26 Reasons Why the Powerpuff Girls Are the Feminist Heroes We Need
The Powerpuff Girls are officially back! Yes, after an 11-year hiatus, the animated show about three pint-sized superheroes with gigantic personalities is returning to Cartoon Network. You'll be able to watch Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup rescue Townsville from a multitude of baddies again and again while skewering the concept of superheroes left and right. What, you thought you needed to call in Chris Evans' hunky Captain America to save the day? Not so fast. The girls made from sugar, spice, and Chemical X were actually really progressive for their time, and proved again and again that girls could, would, and should save the day. Now, if only the rest of the superhero films could keep up...
1/27The Powerpuff Girls are the feminist butt-kickers we need.
2/27...And are back to put bad guys in their place, all the while each maintaining their signature sense of self.
Now that's multitasking.
3/27Made from sugar, spice, everything nice, and Chemical X, they're the perfect recipe for a hero.
4/27Take Blossom, the natural-born leader of the group.
5/27She may seem like the slightly bossy, annoyingly perfect older sister, but every squad needs its Taylor Swift.
6/27And she's always game to jump in and get stuff done.
(Especially when that "stuff" is beating evil villains.)
7/27And did we mention that she knows how to accessorize?
8/27(Even if, at the end of the day, that snazzy hair bow doesn't trump this sage advice.)
9/27Or maybe you most relate to Bubbles, who is actually secretly wise.
10/27She proves that if optimism is wrong, we don't want to be right.
11/27And she wasn't all sweetness and sunshine — she broke out of her shell from time to time!
12/27Then again, everyone knows someone who's a total Buttercup.
(Maybe it's you.)
13/27If Blossom is smart, Buttercup is smart-mouthed — and her penchant for adventure always shook things up.
14/27(If you think she was always cynical, that's not true! She had a soft side and even had a dance break or two with her foes.)
15/27Speaking of bad guys, the show had some of the most inventive evil villains around.
(A spoiled brat for a nemesis? Now that's evil.)
16/27Major villains even got their own origin stories and plot lines, so you understood their evil beginnings and why they wanted to destroy Townsville.
17/27(They also snuck in some jokes for the grownups.)
18/27But they're still bad guys, and the Powerpuff Girls still had to defeat them.
19/27And boy, did they ever.
20/27Don't go thinking this is a job for the boys, though.
21/27The PPGs tried that...
22/27...and decided they liked being girls way better.
23/27The rest of Townsville was inclined to agree.
24/27The moral of this story? Stay true to yourself, and you can kick butt, save the day, and inspire legions of townspeople to cheer for you, too.
(Well, maybe not that last bit.)
25/27Because whether you identify most with Blossom, Bubbles, or Buttercup, you’re you — and that’s the most important thing.
26/27...especially if you're mixed up with a little Chemical X.
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