People Told Us Their 25 Favorite Female Empowerment TV Scenes, And I'm Crying Feminist Tears
"Smile."
Recently, we asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us their favorite female empowerment scenes on TV. Here are some of the best!
Note: Submissions have been edited for length/clarity.
WARNING: Some submissions contain mentions of sexual assault.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
1. On Glee, when Mercedes sang “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.”
"Everyone thought Rachel should be given the solo at Sectionals, but Mercedes brought the house down with her performance. She proved to everyone that she was just as good (in reality, better) than freaking Rachel Berry."
2. On Sex Education, when all of Aimee's friends got on the bus with her after her sexual assault.
"I choke up every time I watch that scene."
3. On Once Upon a Time, when Emma gave advice to a pregnant Cinderella.
"When the world seems to tell me no, I try to carry that reminder with me — I get to choose who I will be."
4. On Jessica Jones, when Jessica told Trish she loved her, then killed Kilgrave.
"Jessica Jones all around is such an empowering character with the way she handles her sexual assault and trauma. She’s not perfect, but she stays true to herself and doesn’t take anyone’s sh*t."
5. On Handmaid's Tale, when all of the Handmaids refused to stone Janine.
"It is such a powerful scene and the first significant collective act of the handmaids against the cruel and oppressive regime of Gilead."
6. On Golden Girls, when Blanche stood up to her professor who asked for sexual favors in return for an A.
7. On Grey's Anatomy, when all the women in the hospital lined the hallway to escort a sexual assault survivor to surgery.
"This is one of those scenes that makes me proud to be a woman."
8. Also on Grey's Anatomy, when Cristina reminded Meredith of her worth.
"A little corny? Yes. But Cristina’s quote from Grey’s Anatomy prior to her exit from the show reminded us all that just because you have a nice man in your life doesn’t mean he gets all the power. You have to be honest about your needs as well as making compromises. Thank you, Grey’s Anatomy writers, for this iconic and powerful line."
9. On Parks and Recreation, when Ann told Leslie she'd won the race for city council.
"I love everything about Ann and Leslie’s friendship, but I especially love that Ann got to tell Leslie she won. You can see how happy Ann is for her best friend when she tells her. It always makes me tear up! Women celebrating women and lifting each other up is where it’s at for me."
10. On The Bold Type, when Jacqueline took the weights from Mia, revealing she'd been sexually assaulted.
11. On Brooklyn Nine-Nine, when Amy was jealous that Rosa was asked to be a captain in another town, and Rosa told her that they had to have each other's backs.
12. On How to Get Away with Murder/Scandal, when Annalise schooled the Supreme Court on racism.
"She not only showed a racist and ignorant man his place, but also won the case. I'm still pissed Viola didn't win an Emmy for that scene alone."
13. On The Crown, when Elizabeth discovered Churchill had been keeping his ailing health from her and put him in his place.
14. On Lost, when Sun wore a bikini to go in the water even though her controlling husband wouldn't approve.
"It symbolized her finding herself outside of her marriage. Jin was strict and would never let her be exposed like that."
15. On Scandal, when Fitz summoned Olivia and she told him he had to earn her.
"I was so happy for her for finally telling him off for treating her like an object."
16. On Avatar: The Last Airbender, when Sokka didn’t believe the Kyoshi warriors were great fighters because they were all women, and then Suki proved him wrong while still reminding Sokka of her femininity.
17. Also on Avatar: The Last Airbender, when Katara stood up to a waterbending master who refused to teach her because she was a woman.
"Despite losing the fight, she holds her own against a master, showing she's not going to back down from doing what was right and putting a man in his place."
18. On Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when Buffy and Willow gave the Slayer power to every potential, and Buffy gave a speech about standing up.
"This incredible dialogue played over images of young girls everywhere in a state of fear, then each one is given their power, and is just so ready to kick some ass. It never fails to make me cry feminist tears."
19. On Game of Thrones, when Daenarys killed the masters in Astapor and freed the slaves.
"It seems like Daenerys is going to trade a dragon for the Unsullied, and that she can't understand what the slave masters are saying since she uses an interpreter. But at the end, she reveals that is actually her native tongue so she understood everything that was being said the entire time, then kills the masters, keeps her dragon, and gets an army. It was jaw-dropping when that twist happened."
20. On Agent Carter, when Peggy said she knew her value.
21. On The Fosters, when a guy in the STEAM group tried to insult Marianna and she wasn't having it.
22. On Veronica Mars, when Veronica showed the court a video that incriminated corrupt police officers, and humiliated Sheriff Lamb.
"Her little wink-gun to him after the video just cements the awesomeness."
23. On Schitt's Creek, when Stevie sang "Maybe This Time."
"The scene starts so beautifully, with Moira giving Stevie unexpected reassurance and validation, which leads into Emily Hampshire’s incredible performance as Stevie playing Sally Bowles. It’s a culmination of her character’s arc that season — she’s been questioning herself and her place in the world, so to see her have such confidence and joy in herself made me feel like I could do anything. It was the most uplifting, honest moment, and it gave me chills!"
24. On Glee, when Beiste told his husband he was leaving him.
"Literal chills."
25. And on The Magicians, when Margo talked about growing up as a woman, then unleashed the desert spirits on their oppressors.
"Margo figured out that the desert spirits actually help women, and the leaders of the town have been framing them as evil to control them. Summer Bishil's acting is out of this world, and she gives the most amazing speech about growing up female and powerful. And then she unleashes the spirits on the oppressors and it's BEAUTIFUL!"