Friday, November 21, 2014

Badass Femmes: Hermione Granger of Harry Potter

Badass Femmes is a bi-weekly column that I write on Crome Yellow about all the Badass Females in pop culture that has shaped my life.

The Harry Potter series is easily THE go-to franchise billions of fans, leading Harry’s fantastic wizarding world to become more of a mantra and lifestyle for different kinds of people across the globe. It’s a lot to tackle, spanning multiple forms of media, from novels, films, theme parks and even tons of fan-generated content – just look at the numerous youtube videos for proof! One thing is clear though, Hermione Granger was and is always a standout. Like so many other kids, I followed her example and as she showed us that we could all reach our full potential, intellectually and emotionally with blazing confidence and wit.

Truth be told, I wasn’t one of the millions of kids who would stay up all night burning through every new Harry Potter book; I waited for the films. But when I did start the books, I was intrigued by Hermione’s resilience and tenacity to constantly level up or surpass her companion’s abilities despite harsh criticism of doubt, especially the despicable Malfoy. When the books finally trekked their way to America, I was a teeny nine-year-old who considered herself more street smart than book smart. Even with my terse palette however, J.K. Rowling’s written words were feverishly addictive, introducing a female heroine for the ages.

(continue reading on Crome Yellow...)