Female Badasses in History

Punk/alt rock goddess Debbie Harry AKA "Blondie."

T
K
O

Hmmmm .... how about Heidi Fleiss? After all, there's nice, pedagogically valuable badasses, and then there's the bad badasses -- the kind that parents and teachers don't want their daughters to become like.

... on the other hand, Heidi would make the theater play PG-13 rated at least -- which may be a problem in 4th grade.

1 Reply

@Diest TKO,

Diest TKO wrote:

Punk/alt rock goddess Debbie Harry AKA "Blondie."

T
K
O

A friend of mine is aquainted with her, and says she's actually very sweet and homey.

0 Replies

@dlowan,

Who could forget Calamity Jane!!

2 Replies

Faye Glenn Abdellah - Modern day Florence Nightingale
Grace Hopper - first compiler, she strongly influenced the development of modern programming languages
Chien-Shiung Wu - A giant in physics
Charlotte Perkins Gilman - Wrote Women and Economics
Margaret Mead - anthropologist whose study of Samoan culture hugely influenced views on adolescence
Harriet Tubman - Rescued slaves in the "Underground Railroad"
Fanny Wright - One of the first voices against slavery and for women's rights
Helen Keller - famous enough
Ida Tarbell - One of the first investigative journalists
Margaret Sanger - birth control activist, IMO birth control is one of the most influential ways to improve a society
Katherine Dexter McCormick - Another contraception leader, among other things

0 Replies

@dlowan,

... with acting scenes from Deadwood -- genius!

1 Reply

@Thomas,

Thomas wrote:

... with acting scenes from Deadwood -- genius!

Not sure we want Sozlet livin' in a whore house and gettin' all her nourishment from a whiskey bottle!

1 Reply

@dlowan,

Not anyone who has met her..

0 Replies

@Thomas,

Some posters seem to think badass = person who has done bad things. A selection of definitions from Urban Dictionary that cumulatively get about at what I mean when I use the word:

Quote:

Awesome to an extreme level, thereby leveraging unquestionable authority.
Sam Elliott's mustache = badass

Quote:

1.Adjective: Used to describe one who totally owns who he/she is, is uninhibited in who they are and doesn't let what other people think affect his/her actions/decisions.

2.Noun: A person who is the best of the best at what they do professionally and/or personally. Being a Badass goes hand-in-hand with being self confident, secure and uninhibited.
1. Person 1: Alexus is so crazy and funny. She doesn't care what anyone thinks.
Person 2: Yeah, she is totally badass.

2. Mark, our loan officer, helped us get our house refinanced after three other lenders said it was impossible. He is a total Mortgage Badass!

2b. Student 1: Mr. Hall is the best science teacher ever. Student 2: I know. I never would have passed the test without him. Student 1: He is such a science badass. Student 2: Word!

Quote:

As a noun, a person who no one will mess with in person.
Jen Marshall is one badass girl; I wouldn't **** with her.

Quote:

Generally refers to a male. Confident, secure, uninhibited, so cool it hurts, hardcore, independent " all in one. I guess the character of James Bond is expected to be badass.
Sometimes referred to a woman. Means being down to earth, daring, confident unafraid of challenge (not intellectual but the challenge of real life experience " sports, extreme experiences, edgy actions). I guess they refer badass to a woman who looks quite tender and feminine so that they do not expect her to keep her senses facing a challenge. maybe a badass woman is an attractive female who behaves unexpectedly confidently in unusual situation.
Shia LaBeouf on Michelle Monaghan in Eagle Eye: "She's badass."

0 Replies

@dlowan,

Calamity Jane wasn't living in the whorehouse. She was protecting this poor little orphan girl against the owner of the whorehouse, remember?

0 Replies

More great stuff, thanks! I swear, just going over these people and why they're up for consideration will be the best history lesson evah...

0 Replies

@sozobe,

I second Ebrown's suggestion of Alice Paul. Perhaps Sozlet and a friend could do the dynamic duo; Paul and Lucy Burns? (Fun speeches and potentially cool prison costumes!)

1 Reply

@sozobe,

How is historical defined? do there have to be books about the person?

1 Reply

@OCCOM BILL,

Since Alice Paul seems to emerge as an A2K favorite, I'd like to point Sozobe's attention to a badass HBO film called Iron-Jawed Angels. It's about Alice Paul and her fight for the 19th Amendment. I recommend the movie for two reasons:

1) Whether or not Sozlet chooses Alice Paul, the movie will teach her a lot about the pragmatics of political activism: Should you work to reform the system from within, or attack it from the outside? (The film makes a strong case for the latter, but Wilson eventually surrenders to the mellower, more convivial, mainstream feminists.) Is it okay to attack a war time president? (A particular favorite of mine.) What methods can you use to make a politician change sides? How much of what's dear to you in your private life are you willing to sacrifice for politics? And so forth ....

2) If Sozlet should choose Alice Paul as her subject, scenes from the movie could serve as a starting point for theater scenes.

2 Replies

@ehBeth,

Not really, but there is research involved, so there has to be some sort of source material available (that she could read).

I had originally wanted someone that was a "legitimate" enough historical figure that people would say "oh sure, her," but there have been some candidates so far that I think would be awesome that I'd never heard of. I'm not certain of the school parameters -- who she can or can't choose -- but she seems to think it's pretty flexible.

0 Replies

@Thomas,

I came across that too, it does look good! I remember being interested in it when it came out -- I think OBill talked about it -- may be worth watching no matter who we choose. (I just gave a fuller version of Alice Paul at dinnertime, her eyes lit up at the "thrown in jail" part, definite contender.)

0 Replies

@dlowan,

Aphra Behn was very cool, what with the secret agent schtick and all . . .

0 Replies

Julia Childs, master chef, former member of the OSS

0 Replies

Julia Child versus women who lead armies of one sort or another? I say this as a Child fan of sorts.

0 Replies

@Thomas,

I recall that was a fine film, but I'm thinking it may be a bit graphic? (I definitely remember it pissing me off) I'd recommend Soz at least watch it with the Sozlet, if not do a pre-screen.

1 Reply

Female Badasses in History

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know