Anchorhead said:
There is a big difference between a 30-year-old female in an R-rated film and a 20-something in a family-oriented film. Particularly so with one as globally recognized and popular as Star Wars.
My point wasn’t that there is finally a female lead for girls to admire and emulate. As LoveLike pointed out, there have been some before. My point is that Star Wars is now a much deeper franchise character-wise and the lead is a well-written and realized young woman. I was glad to see that Disney\Lucasfilm took the heat and made one of the main characters (arguably the main character) a strong young woman.
The girl I saw yesterday was engaged in our world. Something that (in Star Wars) was a much bigger stretch for girls with the first six films. I’m unfamiliar with the last two prequels, so I can’t speak to how Padme was portrayed. However, I don’t remember there being near the admiration or appreciation for the character that we’re seeing with Rey.
To me, Rey is far and away the best part of the film. She’s a three dimensional character unlike any in the franchise before, at least that I’m aware of. She’s introspective, she has strengths, she has doubts, she’s sometimes fearless, she’s sometimes afraid, she stands up for her beliefs, and she has a strong moral center. She does the right thing even when not doing it would be considerably easier and safer. She seems to me to be an outstanding role model for young girls.
This is what I was saying. Thanks.