100 Empowering Movies For Women

By Kim Dow

A few weeks ago, we reached out to our followers on social media about movies that empower women. This was all inspired by a recent viewing of The First Wives Club, so it’s fitting that it is our number one pick. After taking your responses, along with suggestions from the Sass team (and a long discussion on how to rank them), we have compiled 100 empowering movies that inspire us.

Lemonade (2016)**
10 Things I Hate About You (1997)
Enough (2002)
Winter’s Bone (2010)
Princess Diaries (2001)
The Post (2017)
Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
All About Eve (1950)
The Witch (2015)
Precious (2009)
Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Practical Magic (1998)
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)
Now And Then
Easy A (2010)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
The Dutchess (2008)
Real Women Have Curves (2002)
GI Jane (1997)
Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
The Runaways (2010)
Lilo and Stitch (2002)
Persepolis (2007)
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)
Wrinkle in Time (2017)
Iron Lady (2011)
Evita (1996)
Clueless (1995)
North Country (2005)
Stepmom (1998)
Atomic Blonde (2017)
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)
Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants (2005)
Selena (1997)
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)
Zoo Keeper’s Wife (2017)
League of Their Own (1992)
Hunger Games (2012)
The Color Purple (1985)
Wild (2014)
Black Panther (2017)
Terminator 2 (1991)
9 to 5 (1980)
Aliens (1986)
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)

** While Lemonade is technically not a “movie,” the Queen B’s video opus is so amazing and empowering, that the Sass Crew came to a conclusion that it would be remiss of us to not have it on this list.

What do you think? Did we miss anything? Or maybe you think a movie should be higher or lower on our list? Let us know in the comments!

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.