Why is Emma Swan a role model to you?
Lizzie: Because she’s real. She’s not perfect, has never claimed to be. She’s strong as hell and then she’s weak sometimes, she’s got doubts and she fights against those and sometimes she comes out on top and sometimes the doubts seem to drown her, but Emma never stops fighting. She never stays still. She never lets life bring her down completely. And I think that’s a lesson we could all learn – sometimes life is going to suck, and some days the only thing to do is get up and keep trying.
Sameera: Too often, women in media fall into a binary. Either they are “weak”: damsels in distress unimportant to the plot or “strong”: too perfect characters that exhibit zero character flaws and impossible to relate to. Emma Swan shows that females can be just as flawed and realistic as males. She can be bad ass, stubborn, funny, be a leader, make mistakes and most importantly learn. Emma Swan feels like somebody I could be-and that matters.
Stephanie: Simple answer? She’s a bad ass! I love how she never backed down from Regina or Rumple in season 1. She didn’t let them intimidate her. She has never let anyone or anything intimidate her. She may be scared on the inside but she charges ahead into every battle that’s been thrown at her. Even taking on the darkness at the end of season 4. She just jumped in to save everyone, showing faith that she knew her parents would find a way to help her.
One of my favorite Emma moments is season 5 after she had to kill Hook with Excalibur. She is lying on her couch but hears the dagger calling to her. She basically demands that Rumple meet her at his shop. When she finds out he betrayed everyone she puts forth her demands that Rumple help her get Hook back. He, of course acts like he has no interest in helping her and so she threatens him with telling Belle everything. What’s so great about this moment is that Rumple is looking down at the dagger when he says “Don’t test me Miss Swan.” Her threat scares him. Even with his newly enhanced Dark One powers he is still a total coward. He can’t even look at her when he’s “threatening” her. Emma, on the other hand, never takes her eyes off him. She’s almost shaking in her fury when she throws it back at him saying, “Don’t test ME.” She’s not the least bit afraid. Her strength, her courage and her faith in believing she can get what she wants in getting Hook back is awe inspiring in this moment.
Ginny: Emma Swan is the embodiment of strength. She is unrelenting, unafraid and has one of the biggest hearts of any character in any show. Her development astounds me, her broken walls showing that no matter how much pain there is in someone’s past, it is still possible to find your happy ending.
Pip: She shows me that a person (especially a woman) doesn’t have to fit into any set category. That we should be out here making our own destiny, but also not being afraid to perhaps make some missteps along the way. It’s such a relieving feeling to see Emma make mistakes on the show and still managing to work her way through tough situations. She’s strong and capable, but also a bit childish and realistic and helps me accept the parts of myself that may be a bit prickly and unappealing, while also bolstering my confidence to stay strong in the face of adversity.
Lindsay: I remember first watching the show and enjoying it but I never truly connected with it until ‘The Price of Gold’. Emma tells Cinderella, ‘People are gonna tell you who you are your whole life. You just gotta punch back and say, “No, this is who I am”. This has stuck with me and will continue to do so. Emma doesn’t apologize for who she is, mistakes and all. She can speak up for what she believes in, even if it might be an unpopular opinion. Most of all, she is a role model to me because despite all the horrible things she has been through she always fights to do what she believes is the right thing. I sometimes ask myself, ‘What would Emma Swan do?’
Charles: Emma Swan is someone who is not perfect. She makes mistakes but what makes her a role model is that she learns from them and grows from them. She is a independent woman but also has opened herself up to love and family. I am going to show my nieces Once Upon a Time very soon. My hope is that they see how strong and tough Emma Swan is and she becomes their role model too.
Katie: Like Lindsay, when I think of why Emma is a role model to me, I think of that quote from “The Price of Gold.” Emma has taught me that you should never let other people define you; you have the power to shape how the world sees you. And that is a powerful message for women, who are often told how to act and who to be by so many forces outside of themselves. Emma is also a role model to me because she’s learning to accept help and to stop trying to do things on her own. That’s something I know I need to work on in my own life, and seeing Emma open up to her loved ones about her struggles and fears and accept their support and help has been incredibly inspiring. Emma shows us all that there is nothing weak about having an open heart and showing vulnerability; that’s where true strength begins.
Maria: Emma Swan is a role model to me because of her strength. She was alone for the majority of her life and she fought through it. Something I truly admire is that Emma lets herself learn about family and love. It is so hard to trust people if you’re Emma Swan and watching her do so is something that hundreds of people relate to. Emma Swan shows us that physical strength and badassery in females is something to celebrate (girl power!). Not only is she strong, but Emma is the Savior. As the Savior, she is selfless as she protects the people of Storybrooke. Her family becomes the most important thing as well as the livelihood of others. This was something Emma Swan of the Past never worried about and it is remarkable to see how much she has grown. The last point I want to make is that Emma Swan is “real”. She shows raw emotions and insecurities. Many people can relate to being scared about being in love or feeling stressed about having serious responsibilities. Emma shows us that with a support system, you can learn all of these things with the help of those who stand beside you. Love is strength, after all.
Heather: She’s courageous and fearless. She loves without bounds. She’s fiercely loyal and protective. She’s a bad ass! She’s real and what I imagine an everyday superhero to appear as. She’s not perfect. Actually far from it. She’s flawed. She’s unapologetically herself.
Meredith: In the beginning, I looked up to her because of her being a strong, female protagonist who punched back against others who tried to knock her down. That reason still stands today, but over time, it became more than that. I began to see the characteristics of herself in my life. For instance, it took Emma a very long time to tell Killian that she loved him in S4. As a fan at first, I was so frustrated. Why couldn’t she just say it?! But when I looked past the surface level, she has been burned by being vulnerable in the past. Once she says it, she is afraid she will lose it. That’s me. She’s a role model I can sit and relate with. She’s a strong woman who loves a grilled cheese sandwich and can rock a red leather jacket!
Funmbi: Emma Swan is a phenomenal woman, who embodies several of the characteristics that inspire me to be the best person I can be. From the moment we met Emma in all her bail bondswoman glory, I knew she would be my favorite. Emma knows exactly who she is and never apologizes for it. She is brave and good, even in the face of fear and obstacles. Emma is willing to make sacrifices in order to protect those she loves and never shirks her responsibilities to her family and town. She is tenacious, strong, independent, and so badass. At the same time, she can be open and vulnerable with those she loves (even if it took awhile to break down those walls).
La Shawna: When l look at Emma, I think of the quote she says in the Price of Gold when she tells Cinderella “People are gonna tell you who you are your whole life. You just gotta punch back and say, “No, this is who I am.” She doesn’t let others define who she is as a person and, for me, that is the greatest thing you can tell someone. I look up to her because not only is she strong but she also has a vulnerable side. She is fierce but compassionate at the same time.
Rose: Emma is a role model for so many reasons. Emma is strong. Emma is so confident now, but even in season one when she was such a totally different person, she never let anyone in, felt she was happy on her own no matter what was thrown at her even in season one we see that she won’t give up. In the beginning she plans to leave Henry in Storybrooke and go back about her lonely life but we find out that it’s not that easy once she let down her first wall. Henry, of course was the first one she let in, so you see the toughness there and the determination that she really has had since season one of believing in making things right and not giving up and not letting the bad guy win.
Each season it’s just been more of that determination of being strong, showing that yes you can be strong on your own, and you can take care of things on your own but when you do let people in you’re even stronger, when you allow people to love you and you love them back you can be stronger to even do things on your own because you’re drawing from that strength of the people around you that love you and that you love. She’s also shown that you can have people help you in life that you don’t have to do it alone. Emma always puts everyone before herself. Especially her son, her parents, Hook. She 100% gives of her self to all of them. She so selfless in her love for her family. She makes you want to be the same way, to not allow the bad guy to win to be vulnerable, completely open & loving. This doesn’t make you less strong it makes you stronger.
