
If you sort of re-edit the first episode of new ABC show Agent Carter in your head, you'll notice something interesting: Between the scenes of Agent Carter ironing her blouse and Agent Carter coming to terms with losing her boyfriend, there's Agent Carter subverting workplace sexism and Agent Carter threatening to stab a handsy restaurant patron in the artery.
In fact there's a whole squadron of female spies in movies and on TV living the sort of glossy, fearless life previously reserved for dudes who are weirdly particular about their martinis. And unlike the Bond girl—for whom "spy-adjacent" would be the most charitable description—they don't get swept along for the ride and then into the inevitable soft-focus, doing-it-on-a-bear-skin-rug love scene. They're not double-crossing femmes fatales sent by the enemy to throw off a male protagonist's game, either. What they most definitely are is kickass—literally.
They don't get swept along for the ride and into the inevitable doing-it-on-a-bear-rug love scene.
On that front, you've got Elizabeth Jennings of The Americans performing some lethal Krav Maga move while managing to keep an earth-toned, chevron-striped blouse tucked neatly into her high-rise Lees. You've got Skye from Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., who's indestructible in the face of a flesh-decaying obelisk and never needed tech support in her life. And you've got Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, who back-flips down hallways and confesses nothing, not even under the pain of torture.
But for all her hand-to-hand combat expertise and taking-it-on-the-chin resilience, the most appealing thing about the Girl Spy is that she's real: A woman can care just as much about her lipstick as she does about gunning down the forces of evil or stealing state secrets for the KGB, and the writers of these characters get it.
Tough and vulnerable, confident and insecure, the GS is kind of…all of us. Because even without the go-bags and fake passports, we, as women, still slide in and out of multiple identities every day, keeping many different stories straight and maybe wearing more disguises than we should. With the GS, we get to see that multifaceted-ness reflected on-screen. We get to see that it's cool and compelling to be complicated. No bear-skin rugs necessary.
You should also check out:
Reese Witherspoon Felt a Personal Responsibility to Create 'Complex Female Characters' (opens in new tab)
The Conversation Around Better Roles for Women in Hollywood Is Heating Up Big-Time (opens in new tab)
Hell Yeah, Maggie Gyllenhaal—This Globes Speech Is Such a Victorious Moment for Women (opens in new tab)
Chelsea Peng is a writer and editor who was formerly the assistant editor at MarieClaire.com. She's also worked for The Strategist and Refinery29, and is a graduate of Northwestern University. On her tombstone, she would like a GIF of herself that's better than the one that already exists on the Internet and a free fro-yo machine. Besides frozen dairy products, she's into pirates, carbs, Balzac, and snacking so hard she has to go lie down.
-
The Agenda: Los Angeles
How to prepare for a visit to the City of Angels.
By Brooke Knappenberger
-
Our Editor's Favorite Curl-Defining Leave-In Conditioner Doubles As a Moisturizer for Skin
Stay hydrated, stay happy.
By Gabrielle Ulubay
-
Lucy Liu Opened Up About Her Decision to Have a Child Via Surrogate in Her Late 40s: "I Didn't Have a Plan"
It felt like the right time for her.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
The 56 Best Musical Movies of All Time: Iconic Movie Musicals
All the dance numbers! All the show tunes!
By Amanda Mitchell
-
'Ginny & Georgia' Season 2: Everything We Know
Netflix owes us answers after that ending.
By Zoe Guy
-
29 Nude Movies With Porn-Level Nudity
All the nudity of porn, but with the plot and storylines of mainstream film.
By Kayleigh Roberts
-
The Cast of 'The Crown' Season 5: Your Guide
The Mountbatten-Windsors have been recast—again.
By Andrea Park
-
Who Is Hasnat Khan, Princess Diana’s Boyfriend on Season 5 of ‘The Crown’?
Di’s friends have said she referred to the doctor as “the love of her life.”
By Andrea Park
-
Who Is Penelope "Penny" Knatchbull?
She and Prince Philip strike up an unlikely friendship throughout the fifth season of 'The Crown.'
By Andrea Park
-
'The Crown' Season 5: Everything We Know
The bombshell fifth season just dropped on Netflix.
By Andrea Park
-
90 Halloween Costume Ideas Inspired By Movies and TV Shows
Most of these Halloween costumes double as stylish additions to your closet.
By Brooke Knappenberger