cover art

Several weeks ago, when I posted book covers that featured strong female characters, Kelly at Stacked Books asked a good question: Does a woman need to have a weapon in her hand in order to be considered strong?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: When I put together my earlier post, I focused on the genre I am most well-read in–fantasy–which has a disproportionately higher number of warrior women than (say) your cozy mysteries. Also, I wanted to post alternatives to covers of warrior babes where the emphasis is on the babe, not the warrior. The sword/gun/dagger in those women’s hands is not to display their strength, but their sexiness. Add skimpy clothing, come-hither looks, and poses that show off womanly assets, and the weapons become nothing more than accessories.

But, Kelly has a good point. Strength is not all about fighting prowess. So I went looking for covers that showed strong women without a weapon in their hands.

 

Joy. Optimism. Zest for life, hope for the future. That’s what I think of when I see this woman. She looks to have a strong spirit and a happy disposition.

Woman. No weapon. Pretty dress/robe. But she doesn’t look like someone who puts up with nonsense. The tilt of her head, the direction of her gaze, the hands on hips pose…yep, not a weakling this one. Sorry I couldn’t find a larger image.

 

 I like to see women in action, rather than just standing around looking pretty. So this spelunking-with-robotic-snakes(?!) scene works for me. Also, the woman on the cover is refreshingly different from the pretty waifs or sultry temptresses. She looks older and tougher.

I debated about this one, because the girl looks scary. But she also looks strong (and scary, don’t forget that) while wearing a typical YA fantasy white dress, so she gets points for overcoming the languishing waif girl stereotype. Plus, I love the red hair blending into the fire.

Another YA princess in a gorgeous dress, but she looks like she’s up for some fun. Or mischief. Or both. I like that stance, that sideways look out of the corner of her eyes.

This is not a comprehensive list, of course, but it’ll do for a start. I was very tempted to include this lovely cover for The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan, but I think the glowing ring in Moiraine’s hand probably counts as a (magical) weapon.

Any other covers you can think of that fit the strong woman, no weapons criteria?

The problematic portrayal of women on book covers has been rehashed on the Internet many times. Warrior women end up in skimpy clothing and contorted poses that would crack the spine of any normal person. In YA fiction, there is a disturbing trend of drowning or dead-looking girls in flowing dresses. Individually, many of these covers are striking or beautiful; taken together they depict women and girls *only* as sexual objects or as weak and helpless.

Those aren’t the covers I want to talk about today.

Instead, I want to focus on book covers that DO portray females as strong and dynamic and fully immersed in their stories (I dislike covers on which the female is putting on a come-hither look for the reader. Unless this fits the protagonist’s personality–and most often it doesn’t–I don’t want to see it).

If you’ve been following Book Cover Monday for a while, you’ve seen my all-time favorite cover with a strong female protagonist before.

Notice that Vin is dressed appropriately, that she is fully engaged in the scene, she is in motion *and* she is dominating this fight. No resorting to cheap tricks like chainmail bikini or contorted poses or sultry glances to portray Vin as strong and attractive.

Natural pose and looks like she’s wearing the right kind of clothing for the period and her situation (I’m no expert on Elizabethan costume but it doesn’t jump out as horribly wrong to me). She’s guarded and alert, and again, her eyes are focused not on the reader but within her world. Oh, and she has a gun and she’s not afraid to use it. 🙂

Came across this one recently. A woman who knows how to take care of herself, dressed in sensible traveling clothes, *with* children. Female protagonists with children are so rare in fantasy that I danced a little in glee when I saw this cover. This woman totally has the baby-carrying thing down. Look at her eyes. Don’t mess with this mama.

Love the expectant stillness of the pose. All the swirling black cloth and the veiled eyes only heighten the mystery and danger of this protagonist.

*gasp* A girl on a YA cover who is NOT wearing a dress. Love how casually comfortable she is with that sharp shiny scythe.

Any other covers that you think portray strong women and girls? I’d especially love to see some that depict strength without weapons–hard to do, I know, in fantasy. Let me know in the comments!