Amelia, the biopic of the famous aviator and Hilary Swank’s latest bid for Oscar gold, comes to theaters this Friday. The story of this tough, fearless woman will be a welcome relief from the ubiquitous princess craze and dead-on-arrival romcoms like All About Steve. Some ladies want frills and bows — and good for them — but tomboys know how to make beating men at their own games look good. And while a lot of fictional tomboys have that “reveal” moment — when they let down their hair, put on some makeup and proclaim, “Hey, I can look like a pretty girl!” — we like them more in their dirty jeans, flannel shirts, and messy ponytails. “Sexy” may not be a word attached to tomboys often, but it certainly should be.
10. Jewel Staite as Kaylee Frye, Firefly
If you missed sci-fi/western Firefly (and its movie spin-off, Serenity), you wouldn’t be alone. But, as with most shows created by Joss Whedon, what Firefly lacked in ratings, it made up for with a fiercely loyal following that bemoaned how briefly they were able to know characters like Kaylee, the mechanic who could fix almost anything except her love life. River Tam may have had psychic powers and elite-assassin training, but we still think Kaylee is more kick-ass.
9. Nancy McKeon as Jo Polniaczek, The Facts of Life
Of all the girls on Facts of Life, few had an entrance as memorable as Jo’s, when she pulled up to Eastland Academy on a motorcycle and introduced herself to the girly Blair as Gloria Vanderbilt. Jo didn’t tolerate fools telling her that she wasn’t feminine enough, and while she was a victim of unfortunate de-tomboyification as the series progressed, she eventually became a police officer, which seems like a smart move for a girl who wasn’t afraid of a little confrontation.
8. Linda Cardellini as Lindsay Weir, Freaks and Geeks
A straight-A student with a thing for army jackets and flannel shirts, Lindsay Weir was one of the titular freaks, made up mostly of stoners who are now the cast of every Judd Apatow film. While she had female friends — like the geeky Millie and abrasive Kim — in truth she was just one of the guys, hanging out listening to Led Zeppelin and getting high. She may not have thrown around a ball or fixed cars, but tomboyism is a big tent and she can definitely fit in.
7. Ellen Page
You might hate Juno for its Diablo Codyisms, but it’s hard to deny the talent and charm of the film’s star. A self-identified tomboy, she spent her youth playing with action figures and climbing trees, while she’s spent her adulthood getting Oscar nominations and learning how to do all her own roller-derby stunts in Drew Barrymore’s Whip It — including a fall that would make your entire body hurt out of sympathy.
6. Sara Gilbert as Darlene Conner, Roseanne
The sardonic and athletic inverse of perky older sister Becky, Darlene evolved from sports-loving to artsy over the course of the sitcom’s life, but she never lost her brash attitude, more or less a necessity in her family. She delighted in gross-out humor and tormenting her siblings, and her main concern when she first started getting her period was whether or not she was going to start “throwing like a girl.” (Which, considering this list, hardly seems like a bad thing.)
5. Mia Hamm
She’s been called one of the most influential athletes of the nineties and into the twenty-first century, and for good reason: part of the first generation to benefit from Title IX, Hamm played in scores and scores of important and — still a sad rarity in women’s sports — well-attended games, like the ’99 Women’s World Cup. Her childhood on various Army bases is what led her to sports, which she says allowed her to bond with other girls more quickly. A better alternative than, say, bonding over your love of burn books.
4. Joan Jett
You only need to hear a few seconds of Jett’s “Bad Reputation” before you realize: this is not a woman you want to mess with. While she got her start in the all-girl punk outfit The Runaways, turning out tunes like “Cherry Bomb” and “Born to Be Bad,” she found the height of her success with the Blackhearts, and if you’ve ever been to a biker bar or sports game, you’ve probably heard at least one of their songs. A rhythm guitarist of the highest class, Jett could blow out your eardrums, drink you under the table, and take you home all in one night.
3. Katee Sackhoff as Starbuck, Battlestar Galactica
While you could probably replace her any of the other female characters on the sci-fi masterpiece, Kara “Starbuck” Thrace easily wins the honor of most badass chick in the Colonial Fleet. With gleeful swagger and a penchant for cigars, the fighter pilot drinks like a fish, isn’t afraid to punch out a superior officer, and (spoiler alert!) may or may not be a messenger from God. Later in the series, some of Starbuck’s wild behavior was toned down, but she never lost her edge both on the ground and in the sky.
2. Parminder Nagra and Kiera Knightly as Jess Bharma and Jules Paxton, Bend It Like Beckham
While they’re probably better known now for their roles in ER and Pirates of the Caribbean, these two actresses made their first big splash as a pair of Beckham-obsessed teenage soccer players. The girls’ athletic prowess and close friendship leads to more than a few allegations of lesbianism, but once they get over a small tiff about their hunky coach, they decide to stick together and leave for the U.S. to continue their sports dreams.
1. Mary Stuart Masterson as Watts, Some Kind of Wonderful
The prototypical ’80s tomboy, Watts was a tough mechanic from the wrong side of town, with a secret crush on her best friend. Watts was responsible for some fantastically detailed threats (like drumsticks to the nostrils), and Masterson played her to a tee. It shouldn’t be any surprise that her friend eventually realizes how awesome she truly is and shifts his attentions toward her. Masterson also gets bonus tomboy points for going on to play another rough-and-tumble character, Idgie Threadgoode, in the movie adaptation of Fried Green Tomatoes.