101 Empowering Movies For Women

This list of 100 empowering movies for women isn’t just about strong female leads—it’s about representation, resilience, and the reminder that women’s voices deserve to be heard and celebrated. These films span all genres and decades, but each one captures something powerful, inspiring, or deeply relatable. So grab the popcorn, call up your besties, and get ready to feel all the feels. These are the movies that will lift you up, fire you up, and leave you feeling totally unstoppable.

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From fierce trailblazers and fearless underdogs to women discovering their worth and reclaiming their power, movies have a magical way of reflecting the strength and complexity of the female experience. For far too long, Hollywood sidelined women’s stories, but in recent years we’ve seen a surge of films that center women not just as supporting characters—but as the stars of their own show. Whether it’s a true story of survival, a bold coming-of-age journey, or a fictional tale of female friendship and rebellion, these empowering movies remind us of what women are capable of.

10 Things I Hate About You (1997)
Enough (2002)
Winter’s Bone (2010)
Princess Diaries (2001)
The Post (2017)
All About Eve (1950)
The Witch (2015)
Precious (2009)
Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken (1991)
Joy (2015)
Amélie (2001)
Chicago (2002)
The Craft (1996)
Princess Mononoke (1997)
Brooklyn (2015)
Orlando (1992)
Hairspray (2007)
Practical Magic (1998)

Now And Then (1995)
Easy A (2010)
The Dutchess (2008)
Real Women Have Curves (2002)
GI Jane (1997)
The Runaways (2010)
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Gravity (2013)
Divergent (2014)
Girl Interrupted (1999)
She’s The Man (2006)
Spice World (1997)
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Monster (2003)
Miss Congeniality (2000)
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Sense and Sensibility (1995)
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)
The Queen of Katwe (2016)
Cold Mountain (2003)

Whale Rider (2002)
A Wrinkle in Time (2017)
Iron Lady (2011)
Evita (1996)
Clueless (1995)
North Country (2005)
Stepmom (1998)
Atomic Blonde (2017)
The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
Gone With the Wind (1939)
Frida (2002)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)
Suffragette (2015)
Little Women (1994)
Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants (2005)
Selena (1997)
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Matilda (1996)
Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

Lady Bird (2017)
Arrival (2016)
The Intern (2015)
Elizabeth (1998)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
The Queen (2006)
Boys on the Side (1995)
Working Girl (1988)
Eat Pray Love (2010)
The Banger Sisters (2002)
Brave (2012)
Thelma and Louise (1991)
Frozen (2013)
The Zoo Keeper’s Wife (2017)
A League of Their Own (1992)
The Hunger Games (2012)
The Color Purple (1985)
Wild (2014)
9 to 5 (1980)

Alien (1979)
The Help (2011)
Erin Brockovich (2000)
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
Steel Magnolias (1989)
Moana (2016)
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Legally Blonde (2001)
Mulan (1998)
Wonder Woman (2017)
Hidden Figures (2016)
First Wives Club (1996)
Someone Great (2019)
Barbie (2023)
Emma (2020)
The Old Guard (2020)
She Said (2022)
Like a Boss (2020)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Whip It (2009)
Waiting to Exhale (1995)

Whether you’re seeking stories of resilience, fearless ambition, or women breaking barriers, these empowering movies shine a light on the strength and determination of female characters. Let these films inspire you to embrace your own power and write your own story.

Did we miss any movies? Let us know in the comments below!

Kim Dow

Kim is the owner and publisher of Sass Magazine, as well as the owner of Sass Studios, a boutique graphic design studio in Frederick, MD. When not in the office, Kim can be found doing some of her favorite hobbies—reading a book, dancing, traveling, or playing with her rescued pitbull.