Xena was the kind of heroine no one had really seen on TV for a long time, if ever. Sure, the show was campy, and with her whip and Betty Paige bangs, she pinged a few fetish bells, but she also kicked ass unapologetically. This was an awesome action hero who happened to be a lady—something that’s still rare and precious. Just seeing her on television was empowering and inspiring for girls and women everywhere, and Xena became an instant sensation. The runaway success of the warrior princess blazed a trail for all the Buffys, Sydney Bristows, Starbucks, and Peggy Carters that would follow by proving how awesome, and successful, a female hero could be.
Pretty much how we felt during that emotionally exhausting day of Xena: Warrior Princess fandom.
