THURSDAY CRUSH: RIPLEY
Born: January 7th 2092
Played By: Sigourney Weaver
You know her from: The Nostromo
Geek Cred: The Alien Films
Ripley is a bad ass. From the first moment we see her in Alien, I knew I was going to like her. There is a reason why Ripley is on so many pop culture lists of awesome. Entertainment Weekly likes her because she is not “defined by the men around her, or by her relationship to them.” John Scalzi says that “she’s not a sidekick, arm candy, or a damsel to be rescued.” Damn skippy she is not. She is a warrior.
Warrant officer Ellen Ripley beat the odds and the galaxy’s ultimate predator. Not only did she survive the xenomorph, but she saves Newt as well. She is not your typical heroine. She isn’t a great and terrible beauty, not full of hyper stylized kick ass moves and stereotypical personality. She is flawed and she certainly isn’t idealized. She wasn’t always liked, but she did her job. She made logical decisions and she did all of this while being aggressive, smart, injured, tired, maternal and sympathetic. She doesn’t wear makeup or have the perfectly coifed hair as she battles the big bad. And yet she is the biggest bad ass. You cannot help but sympathize and relate to her. And she was ever so lucky to be played by Sigourney Weaver who I have tons of respect for (whoo hoo for tall women).
There is something incredibly empowering about Ripley. Something that lasts even now after all of this time that still resonates and when I think about my favorite female characters, she is still one of them. Hence the crush of the week.
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