5) Claire Dearing (Jurassic World)
Let’s get straight to it. How can a woman too dumb to remove her high heels during a dinosaur chase be perceived as a rounded, inspirational character? Aside from the fact that running shoes probably weren’t readily available during a dinosaur outbreak, talk of Claire Dearing’s footwear choices dominated discussion of Jurassic World upon its release, suggesting that her character was just the latest in a long line of weak female women on the silver screen.
Here’s the thing, though. Dearing basically runs Jurassic World because her idiot boss is too obsessed with becoming a helicopter pilot to know what’s going on. Yes, things don’t turn out so well at first, what with the Indominus Rex escaping and all, but who saves Chris Pratt from the pterodactyl outbreak, despite having no formal gun training? And who ultimately saves the day, freeing the T-Rex and luring it towards the Indominus Rex that threatens her family?
Those who question how on earth Dearing managed to evade the T-Rex while running in heels are missing the bigger point here. The image of Dearing holding the flare as she runs in her stilettos is one of the most empowering images that cinema has produced this year. Rather than be debilitated by her most ‘feminine’ attribute, Dearing succeeds beyond a question of a doubt, saving herself and her extended family in the process.
Sure, Dearing ultimately softens her hard exterior, welcoming both a relationship with Pratt’s character and the potential role of motherhood in the near future, but who says women can’t fall in love and still retain their independence?