Through the years I watched a lot of TV and movies. And I feel like the strong female characters in the movies and in TV really shaped who I am as a person, so I wanted to pay homage to the 25 women from my favorite movies and shows that showed me the type of women I wanted to be.

1. Elle Woods

Elle Woods proved to me that if you put your mind to something you can achieve absolutely anything. And yeah she may have originally gone to Harvard to win back Warner, but in the end she was there to prove to herself that she could do anything.

2. Katniss Everdeen

Katniss showed what true love for family is. She stepped up to the plate when her sister needed her and didn't even think twice about it. And she kicked total butt in the Hunger Games.

3. Hermione Granger

Hermione knew her best asset was her brain, and she used it better than anyone. She out smarted the boys and proved she was the smartest out of all three. Come on those boys would have died numerous times without her.

4. Cher Horowitz

Cher from clueless was always so sure of herself. She never changed who she was and had the best one-liners! She wore her heart on her sleeve and showed us that sometimes love is right where you least expect it. Some people think it's creepy she got with her step brother, but hey they didn't grow up together or anything.

5. Lara Croft

Lara Croft was the epitome of a tough woman. She kicked complete butt and never apologized for being the bad girl she was.

6. Mulan

Mulan saved a freaking country! She refused to sit aside while the Huns invaded her country. She unfortunately had to disguise as a man, but eventually showed she was the best of the best and did more than the men did.

7. Mindy Lahiri

Mindy on the Mindy Project has always been to me one of the coolest women on television. She worked hard to become a great gynecologist and not stopping until she reached her dreams. She even broke up with her boyfriend Danny because he wanted her to quit her job to raise their son. She said heck no and dumped him because she knew she could do both!

8. Chelsea Houska

While Chelsea isn't technically a character, she is someone from the show Teen Mom I actually admire. She never settle for a man just because she was lonely and wanted her daughter to have a dad. She completely put her love life on hold and waited for the right man, which completely paid off in the end because she found an amazing guy.

9. Robin Sherbatsky

Robin always made sure she was happy and she never changed who she was for anyone. Robin was very adamant about not having kids, and she was ok with the fact she was not really motherly. I always felt the same way and it was nice seeing someone on TV that wasn't worried about getting married and having kids.

10. Buffy Summers

Growing up Buffy the Vampire Slayer was one of my favorite shows. So much so that in the third grade I told my best friend I think I am the next slayer. LOL. I loved Buffy for a million reasons, she kicked total butt and was so loyal to her friends. She loved her family with all her heart. She was always there to save the day and never let anyone down. She was smart, beautiful, and knew exactly who she was, which is exactly who I wanted to be when I grew up.

I was really lucky to grow up watching some amazing women. I truly believe seeing these strong characters helped me become the women I am today, and I hope more characters are put out like these 10 female characters, so young girls can see strong powerful women and aspire to be like them.