5. Lizzy McGuire was a staple pop culture icon for me. Not because I actually watched the show, but more importantly because I’ve always been able to simply name drop her in order to make myself seem relevant among a younger audience. Lizzy McGuire was eventually replaced with Hannah Montana, and most recently Selena Gomez. [Editor’s Note: Yes, Lizzy McGuire was 2000-2004, but let’s throw Hilary Duff a bone shall we? Times are rough.]
4. Velma 
Dinkley is the original heroine of the series Scooby Doo, but she was unfortunately overshadowed by the misogynistic male fantasy of female espionage (commonly known as Daphne). Often found hunting crime alone, Velma represented independence and intellect – despite the fact that she was constantly losing her high-prescription glasses.
3. Kimmy Gibbler from Full House has been the most influential Caucasian in my life. Not only has she taught me the value of mismatching fabric patterns and a complete disregard for personal space, but she has also been an inspiring role model when it comes to the use of scrunchies. In fact, I still use scrunchies to hold my hair back when I wash my face at night.
2. Rachel Crawford (more famously known as Aunt Rachel) from Family Matters is arguably one of the most overlooked feminist icons of the 90s. In addition to being a single-parent, she single-handedly made side-bangs and shoulder pads an acceptable fashion statement for women over the age of 40. And if you thought Carrie Bradshaw was the trail blazer for dating culture in America, you obviously haven’t seen the episode where Aunt Rachel goes on a date with someone from church. Thanks to Aunt Rachel, my dating statistics among men of God have increased by 37 percent.
1. Jesse Spano is the all-time feminist who has taught me about the consequences of overdosing on caffeine pills (I didn’t even know what a consequence was until her girl-group performance was cancelled at The Max). She is also living proof that perms were a cultural standard that ruined the independence of young teens all over the United States, not to mention the fact that perms look terrible on ethnic people. Me and Jada Pinket learned that the hard way (that was pre-Will Smith obviously). I guess there are some occasions where you simply can’t be Saved by The Bell.
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Yesss! Great post! I wrote a post on my website sometime back called “The Pathos of Kimmy Gibler,” about how under appreciated not just female heroines, but female sidekicks always are. Gibler is better than Fonzie, in my book. Good to know others feel the same!