Throughout so many stories, there are various roles, icons, and places women have occupied. Not many as the four above present controversial, strong, and sadly (as so often, or practically all the time) tragic in manner. These figures present both a metaphorical and literal meaning to female characters and women in general (whether human or not). Each has been presented sadly as the 'villain' who must be killed or jailed and/or a woman who must be 'saved, tamed, or cured'. Such figures hopefully will one day be portrayed with so many/some of the traits that make them who they are without them having the endings they endure as stated above.

Femme Fatale- As the literal definition says: An attractive and seductive woman, especially one who will ultimately bring disaster to a man who becomes involved with her. These women (as each of the characters/tropes are, or in some presentations) are physically gorgeous who men are drawn to like moths to the flame. They are temptation given physical form. They are cunning, confident, and promiscuous women who use sex for their means and/or just have sex for fun. These women are practically patriarchy and misogyny's worst nightmare come to life. With this, they are 'dealt with' in usually a couple of ways in stories: killed (with the poor woman usually begging for her life), thrown into jail (with her usually begging to not be thrown into jail), or shown to be 'not so bad' and becomes a 'good, submissive woman'. She is spoken about with desperate lust and derogatory means (and she's sometimes physically and/or verbally assaulted for being an 'immoral woman'). This is a woman who sometimes, or usually, has dealt with the worst parts of men and how they view/treat women. She acts in a way that's best for her, using men's desires against them to get what she wants and needs. Sadly, she is 'foiled' in what she desires. There are some instances where she succeeds (but there are so few of them). This a woman who should be portrayed as the seductive and cunning woman she is who uses her wiles and confidence to take down the men who hurt women lie her and women in general whilst building up the presentation of a woman being sexual, confident, and going for what she desires as something women should try to be. A woman who can get what she wants and acts on obtaining that what she desires: wealth, power, vengeance, etc. in ways that prove women can use what they have to beat the system and come out on top. To show the men who think women shouldn't be sexual, confident, etc. that they cannot be stopped and that women can dominate.

The Witch- Stories of sorcery have existed for practically since humanity began. Magic is powerful and a witch is a powerful woman. However, magic is so often portrayed as evil, and the woman who uses it is portrayed as evil as well. The inner strength she has is something that is feared by the masses, by both men and women, and rumors/warnings are told to avoid such women and/or to run them off. Women accused of witchcraft were murdered in various ways, the most well known being burning, for centuries. The witch is also portrayed as a woman who hates children. She is depicted as a woman who desires sex but not to have children. A woman to have sex just for pleasure is so often deemed as 'immoral' and that a woman should have sex just for children. (This is a trait the Witch has in common with the Femme Fatale, having sex for pleasure and desire rather than to be a mother.) She is seen as something a woman 'shouldn't be': powerful, strong, and indulgent in desires not for the sake of children. She is usually killed in many horrific ways as a 'punishment' as an act against God or the Church, or in humanity in general. She is an 'enemy of faith' and that she belongs to the Devil. The Witch is sometimes portrayed in a more 'favorable' fashion, called a 'light witch' sometimes usually becoming 'too powerful'/used to empower those to likely fight those who are also disenfranchised (ex. the Buffy series and girls would become 'slayers' to slaughter an entire species) or portrayed in a way that she 'has' to give up her magic to become a common woman. The Witch's power is something that should be portrayed as someone who uses their power to empower themselves and other women, to be strong in a way that makes certain people nervous (which it should) so that those hurt by powers that oppress women to be a 'certain way' can feel powerless and be brought down by those they sought to eradicate. To also empower women to act on the desire for sex and not just to be a mother/to have children, to feel the thrill of ecstasy of pleasure, and to feel empowered in their sexuality.

The Vampiress- In many ways, this is a combination of both the Femme Fatale and the Witch. Lore of vampires goes as far back as the Sumerian Age, about 6,000 to 7,000 years ago. A being who drank the blood of humans and animals to survive. In some cases, a 'female' entity who drank the blood of men was one such very early story that continued throughout the millennia. She is the Femme Fatale with her own magic and not just her beauty (which the Witch sometimes has). She uses her feminine wiles and her supernatural hypnosis/compulsion to lure in men for her to feed on (and sometimes sleep with). She's seductive, strong, and highly intelligent. A woman of supernatural prowess who is stronger and smarter than any man. With this, she's seen as a monster. Vampires are predators and they do what they do to survive. But humanity doesn't exactly like the idea of not being at the top of the food chain (though that's not completely true for vampires, but more on that later). If a human woman becomes a vampire, she goes through a change not of the body, but of the mind as well. Her personality is strengthened and heightened just like her physical prowess. She becomes more confident in herself and what she can do. This is seen as an aberration by many. (Ex. in Vamp U, college women become vampires and they are gradually hunted by the vampire who made them, another vampiress, and humans (one of who claims he wouldn't have killed her if she wasn't a vampire; another scene includes one vampiress being sexual and she's staked through a bed with several spikes, both were hard to watch (on a side note, seeing women being killed in film and/or TV is very hard to watch, it's tragic and infuriating). The vampiress who helps kill the others was called 'humble' as if being confident vampiress was evil in itself (the spectrum between arrogance and humility is complicated, and it's sad when a woman is being confident it's seen as 'monstrous'; plus, an 'overconfident' woman is a refreshing as society tries to beat into women to be 'humble and submissive'). She is sometimes killed, like the one vampiress in Vamp U, in sexual or intimate moments, suggesting her seductive nature was also her greatest 'weakness' and led to 'brave men' killing the 'monster'. The Vampiress should be portrayed as the intelligent, seductive, and cunning figure she is. Drinking blood to survive and using her supernatural gifts to defeat such men (and given) and women who seek the slaughter of her and those like her. But also, to use her gifts to achieve not only her survival but her to thrive in life. She would act on her sexual desires and her need for blood, but not kill those unless they are such men who seek her death and those like her.

The She-Wolf/Werewolf- This has similarities to the others (obviously most with the Vampiress) yet is unique in its own way. Stories of werewolves and other shapeshifting beings have existed since humanity painted and drew on cave walls. The werewolf is one of the most infamous of supernatural beings and one of the most feared. A being nigh unstoppable and more ferocious than perhaps almost any known supernatural being. The apex of apex predators, the ultimate hunter, and perhaps the perfect predators. Tied with the woman, this makes the she-wolf a mystic, primal force of nature. Lately, the wolf is linked with desire and one's 'animal nature'/'the beast within'. Such things are considered evil and inhuman, that one is capable of becoming a beast is seen as possibly the greatest evil or one of the greatest. The werewolf is so often to be killed and usually is, but it's presented as an almost impossible task given the superhuman resilience of the lycanthrope and the utter carnage of which one can unleash. When in human form, the woman has some of her bestial traits, including hypersexual and aggressive tendencies. The wolf is supposed to be linked with a girl's/woman's 'coming of age' or linking with her sexual nature. (Ex. in Ginger Snaps, where the main/title character becomes a werewolf and she explores and revels in her heightened sexual desire and acts on her anger. To only later, sadly, to be killed by the one she loved most.) But the wolf is also could be seen as the woman's most 'corrupt part', the being who acts on pure desire and hunger, without 'reason'. Given the sense, it's 'mindless'. But women, like wolves, are meant to run wild and free. Wolves are ferocious when they need to be and act for the survival and happiness of themselves and those they care for. The werewolf also shouldn't be presented as something evil, rather a being whose duality helps sets free and strengthens both the person and the wolf. With women, to be free to act on desire and to be confident in their hunger and strength is something that should truly be manifested. The She-Wolf/Werewolf should present a woman who either becomes a werewolf or already is one that shows women that being free to act on their desire and being so ferocious and powerful that practically none can stand in one's way of what they desire and to make all those who try to go after them realize that they would be/are overwhelmed by the sheer strength and will of the woman, along with the ferocity and protective instinct of the wolf. (As with it, the beast within makes the woman stronger by both existing in harmony rather than trying to suppress/control the beast.)

(Well, I hope this was thought-provoking and something to consider that maybe/possibly could or should happen with the most misunderstood female tropes and/or archetypes. With also possibly presenting new perspectives on how women's lives could be. (Sorry if I'm making too big of a deal out of this. I just really wanted to write this and felt it needed to be said. Y'all stay safe and let me know what y'all think.)