Diane Sawyer anchors “ABC World News” weekday evenings. Sawyer’s multifaceted career began when she edited the newspaper at Seneca High School, near Louisville, Kentucky. As a teenager, she was also a beauty pageant winner. A graduate of Wellesley College, Sawyer’s first TV job was as a Louisville weather forecaster. Soon she was promoted to the rank of general assignment reporter. Listless, in 1970 she moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked in Richard Nixon’s White House press office. In 1978, Sawyer joined CBS News, and in 1984 became the first female “60 Minutes” reporter. After five years on that newsmagazine she moved to ABC, eventually becoming co-host of “Good Morning America.”

Megyn Kelly is a weekday anchor on the Fox News Channel, and provides commentary for Fox’s primetime shows. Kelly was a standout athlete and cheerleader in high school, a period during which she endured loss: her father died when she was fifteen. Kelly graduated from Albany Law School, and she practiced law for several years before becoming a reporter at an ABC station in Washington, D.C. Her specialty there was the Supreme Court, and legal news remains Kelly’s forte at Fox.

The current female co-anchor of “Good Morning America” may be today’s most inspiring news anchor, male or female. Robin Roberts first gained attention in her native Pass Christian, Mississippi – at Pass Christian High School she was an outstanding basketball player and 1979′s salutatorian. After attending Southeastern Louisiana University, she became a sportscaster for a Mississippi TV station. She worked at a few TV stations in the South until, in 1990, she earned an on-air spot at the Holy Grail of TV sports, the cable channel ESPN. Roberts began reporting for “Good Morning America” in 1995, and she was named co-anchor of that broadcast in 2005. Two years later, Roberts was diagnosed with breast cancer. In 2012, she learned she had myelodysplastic syndrome. Roberts continues to struggle with the latter disease, and she continues to exhibit grace and courage on television.

When it comes to role models, look no further than the famous Pepper Potts of the Iron Man trilogy. In Iron Man 3, billionaire genius playboy philanthropist Tony Stark is running off the rails, and Pepper is doing an amazing job of being supportive while also looking after herself while doing some serious damage to the bad guys as well.

If you are looking for something a little more active, consider Hansel and Gretel, which admittedly is not deep on the plot, but still fairly impressive when it comes to the depiction of Gretel. Gretel and her brother dealt with witches when they were children, and now as adults, they hunt them.

Though the first reports are dubious World War Z will be out later this year, and you can find plenty of role models as the human race tries to fight against extinction. From women who want to protect their families to amazing pilots, this movie can be amazingly uplifting.

1. Winter’s Bone, directed by Debra Granik. Jennifer Lawrence received an Academy Award for playing the central character, a young girl looking for her father.
2. The Kids Are All Right, directed by Lisa Cholodenko. This Oscar-nominated movie stars Annette Bening and Julianne Moore as a couple whose children go looking for their birth father.
3. Bend It Like Beckham, directed by Gurinder Chadha. This is a rare female-centric sports movie, about an Indian girl who loves playing soccer.
4. Fish Tank, directed by Andrea Arnold. Another coming-of-age movie about an angry, rebellious girl in the United Kingdom who finds a love for hip-hop dance.
5. Clueless, directed by Amy Heckerling. One of the most entertaining romantic comedies, this modern, teenage adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma starred Alicia Silverstone as a relentless matchmaker who figures out everyone’s love life but her hown.

Cedar Rapids is one that falls into this category. The comedy has a rather cheesy storyline regarding a insurance salesman who goes to a national convention and discovers things aren’t as picture perfect as he once thought. The other sales reps that he encounters bring the film to life. There were times when the film seemed dry, however humor was right around the corner when one would least suspect it.

The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn is yet another film that many people get guilty pleasures from watching. The love between Edward and Bella surpasses all obstacles, he is a vampire afterall. There is also drama that comes into play because of his rivalry with Jacob who is also after Bella’s heart. The film seems to put this to rest as Edward and Bella are finally married and have a child. Most people are secretly team Edward or Team Jacob even thought they may not choose to admit it.

Joni Mitchell

This Canadian songstress produced simply beautiful songs that defined a generation during the Woodstock era. Her album ‘Blue’ has been named as one of the greatest of all-time, exploring issues like relationships with honest lyrics and unexpected melodies using the piano, dulcimer and guitar.

Ani DiFranco

DiFranco is a fingerpicking prodigy when it comes to guitar, with pipes that can belt out fierce ballads while also being tender and warm in transcendental confessional pieces. Her songs run the gamut from political rants to tributes to motherhood and will appeal to any woman with a beating heart and an ear for good music.

Carole King

If you have somehow managed to get through life without hearing Ms. King’s powerful voice, chances are you have heard one of the many hits she wrote for other artists. King was the woman behind hits like Aretha Franklin’s ‘(You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman,’ the Chiffons’ ‘One Fine Day,’ Celine Dion’s ‘The Reason’ and ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow,’ recorded by the Shirelles, Joe Walsh, Smokey Robinson and others. Keep looking, there’s more: A Natural Woman: A Memoir, By Carole King

Cardigans can be an excellent choice when paired with a tee shirt and tailored pants for a business casual look. Having a variety of dresses for different seasons is a good idea. Solid color sweater dresses are flattering during the fall and winter months. Pair them with boots and a necklace for a stunning look. During the summer months consider choosing softer colored sleeveless dresses. A pair of flats and a sweet cardigan create a flawless look.

If heels hurt your feet, there are plenty of fashionable flats that are all the rage. Flats are a great choice in footwear for young business professionals. Available in a multitude of colors, flats work with pants, skirts and dresses. Accessories can also be used to break up a solid color outfit. Scarves are a trendy accessory to consider wearing during the fall and winter months.

One of the funniest wedding movies to watch with girlfriends is Bridesmaids. Almost any girl can relate to the best friend competition and fighting while preparing for a big wedding. This movie is hysterical and will have every woman in the room clutching her belly in laughter. It is a movie that enforces the fact that through years of friendship, jealousy and crazy events women can always stay friends in the end. Another great wedding film to add to the list is 27 dresses. This is another great film about weddings but is less of a funny film and more of a film dealing with male and female relationships.

While first person shooters above all other genres have a tendency to become masculine testosterone fests, adventure games and roleplaying games have been keeping female gamers in mind since the 1990s. Recent adventure games such as Uncharted and Assassin’s Creed have managed a fast-paced feel without any overt misogyny, and roleplaying games such as the critically acclaimed Mass Effect series, Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age and Demon Souls have all attempted to give woman gamers an equally adept female main character to play.Is this new to you? Catch up here

While strong female characters are few and far between, progress is being made as female gamers vote with their dollars. The most recent additions to the Final Fantasy series, 13 and 13-2, featured strong and uncompromising female characters that became quite popular. In a series as long-lived and entrenched in gamer culture as Final Fantasy, it can be considered a sign of the times. Even Bioware was surprised at the positive fan response that the female version of Shepard in Mass Effect received. However, the battle is not won and it is now more important than ever for female gamers to make their opinions heard.