Women have long been socialized to be relaxed, affable and low maintenance. It has been projected in media as well. Gillian Flynn summarized this well in the novel, Gone Girl: “Cool Girls are above all hot. Hot and understanding. Cool Girls never get angry; they only smile in a chagrined, loving manner and let their men do whatever they want. Go ahead, shit on me, I don’t mind, I’m the Cool Girl”.

Many of us tried to fit this mold, myself included. Being a ‘yes girl’ meant being likable. One of the first women in media to change this for me was none other than Alexis Rose. Alexis is unashamedly herself and is not afraid who knows it.

Listed below are some of my favorite heroines that are certainly not ‘yes women’ and have inspired me. All of these women grow as people but don’t change their entire personality. They still love to shop and embrace that they love finer things and found partners who embrace that. They are also all confident and not ashamed of that. Enjoying nice things, saying “no” when they don’t want to do something does not make them bad people or partners. These women make compromises and sacrifices for their relationships, but not at the expense of who they are.

In American Royalty, Dani is a rapper and is comfortable in her sexuality. Also, this is the prettiest book cover I’ve ever seen?! Dani’s eye makeup and highlight are gorgeous.

Winter is my most recent favorite heroine! She is fierce and strong while also having relatable insecurities. Like all of us, Winter just wants to be loved but is unsure as to whether anyone can love her for her all that she is, messy parts and all. Her partner, Theo, is a great example of a supportive partner and loves her for her flaws and not in spite of them. Reckless is SO good.

In Book Lovers, Nora is the anti-hero from Hallmark movies. She is the career-focused woman who doesn’t want children and loves nice things. Is loving nice things and being ‘selfish’ such a bad thing? Nora knows what she wants and what she likes and Charlie admires it.

Calla Fletcher loves makeup and nice clothes. She is basically Alexis Rose goes to Alaska. Jonah does make disparaging comments about her makeup but overall loves who she is and does not try to change her. Calla grows and matures, but stays true to herself. The Simple Wild is one of my all time favorite books now. I love the rest of the series as well.

Tessa Bailey has explicitly said that Piper is based on Alexis Rose, which is exactly what I was wanting. Ever since Schitts Creek ended, I have missed her deeply and this soothed me. Brendan not only fully embraces Piper, but adores her love of nice thins and takes her shopping. Brendan and Piper never try to change each other and appreciate their differences in personality. Piper grows up a lot in this book but like Alexis Rose, stays true to herself. Fair warning, don’t be fooled by how cute the cover is- this book is VERY spicey. It Happened One Summer has become a favorite of mine.