(French: “fatal woman”) a seductive and beautiful woman who brings disaster to anyone with whom she becomes romantically involved… The femme fatale has been dismissed as a sexist figure of male fantasy but also defended as a subversive character who transgresses women’s limited social opportunities. She is a stock character who embodies many negative tropes about women, but she is also multifaceted and complex. Her intelligence is as essential to the archetype as her beauty. It is her conniving and ambition that often drives plots. (Brittanica.com)
If you look for books about her, you’ll find the femme fatale being characterized as the “dark” feminine. So, what is this dark feminine?
Are women (any person, really) just one or the other? Or are we all these things and more?
My list of Femme Fatale characteristics (this will grow and change as I do):
- Aware of her inherent worth as a woman and as a person
- Smart without resorting to cleverness
- Practices daily self-care
- Knows herself, knows that she is always evolving, and has an ever-unfolding plan for that evolution
- Considerate and kind without being submissive
- Discrete, tending toward mysterious
- Does NOT gossip or complain
- Has a certain “je ne sais quoi” – that she has refined to reflect her unique essence
- Dresses appropriately (no pajamas in public and no dressing like a teenager)
- Is well-groomed, but doesn’t worry about perfection
- Prioritizes the important over the urgent
- Acts like a lady in public… and something else in private (wink, wink)
- Disagrees with or wants to learn more about at least one item on this list
I tend to think of my femme fatale persona as my secret identity. She is more than a scary stock character or a list of traits – she is a complete woman who embodies all these characteristics and more, as appropriate. Neither light nor dark. Certainly not scary. Just herself. Find out more here.
Femme Fatale over 50 