redefining a more positive concept. representation of women. Without this awareness, young adults will continue to believe that a strong woman falls into three categories; abnormally intelligent, irrevocably sexy and unquestionably strong. I should clarify that I don't mean that female characters can't be gifted with one, two, or even three traits at once, but that the disproportionate amount of women in film and TV are almost superhuman with these traits. A perfect example is Angelina Jolie's portrayal of Mrs. Smith in the film Mr. & Mrs. Smith. She's terribly intelligent and has off-the-charts sex appeal, and runs around brandishing machine guns, fending off enemies at every turn killing and leaving destruction without missing a heartbeat. Her character seems fake and I have no reason to think anything of her, but 'how does she get through it all and not get a hangnail?' Superficial, but honest, and unfortunately I only see her as carrying the quality of "bad", not real strength. I wish I could write that Mrs. Smith is alone or just a single example of this false durability, yet these types of badass women are popping up in movies left and right... middle of paper... talk about a serious cultural disconnect where many people can't handle the idea of ​​a woman who encompasses equal parts femininity and toughness, and so must rely on a fantasy image of a woman who is demeaning, yet shrouded in an overtly cosmetic power that is so subversive . even feminists do not realize that this type of character is much weaker and more deficient than the helpless girl. This type of character shows the defects of current social thinking; the idea that people are not ready to see a woman as anything more than a sexual object, especially if she is stronger or smarter than a man. In a way, a barrage of these characters is really a mockery of women, in the sense that if a woman decides that she does not need to be saved by a man, she can no longer be seen as human, and therefore must transcend reality to avoid destroying notions of failing masculinity in popular culture.