Just as we thought! There are a lot of heroines out there.

Read about the women our readers admire most:

[Heroine magazine assumes no responsibility for the content of these responses, or for the accuracy of spelling, grammar or facts.Responses may be edited for clarity and length.   -ed.]

IN PRAISE OF EMMA PEEL

By Nan Mooney

As a kid I was always attracted to strong women and, being of the TV generation, I put in considerable screen-time searching out heroines I could carry into the real world. Wonder Woman worked until I was about eight. I loved the Amazon island and her red patent leather boots–but she was just too steeped in fantasy. How was I supposed to link my own future to invisible jets and star-studded underpants? Next I had a brief fling with "Charlie’s Angels" but that pulling pistols out of bikini tops always left me feeling something wasn’t quite right.

Then when I hit third grade my parents joined what I considered the civilized world; they signed up for cable TV. And one Saturday afternoon, flipping through the double-digit satellite channels, I finally stumbled across what I’d been after. She was a cat-suited intellectual with a clipped British accent, capable of matching wits and karate kicks with any power-mad genius around. Say hello to THE AVENGERS. And Mrs. Emma Peel–Emma Peel, secret agent and class act–was the woman of my dreams. She hopscotched from physics to fencing to rescuing stolen microdots, all the while emanating smarts shot through with a jet-set version of sexy. Her brain capacity and hand-to-hand combat skills weren’t just on a par with her bowler-hatted partner, John Steed, they were two or three levels above. Where else could I find a role model who filled her spare time conducting chemistry experiments in op-art trapeze dresses, writing books, twirling pistols and sipping champagne? She wasn’t just the girl sidekick, she was right in there, teeth and claws, foiling time machines and disarming Cybernauts. She was the action hero minus the Y chromosome, at long last our female James Bonds. My Mrs. Peel wasn’t quite perfect, but that only made me revere her all the more. Occasionally she got out-flexed by a villainous mastermind or even duped by love, but she never sunk to simpering. Instead she’d reemerge with a witty comeback and perhaps a penknife slipped between the ribs. She exuded power and confidence, said there1s nothing wrong with ego as long as you cut it with a serious sense of humor. And there’s sure as hell nothing wrong with success. Mrs. Peel gave me my first ever template for having it all–a lovely widow who could outsmart a mad scientist, repair a car engine and keep up her half of any sexy repartee. I pictured women differently once I got to know her. I imagined us earning black-belts and riding motorcycles, walking and talking and dressing to stand out rather than to blend in. Stepping up with a wink and a jab to claim out place in the world. Luckily I’ve amassed a mother-lode of female heroines since I first met Emma, from Cleopatra to Katharine Hepburn to the entire New York Liberty squad. But not one of them comes close to topping my first-ever woman of action. I’m sure 99 out of every 100 17-year-old boys would agree.

Emma Peel is where it’s at.

Artists/Celebrities | Real People|Other/Misc.

Artists/Celebrities

I think that Maya Angelou would have to be my heroine. I admire her strength and beauty more than anyone else. I had the privilege of seeing her in person at a church in San Francisco. Listening to her speak moved me to tears. Despite all the things that she has been through in her life, she is strong, beautiful, talented and spiritual and an inspiration to all African-American women who have been through similar experiences in their lives.

From: raineyokoth

Maya Angelou is my heroine because she has overcome so many obstacles. I have a great deal of respect for anyone who does that. She also represents many high moral values. And she is kind, loving and generous. What a heroine!

From: desert_saluki

My choice for heroine is Billie Jean King. She has so much strength, sports ability, dedication and a powerful feminist sensibility as well. Her match with Bobby Riggs was an incredibly important event. When I was a seven-year-old, she immediately caught my imagination, and I was a big fan from the start. She was also one of the first lesbian women I knew of, and I think that positive role models of all sexualities are very important.

From: menag398

Tori Amos is indeed a heroine because of her creativity, strength, insights and passion.

From: ettienne24

Tori Amos has overcome so many things in her life–molestation, rape, miscarriage and has triumphed through them all to create RAINN and be an inspiration to so many women and men. She uses her songs as a message to tell us she has been there and got through it and so can we. I think she has a lot of courage to speak so openly about things that are so painful.

From: cherieschaffner

Long live Tori Amos. There has never been a woman who is more potent than a vintage wine yet so real. She has inspired girls to become women who can wear their "antlers in the middle of a field" with pride.

From: jaimeb

In different stages of my life, there have been many heroines along the way. But the one that has always stood out has been Tori Amos. Whenever I have been down or in a learning phase of my life, Tori has been there with either a new album, new song or a tune that inspired me. I love everything about her, but most of all, her music has been my saving grace.

From: Torigirl5474

My heroine is Tori Amos. Her work is always a means to link something obscure and forgotten to something positive and new, which brightens life's everyday filth. She finds the beauty in self-forgiving and the courage to faceand react to all kinds of violence. Sometimes she's a savior, sometimes a muse, always a great and strong woman and artist.

From: choirgirlfranz

Tori Amos is my heroine because she shows me that you can do anything if you try. Her music calms me and gives me the abilityto say whatever I want. She is a leader to anyone who has been raped,since she openly talks about her own situation. She is who I want to be like.

From: CASEYQ2000

Tori Amos is the best singer in the world. She's also an amazing writer--her poetry is so violent yet so sweet at the same time. She's is definitely different than other singers--something like a black diamond. She's my heroine. Really.

From: emelineb

My heroine is Whoopi Goldberg. She is such a great comedienne, actress and person. I have always been a fan of hers.

From: quanahg

Madonna is my heroine. She inspires me because she does what she wants and doesn't care what others think of her. I aspire to be like her.

From: robynlb

I prefer Madonna–she’s so sexy and attractive.

From: pkshsh

Susan Sarandon is my heroine because she is the best actress I've ever known. She is incredibly talented and has proven it to the world by playing many different types of characters. Also, as a person, she cares and helps many people, giving spirit and hope to many lives. She makes the world a better place.

From: ikara

I choose Susan Sarandon. I love it that she is beautiful yet strong willed. Plus, she supports many causes. She is just a terrific all-around person. She is my heroine!

From: sear

Jennifer Lopez--because I like her acting. Damn, the main thing is her hipnotizing beauty.

From: reuben_507

Katharine Hepburn is my heroine. She was a woman ahead of her time. She didn't care about convention and she refused the stereotypical Hollywood female roles. Not only did she wear pants before they were fashionable but she was outspoken and stood up for what she believed in. Her formidable acting talent would be enough to make her a heroine, but her classiness as an individual is an even greater reason. She did a lot for the advancement of women without even trying and was a strong role model for individuality and integrity at a time when women were still considered silly little pieces of fluff. She tackled life head on with a no nonsense approach

From: sherriem

Angelina Jolie. She's the modern take on the legendary Hollywood bad girl.

From: assuracentorix

I admire Jane Fonda. Even though I may not categorize her as my heroine, I do respect her courage in expressing her beliefs during the Vietnam War. She at least spoke out for what she thought was an injustice.

From: redshoesinparis

Tina Turner!

From: Martha979

Oprah Winfrey is my choice. She has such wonderful insight and values and has worked very hard to be in her position and most of all it was not handed to her on a silver platter.

From: Peggiep

Princess Diana because she is so inspirational. She proved that any woman can survive a bad marriage and the media and still make something of herself.

I also respect her because she was so incredibly committed to her children. She is just simply beautiful inside and out.

From: robkrimc

Cher–she’s defiantly and gloriously independent. She runs her life her way and doesn't care what anyone says. She's got great self-esteem, morals and values.

From: stvmom

Cindy Crawford because she realized everything she wanted. Celine Dion for her beautiful voice.

From: nusi20

What a difficult question. There are so many amazing women in history but here goes. I choose Cate Blanchett or Gillian Armstrong, because I think both women direct/portray strong women characters almost exclusively. I love that Blanchett imbues any character with spunk, wit, and a depth of feeling. Armstrong is one of my heroes because she is a director who has casts strong women and plays by her own terms. She does what she pleases.

From: lbrown

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My sister, Charlotte McGuire Wright, is a true heroine. Our mother would have died over a year ago had it not been for Charlotte's love and dedication to our mother, who was in a nursing home for nine years. My mother survived an additional eleven months under my sister’s care. My sister could have let nature take its course and been free of the responsibility of a care-giver but she chose to do the loving thing rather than the expedient thing. In addition, Charlotte was 68 years old herself and not in the best health. She is definitely a heroine in my book and should be recognized as such.

From: norita

Huntington WV

My heroine is my sister. She is ten years older than me and has done so much that I hope to do someday. Married at 19, she still finished her degree in teaching and now stays home with her four children. I admire her so much!

From: funnyone16

At one point the only type of woman I admired was the Gloria Steinem's of the world. At 45, my definition of a heroine is more simplistic. I realize the great sacrifices that the everyday woman makes for her children, husband, friends. My grandmother was a farmer's wife. The love and strength she gave all of us was astounding. She died when I was 30 years old. Today, her presence in my life is as strong now as it was then. As a divorced woman, single mother and self-employed female, I know how difficult women of my generation find it to survive. But what I also know now is the reason I can survive in my world is the fact that my grandmother sacrificed her life to give me the foundation and strength to do what I need to do for myself and my child. My grandmother may not have marched in women's parades or had her picture on the cover of national magazines, but she made me feel loved, worthy, smart and fearless. She is my true heroine. A true heroine lives on in others so that we never forget what sacrifices were made for us, or how important it is that we continue their legacy with our deeds and actions.

From: spaberry

Georgia O'Keeffe is my heroine for very down-to-earth and non-stylish reasons. She wasn't afraid to be alone, spending so many years away from New York on ranches in New Mexico. Not only was she not afraid to be away from her male companion, but was alone from most of the rest of the world. So many of us need the security of a metropolitan city and the confirmation of our stylishness. O’Keeffe found beauty in simple, natural objects. I think most of us could benefit from a dose of her simplicity, and could learn from not being afraid to be alone, to be more in touch with ourselves.

From: ek.langner

Mother Teresa or Antigone for the way they changed what women can be and do-- millenniums before their time.

??

I have so many. But the one that always comes to mind first is Ida Wells. She was a journalist during reconstruction in the South. When the clan was emerging and lynchings were the justice of the day, she fought against it. She was an amazing woman who did what needed to be done in spite of the odds against her. A true hero in every sense of the word.

From: bumpkin1

It is so hard to choose one heroine because of the greatness of the female spirit through all time. The Blessed Virgin Mary,Therese of Lisieux, Bernadette of Lourdes, Dorothy Day, Mother Teresa, Edith Stein, Rosa Parks, Katherine Drexel, Hildegard of Bingen, Mrs. Coretta King, Abigail Adams, Joan of Arc, Fatima, the daughterof Mohammed, Mary Magdalene, the women of the Old Testament, the wife of Mahatma Ghandi, and my own mother, (who served in the Marine Corp during WWII. All these women showed courage, confidence in God, morals, femininity, but most of all, love.

From: udina

Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg. Rebel violinist. Virtuoso. Prodigy. She is the youngest performer to ever win the Naumberg competition and in 1999 was granted the extremely prestigious Avery Fischer Prize. She went through a series of personal tragedies and an attempted suicide in 1995 followed by a soul-searching battle to overcome her depression. Not only an enormous musical talent, Nadja is a heroine and inspiration to all women as a role model and a survivor.

From: swagner

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