I think the culture today is very, very different from what it was in the '60s, and I feel lucky that I grew up at a time when I had these very strong female role models.
There's no shortage of female role models. They're everywhere - in history, in literature, in the news. Just look around.
When you've played Buffy - who's such a strong female role model - it's really hard for another female character to compare to her.
But it is Bella, not the supernaturals she falls in with, who is the true horror show here, at least as a female role model.
There are not many female role models to guide voters, and the tradition that a Southern woman's place is in the home still lingers in some quarters.
At first, being a female role model really terrified me. But it hasn't turned out to be an awful burden. I get a lot of letters from women who tell me that, after watching Xena, they have bought the Harley-Davidson they always wanted or left an abusive relationship.
Because I didn't have any queer, lesbian, female role models I hated my own femininity and had to look deep within myself to create an identity that worked for me. Pop culture just doesn't hand us enough variety to choose from.
We need role models who are going to break the mold.
