Sansa Stark: A True "Strong Female Character"

Whatever qualms I may have with Game of Thrones, particularly in these final episodes, I will forever be grateful to the show for giving us one of the strongest female characters in pop culture: Sansa Stark.

I’ve written before about the failure of “strong female characters” in many modern action movies — something that the Marvel movies in particular exemplify. Avengers: Endgame famously included what is now referred to as the “girl power scene,” despite the fact that only one of the women depicted had her own feature film and fleshed-out backstory. These shallow portrayals feed into a narrow definition of strength, which not only prioritizes traditionally male values but also consequently degrades traditional femininity.

That is why Sansa Stark is so refreshing as a hero, especially compared to the other female leads of the show. Daenerys Targaryen is a conqueror. Arya Stark is an (absolutely badass) lone-wolf fighter. Ser Brienne of Tarth is a knight. All are incredible women but all are respected for their prowess on the battlefield, and arguably, for their rejection of traditional femininity. How many of us immediately liked Arya more for preferring sword-fighting lessons over sewing, for example? I know I did.

Sansa isn’t the only woman on this show who embodies a different kind of strength. Olenna and Margaery Tyrell come to mind, and to some extent, Cersei Lannister — all women who have used their minds and femininity to achieve their ambitions in a male-dominated world. All of them deserved more than what the writers gave them, and Sansa is the only one we get to see grow from start to end.

From sewing her own dresses to reflect her unbroken pride and belief in her home to using her reputation of innocence to outmaneuver her enemies, Sansa is a force to be reckoned with. She is the smartest character, but not necessarily in a scientifically-minded way — in an emotional intelligence way. She understands people and feelings better than anyone.

Very few people could’ve survived so many years in King’s Landing, and though she definitely could’ve gotten more acknowledgement from the other Lords of Westeros, she ended exactly where she belonged and became who she wanted to be from the pilot: the Queen.

It was so satisfying to see a woman achieve that respect while also hiding in the crypts during the Battle of Winterfell. Sansa has defined resilience and a different kind of courage in the face of abuse from men in power, who all eventually die before her eyes. Her little acts of defiance from the first couple seasons showed that she was always going to grow into her crown, despite the assault the writers put her through.

So here’s to a hero who fought with her beauty, words, feelings, wits, and tears — and to a woman who earned her power by being the lady she always was.