2012 is the Year of the Woman

For the last two decades, we have watched our favorite super heroes be made and remade into cartoons, television shows, movies, books and more, but the same question has haunted me throughout. Where are the women?! I don't mean just the cutesie girls that every hero is infatuated with, like Mary Jane or Betty Ross ... Nearly every super hero has an important female character, and yet for the most part, they have been left wanting in Hollywood's last blockbusters. But this year is different. I am coining 2012 as the Year of the Woman, it is finally our time to shine on the big screen.

The Year of the Woman began in March with the much anticipated release of the Hunger Games. The novel (and trilogy for that matter) have been on the New York Times bestseller list for well over a year, and the hype that had been building for the film boiled over on March 23 when every seat in the theater was sold out to see our first heroine of the year shine. The Hunger Games tells the gripping story of a 16 year old girl Katniss, who despite all the odds, survives a fight to the death in the Arena, and by doing so, completely challenges the totalitarian Capital. There is so much more to this story, but I do not want to be responsible for a SPOILER ALERT, so instead of telling you more, I want to ask you to take the time to read the book (and see the movie when it is released on DVD). It is a wonderful read, and one that finally gives young women a hero to look up to. Katniss is good to the core, and always does what she knows to be right, even if it challenges the authorities all around her.

Although very different in nature, no one can overlook the first female super hero of the summer... Natasha Romanov, A.K.A. Black Widow. Thank you Marvel and the Avengers for bringing Black Widow to the big screen! Scarlet Johansson plays the heroine who is a force to be reckoned with, playing with the big boys but totally holding her own. She backs down from no fight, but also shows that she has a heart, when her companion, Hawkeye is taken by Loki. Like Katniss who will be in Catching Fire in November of 2013, we know that we will see more of this heroine in the sequel to the Avengers in the coming years.

Even the cartoon industry got the memo that 2012 is the Year of the Woman, and released Brave last weekend. Pixar has long been criticized for focusing too much on their male audience, but tried to turn it around with Merida, a Scottish princess who has every opportunity to be the classic princess, but instead embraces her tomboyish personality and takes charge of her own destiny. Despite the magic that she turns to as her aid, what better role model can a young girl get? Making her own destiny and going against the grain of what society expects of her? Awesome and inspiring for young girls (and boys) everywhere!

The last leading lady that is finally getting her spotlight this summer is of the villainous persuasion... Catwoman, in the most anticipated film of the year, Batman, The Dark Knight Rises. The first two movies in the trilogy have been among the highest grossing super hero movies (until the Avengers that is) of all time. Granted, Halle Barry did her unsuccessful take on Catwoman in her own feature film, but the movie was much more centered around her being one of People magazine's sexiest people of all time, than it was her acting and the story itself. Catwoman, played by Anne Hathaway, will share the spotlight of villain with Bane, but critics and fans alike are excited to see this interpretation of one of Batman's greatest enemies. The film debuts on July 20, and advanced tickets went on sale this past week in most theaters!

I'm not saying that these movies have, and will be successful just because of the empowering female characters, they are all wonderful for many more reasons. But, as a woman who loves a good "Girl Power" trip, I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing women shine as brightly as men in this summers top money makers. Brave brought in $66.7 million this weekend, making it the national #1 movie. There are many other movies that I didn't even include in the Year of the Woman, and each one just supports my title for this year's hits. So ladies, take some time out of your busy day to day lives, grab a gal-pal and enjoy the estrogen induced films of 2012!