Badass Females in Film By Lillian Behrendt [16 more lists]

Since time immemorial, "good girls" have been tedious. Nothing gets my (proverbial) c**k softer than a virginal damsel in distress. Blech!

These ladies are the baddest of the bad, the meanest of the mean, and the toughest of the tough.

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1

Varla

In 1965, Tura Satana set the standard for kickass sexy badass bitches on film.

With her wild makeup, Bettie Page hair, skin-tight clothes and body that puts amazonian goddesses to shame, Varla even makes picking on high school kids look cool.

Oh yeah, and she kicks the stupid square guy's ass in a race and then kills him with her BARE HANDS for no particular reason. And she drives a cool car! And she can go go dance!

She's heartless, she's ruthless, and she dies at the end, but the iconic image of Varla stomping around the desert, a Nat Sherman held between her gloved fingers, will always live on (in my masturbatory fantasies if no place else.)

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2

Babs Johnson

Those who don't consider Divine to be a feminist icon are invited to f**k off.

I had a hard time choosing between Babs Johnson (Pink Flamingos, 1972) and Dawn Davenport (Female Trouble, 1974), but, although Dawn Davenport might be more outrageous, Babs Johnson is definitely a better role model.

With her bleach blonde bouffant, her Warholesque makeup, and a wardrobe I would KILL for, Babs Johnson makes being the filthiest person in the world fabulously glamorous.

She's a thief, an outlaw, a cop-killer, a cop-EATER, a sexual deviant, a murderess and a mother. Oh yeah, and she eats dog s**t at the end. Does it get more badass than that?

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3

Zen

Who says a tiny autistic Thai girl can't kick ass?

Zen, the heroine of the amazing 2008 movie Chocolate, is cute and terrifying at the same time-- without being overly glamorized.

And she's kicking ass to save her mom, how much better can you get?

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4

May Day - A View to a Kill

Now don't get me wrong, I love the traditional Bond girl: big hair and an even bigger sexual appetite. And the clothes-- I love the clothes.

But Grace Jones as May Day in 1985's A View to a Kill is, no contest, the coolest Bond Girl of all time.

She's androgynous, beautiful and tough. She lifts a man over her head. She parachutes off of the Eiffel Tower. She wears really cool suits.

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5

Sarah Connor - The Terminator, Terminator Salvation, Terminator 2: Judgment Day

The hospital escape scene in T2, need I say more?

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6

Foxy Brown

"She's a whole lotta woman."

Forget Cleopatra Jones, forget Superfly-- s**t, forget SHAFT, Foxy Brown is the baddest blaxploitation character of them all.

She's a lover, she's a fighter, and she sticks it to the Man like no one ever did before or since.

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7

Motoko Kusanagi

A brilliant film noir-esque cop in a gorgeous cyborg body.

Ghost in the Shell is a great movie-- beautifully made, well written and structured, and just a pleasure to watch.

The Major is a huge contributing factor. She remains to this day the only animated character I've had a crush on.

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8

Ilsa

Trust me, it hurts to put Ilsa on the list.

Ilsa: She-Wolf of the SS is a film so horrifying that even I couldn't make it past the 20 minute mark. It's torture p**n, nazisploitation, and just...just really upsetting.

Still, Ilsa, based on the real-life "b***h of Buchenwald" (where members of my family were killed), needs to be on this list.

Why? Because she's the most extreme example of a sexually desirable violent female movie character I can think of.

Because a badass b***h is a badass b***h, no matter what side she's fighting on.

If it makes you feel better (it made ME feel better), imagine all the other ladies on this list teaming up and kicking her evil fascist ass.

Satisfying.

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Showing items 1 - 5 of 8

Varla

Babs Johnson

Zen

Foxy Brown

Ilsa