Girl power is a strong sentiment, showing up in all forms of current art and entertainment, from the plethora of "we are women, hear us roar" pop songs to the wildly successful female-directed film Wonder Woman. And The Young and the Restless' Hilary Curtis is an example of female empowerment for daytime audiences.
The character began her journey into serious girl power back in 2016, transforming into a headstrong, no-nonsense businesswoman not afraid to go after exactly what she wants. And believe it or not, her self-assertiveness was initially a bit scary for portrayer Mishael Morgan.
"When I first heard that Hilary was going to be a little bit more driven, I was taken back a bit. I was like, ‘Well, I don't want anyone to hate me!'" she says with a laugh. "The good girl inside of me was like, I want everyone to love me,' and the thought of fighting for power seemed bad."
However, the actress quickly changed her tune once she began delving deep into her alter ego's change of attitude.
"I suddenly realized, why is it bad for women to be strong and to be powerful and demand what they want?" she shares. "If it was a man, it wouldn't be an issue, and a male actor would not feel the way I was feeling. So it made me embrace my power as a woman."
Morgan is loving the journey, and the writers must be, too, because Hilary is just getting started.
"She's not going to give up on the power hunting," Morgan teases. "She wants her power, and she is going to get it. And nobody is going to stand in her way!"
Do you think Hilary is a good example of a strong female television character? How would you define a strong woman? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
