Positive Films, Books & Television Shows For Women

 Positive Films, Books & Television Shows For Women

There are many positive films, books and shows out there that encompass strong, confident and inspiring characters with positive messages for women. Most of the time when we think of these types of entertainment, we imagine characters from The Hunger Games, Star Wars, Charlie’s Angels, Xena: Warrior Princess or Frozen. However, there are many other films, books and television shows that carry positive messages for women including the one listed below.

Films:

 The Help- This movie is based on the novel of the same title by Kathryn Stockett. It stars Emma Stone, Jessica Chastain and Bryce Dallas Howard. The story focuses on a young woman named Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan who aspires to be a writer. After getting a job at the Jackson Journal to write an advice column on housecleaning, she enlists the help of her friend Elizabeth Leefolt’s maid, Aibileen Clark. Eventually, Skeeter asks Aibileen to help her write a book on African-American housemaids working for Caucasian families. Aibileen is reluctant at first but eventually agrees. While writing this novel, Skeeter has a falling out with her friend, Hilly Holbrook who mistreats everyone around her and is very prejudice towards African Americans. When Hilly has her housemaid, Yule Mae Davis arrested for theft, Skeeter is able to acquire more maids willing to speak their stories about life as housemaids, which leads to the book being published.

This film is inspirational because it focuses on helping others which Skeeter does when she helps bring the maids stories to light. The film also focuses on the value of kindness, which is something that Aibileen is seen teaching the child she takes care of about.  The value of courage is also expressed when the housemaids become willing to tell their stories to Skeeter. The importance of friendship is displayed through the character of Celia Foote who treats Minny Jackson, her housemaid as an equal, even choosing to sit with her while they ate their lunches together. Celia and Minny also express kindness to each other which is seen when Minny helps Celia through her miscarriage and when Celia gives advice to Minny about her abusive husband, Leroy while taking care of Minny’s injury caused by the abuse.

The film also carries the powerful message that you can make a difference in the world and enforce positive and powerful changes, which is what Skeeter and the housemaids accomplish through their book. The film also expresses the importance of going after your dreams which Skeeter does when she chooses to write about something she feels strongly about. Additionally, the film expresses the message of standing up for others and for your beliefs which is what Skeeter and the housemaids all accomplish when they write about what is important to them, in the hopes of inspiring positive changes to the world around them.

 Alice In Wonderland- This film stars Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska and Johnny Depp. It tells the tale of Alice Kingsley who after running away from her engagement party falls into a rabbit hole, leading her to the magical world of Underland. She soon learns that she is tied to a prophecy where she would bring peace to Underland by defeating the Jabberwocky and ending the Red Queen’s reign. Alice first refuses to fight the Jabberwocky but after her friend, The Mad Hatter sacrifices his freedom to protect her, she rushes to save him and eventually decides to battle the Jabberwocky.

This film carries the powerful message of being courageous, facing one’s fears and standing up for yourself and for others, which Alice learns to do throughout the film. It also embraces the message of accepting and loving what makes you different, which Alice does by the end of the film. Other positive themes in the film are compassion, forgiveness, sympathy and kindness which The White Queen shows throughout the film, particularly when trying to reconcile with her sister, The Red Queen at one point.

 Becoming Jane- This movie stars Anne Hathaway, Julie Walters and Maggie Smith. The film revolves around the life of famous author, Jane Austen and how one of her most popular novels, Pride and Prejudice came to be written and published. This film shows positive messages such as going after your dreams, standing up for yourself and breaking gender barriers.

 Miss Potter- This movie stars Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor and Lucy Boynton. The film revolves around the life of famous author, Beatrix Potter and how her stories of Peter Rabbit and his friends came to be written and published. This film shows positive messages such as generosity, breaking gender barriers, standing up for yourself, following your heart and going after your dreams.

 Ever After: A Cinderella Story- This movie stars Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston and Melanie Lynskey. This film takes place in France and tells the story of a young woman named Danielle de Barbarac, who after the death of her father was forced to live in servitude by her stepmother, Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent. In order to rescue a fellow servant, Danielle must disguise herself as a comtesse going by her deceased birthmother’s name, Nicole de Lancret when she is approached by Prince Henry. She and Henry form a friendship which later turns into a romantic connection. However, Henry eventually discovers Danielle’s true identity and Danielle’s servitude is sold to Monsieur Pierre le Pieu who is also attracted to Danielle.

Henry calls off his arranged marriage to Princess Gabriella of Spain and seeks to rescue Danielle. Upon arriving at Monsieur le Pieu’s mansion, Henry finds Danielle has already rescued herself. Henry begs for her forgiveness and the two rekindle their relationship. This film shows many positive messages including strength and bravery, which Danielle shows when she stands up for herself on numerous occasions to Monsieur le Pieu along with her stepsister, Marguerite and her stepmother, Rodmilla. Additionally, the value of friendship is shown multiple times through the characters of Danielle and her best friend, Gustave.

Kindness is shown when Danielle’s stepsister, Jacqueline helps tend to Danielle’s wounds and bonds with her after a fight ensues in the manor between Danielle and Marguerite. The value of knowledge is shown through Danielle’s love for reading and learning. Lastly, towards the end of the film, a powerful lesson of treating others the way you wish to be treated is learned when Rodmilla and Marguerite get their own dose of karma for always treating Danielle poorly.

 Where The Heart Is- This movie stars Ashley Judd, Natalie Portman and Stockard Channing. The story revolves around a young woman named Novalee Nation, who after being abandoned by her boyfriend at a Walmart store ends up living inside of it. When she ends up going into labor one night after the store closes, she becomes a media sensation. A local woman named Sister Husband takes Novalee and her baby girl, Americus into her home, giving Novalee the chance to get on the right track to bettering her life and her daughter’s life. This film illustrates many powerful messages including forgiveness, finding yourself, going after your dreams and the value of friendship.

 13 Going On 30- This movie stars Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo and Judy Greer. When Jenna Rink celebrates her thirteenth birthday, she wishes to be thirty years old. She suddenly wakes up and her wish has come true, soon discovering that she is also an editor for her favorite magazine, Poise. However, she later comes to the realization that the things she wished for in life such as popularity and some of the other finer things in life are not all what she expected as she desperately wishes to be thirteen again. This movie illustrates many meaningful messages including the importance of true friendship, the value of family, finding yourself, staying humble and standing up for yourself and your beliefs.

 The Queen- This movie stars Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen and James Cromwell. It focuses on the few days following the death of Princess Diana of Wales and how Queen Elizabeth II handles the tragedy. This film illustrates the powerful message of being strong and brave during difficult times as well as the importance of family.

 Tomb Raider Series- This movie series, inspired by the video game series, stars Angelina Jolie, Noah Taylor and Chris Barrie and consists of two films, Tomb Raider: Lara Croft and Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. Both films revolve around the character of Lara Croft, an adventuress from England. In the first film, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Lara must stop Manfred Powell and his henchmen’s plans to reunite the two halves of a mystical artifact known as the Triangle Of Light, which possesses the power to alter time and space. In the second film, Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life, Lara and her former beau, Terry Sheridan must stop a scientist named Jonathan Reiss from obtaining the ancient artifact, Pandora’s Box, which is said to carry a deathly plague. These films convey many powerful messages including having courage, standing up for what is right, the importance of family, breaking gender barriers, taking risks and being strong in difficult times.

Catwoman- This movie stars Benjamin Bratt, Sharon Stone and Halle Berry. When a woman named Patience Phillips finds out a terrifying secret regarding a product made by the company she works for, it leads her to a deadly fate. However, she is given a second chance at life and chooses to use her newfound powers to expose her former workplaces secrets by tracking down the person responsible for her death. This film conveys the positive message of finding yourself and finding your purpose in life. It also conveys positive messages such as having courage and the importance of friendship.

 Mulan- This movie stars Eddie Murphy, June Foray and Ming-Na Wen. When Mulan fails to provide her family honor after her meeting with the matchmaker, she feels lost. Suddenly, her father is ordered to fight in the war. In a desperate effort to save his life, she impersonates herself as a soldier and takes his place, pretending to be his son and going by the name of Ping. Eventually, she proves herself to be a strong soldier but gets wounded, exposing her true identity.

When she discovers that the Emperor of China is in danger, Mulan rushes to the palace to save her friends and her country. This film is a positive example of having courage, taking risks, breaking gender barriers and having honor. This film also conveys the positive messages of finding yourself and your purpose in life as well as showing the importance of friends and family.

 Bend It Like Beckham- This movie stars Keira Knightley, Parminder Nagra and Juliet Stevenson. The story takes place in England and focuses on an Indian girl named Jess with a passion for soccer. Her passion eventually leads her to befriend a fellow female soccer player named Jules who convinces Jess to play for a girl’s soccer team. Eventually, Jess must choose between following her passion or her family’s wishes for her, which is for her to become a lawyer and for her to carry on her family’s cultural traditions. This movie shows many positive messages such as following your heart, going for your dreams, breaking gender barriers and the importance of friendship.

The Ramen Girl- This movie stars Brittany Murphy, Kimiko Yo and Tammy Blanchard. The film revolves around an American girl left stranded in Tokyo, Japan after her boyfriend breaks up with her. Following the breakup, she finds solace at a nearby ramen shop and becomes determined to master the art of cooking ramen. This film focuses on many positive messages including believing in yourself, never giving up on your goals, finding yourself and your purpose in life and the value of friends and family.

Television Series:

 2 Broke Girls- This series stars Kat Dennings, Beth Behrs and Jennifer Coolidge. It focuses on two waitresses named Max Black and Caroline Channing. Throughout the series, Caroline, a once wealthy heiress turned waitress after losing all her money in her father’s scandal, helps Max to accomplish her dream of launching her own cupcake business. This comedy series contains many positive messages including the value of friendship and helping others which Caroline and Max show on multiple occasions including when Max sticks up for Caroline after she encounters Hilary, her bully from Wharton Business School at a local Whole Foods store.

 Young & Hungry- This series stars Emily Osment, Aimee Carrero and Kym Whitley. It focuses on a food blogger named Gabi Diamond, who lands a job with a wealthy tech entrepreneur named Josh Kaminski as his personal chef. This series sends multiple positive messages including having the courage to go after your dreams and accepting others for who they are. Another message shown in this series is the value of friendship which is seen through the characters of Gabi and her best friend, Sofia Rodriguez. Gabi and Sofia also show the positive value of helping others as seen by example when Sofia helps Gabi find a last-minute gift for Josh, when Sofia helps Gabi with an out-of control party and when Gabi and Sofia try to help Josh reconnect with his biological father.

 Pasta- This series stars Lee Sun Gyun, Choi Jae Hwan and Alex Chu. This South Korean drama is centered around Seo Yoo-kyung, who after being fired from her job at La Sfera restaurant becomes determined to prove herself to the new chef there, Choi Hyun-wook. This series sends the positive message that you should stay determined and work hard for your dreams and never give up on your goals.

 I Love Lucy- This series stars Lucille Ball, Vivian Vance and Desi Arnaz. The series focuses on Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, along with their neighbors, Ethel and Fred Mertz. It particularly focuses on the mischief that Lucy finds herself in, many times due to wanting to get into the entertainment industry like her husband, Ricky. Through the series, we see Ricky, Ethel and Fred try their best to help Lucy out of all the troubles she for the most part, unintentionally causes. This series contains many positive messages such as the value of friendship, forgiving others, the importance of family and helping others.

 Hart Of Dixie- This series stars Rachel Bilson, Jaime King and Scott Porter. The series focuses on Zoe Hart, a doctor from New York who discovers her biological father, Dr. Harley Wilkes left her his half of his practice in Bluebell, Alabama. Upon moving to Bluebell, she must prove herself worthy as a doctor to the townspeople all while dealing with rival, Dr. Brick Breeland who wants the practice all for himself. While getting accustomed to southern life, Zoe must also deal with Brick’s daughter, Lemon who is intimidated by Zoe due to her friendship with Lemon’s fiancé, George Tucker. This series contains many positive messages such as the value of family, the importance of friendship, the value of forgiveness, finding yourself in life and working hard for your goals.

 Mama’s Family- This series stars Vickie Lawrence, Dorothy Lyman and Ken Berry. The show focuses on an elderly woman named Thelma Harper and her family. While at times they may bicker, one of the important themes of this show is how Thelma and her family are there to support each other both through the good and bad times. A few examples of how they unite as a family is when Thelma helps Naomi who is being harassed by the new store manager at her job, when Thelma helps Naomi when she receives obscene phone calls, when Naomi, Vinton and the rest of the family must intervene after Thelma develops an excessive shopping addiction and when Fran, Naomi and Thelma help Buzz and Sonja plan their school dance.

All In The Family- This series stars Jean Stapleton, Carroll O’Connor and Rob Reiner. The show revolves around a man named Archie Bunker and his family. This show is a positive series because of the character of Edith Bunker, who is Archie’s wife. Edith’s character embodies kindness, forgiveness, generosity, honesty and compassion. She is respectful, optimistic, friendly, devoted to her family and is non-judgmental. She always does her best to do the right thing and help others.

 Sailor Moon- This rebooted series stars Cherami Leigh, Cristina Vee and Kate Higgins. The anime revolves around a clumsy teenage girl named Usagi Tsukino who after an encounter with a magical cat named Luna, finds out she is a superheroine called Sailor Moon. With the help of her friends, Sailor Moon must protect the planet from dark forces. This series carries many important messages including the values of friendship, loyalty, family, kindness, forgiveness, redemption etc.

It also shows the importance of helping others and standing up for both yourself and for others. Additionally, many characters are positive influences including the very intelligent Ami Mizuno, otherwise known as Sailor Mercury and of course, Sailor Moon, who shows that it’s ok to be different and that it’s ok to be yourself. The character of Sailor Moon also shows her growth as a person throughout the series as you see her become braver and stronger, all while remaining optimistic and caring of others along with choosing to look for the good in others.

 Reign- This series stars Torrance Coombs, Adelaide Kane and Megan Follows. It follows the life of Mary Stuart, her husband, Francis and Mary’s ladies in waiting, Kenna, Aylee, Greer and Lola. In later seasons, it also focuses on the life of Queen Elizabeth I who feels threatened by Mary, due to the idea of Mary stealing England’s throne away from her. This series focuses on many important messages such as the value of friendship, standing up for your beliefs, being strong and brave in difficult times and helping others in distress.

 That’s So Raven- This series stars Raven Symone, Orlando Brown and Rondell Sheridan. It focuses on a teen psychic named Raven Baxter who gets into all kinds of trouble due to her powers and trying to hide them from the world. The only people who know about her visions are her family and her close friends, Chelsea and Eddie. This series contains many great messages including having positive body image, being brave enough to go after your dreams, protecting the environment, being loyal to friends and family, making healthy and positive life choices, standing up for your beliefs etc.

 Total Bellas- This reality series stars WWE Superstars Daniel Bryan, Brie Bella and Nikki Bella. It focuses on the lives of WWE couple, Nikki Bella and John Cena along with WWE couple, Brie Bella and Daniel Bryan. Additionally, other members of Brie Bella and Nikki Bella’s family are featured on the show including their brother, mother and stepfather. This reality series shows the importance of family as they stick by each other through their hardships which include Nikki Bella’s neck surgery and Daniel Bryan’s depression, following his forced retirement from in-ring competition.

 The Golden Girls- This series stars Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur and Estelle Getty. It focuses on four women in Miami, Florida living together as roommates. Through the series, these women develop a strong bond with each other, sharing their day to day lives with one another. This series relays many messages including the importance of family and friends. It also shows the women’s strengths as they deal with hardships including the women’s home being robbed, Rose suffering a heart attack, Blanche’s father passing away, Sophia having issues with her memory and Dorothy’s gambling problem resurfacing.

 Hot In Cleveland- This series stars Wendie Malick, Betty White and Jane Leeves. It focuses on three women, originally from Los Angeles, California moving to Cleveland, Ohio after an unexpected trip there. When they find a home available in Cleveland, they discover that the house comes with a caretaker named Elka Ostrovsky.

Throughout the series, Elka’s relationship grows with the three women known as Joy Scroggs, Melanie Moretti and Victoria Chase as they share their lives together, both the good times and the hardships. This comedy series sends many messages including the importance of friends and family. Additionally, this series focuses on the strength of these four women as they deal with their daily lives and the hardships that come in them, as seen by example when the character of Elka gets in trouble with the law, when Victoria’s fiancé ends up in jail, when Melanie finds out she has cancer and when Joy’s son finds her and asks her why she gave him up for adoption.

 Living Single- This series stars Queen Latifah, Kim Fields and Kim Cole. It focuses on four women and two men who share their lives together in Brooklyn, New York. This comedy series showcases the importance of family and friends. It focuses on many key values in life including loyalty, forgiveness and staying positive. Additionally, the series focuses on the strength of these individuals as they help each other through hardships, as seen by example when Khadijah, Regine and Synclaire’s apartment is robbed during the night or when Maxine must defend herself in court after she takes a telemarketing job that unbeknown to her, turns out to be a scam.

Books:

“The Help”- This book is written by Kathryn Stockett.  It focuses on a young woman named Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan who aspires to be a writer and desires to publish a book on African-American housemaids working for Caucasian families, to which she enlists the help of her friend Elizabeth Leefolt’s maid, Aibleen Clark and another maid named Minny Jackson, who upon being fired by Hilly Holbrook, begins to work for Celia Foote, a blonde bombshell who Hilly is envious of and tends to bully on numerous occasions.

This novel contains many positive messages including the importance of treating others as you wish to be treated and accepting others which is shown through the character of Skeeter when she shows respect to Minny and Aibleen, considering them good friends. The value of strength is shown through the character of Celia Foote who grows as a character as she endures many hardships including miscarriages and being considered an outcast by Hilly Holbrook and Elizabeth Leefolt. The value of friendship is shown through Celia Foote as she immediately considers Minny as a friend upon meeting her along with coming to Minny’s defense when she is in peril.

Celia is a very positive character also due to her optimistic and caring nature. The value of courage is also shown when Aibleen, Minny and Skeeter choose to take the risk in writing their novel and when Aibleen stands up to Hilly. Bravery is also shown when Minny decides to leave her abusive husband, Leroy.