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Women in Money Heist

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Money Heist is a show that focuses primarily on a group of robbers and their heists. It features several female characters who play significant roles in the story. The robbers are not all men, with female robbers portrayed as intelligent, strong and crucial members of the heist team who can and are able to take charge and authority whenever they want.


Tokyo serves as the show's narrator and is one of the main characters. Even though the mastermind of the heist is the professor, Tokyo carries us through the show with her thoughts. She is given a central role in storytelling. Tokyo is independent, strong willed and a resourceful character. She practices her authority when needed, is there for her group and does not back down. Her emotional past does not make her a meek character, instead she tries to make a life for herself. Her strength is unbeatable and she is literally not afraid of anything. Even till the end she fights instead of backing down.


Lisbon (Raquel Murillo) is an inspector who initially attempts to bring the heist crew down, she eventually becomes an ally to the group and plays a pivotal role in executing their plans. She is shown to be a very intelligent and adaptable woman. Her knowing all the plans alongside the professor gives her a strong position. Her joining the heist shows her determination to fight for what she believes in. Having no experience in carrying out crimes, she is still shown to be super skilled and brave enough to take a part despite knowing the consequences.



Nairobi is also a key member of the heist crew. She is strong and determined. She is also skilled at counterfeiting money. She is not afraid to take risks and challenge men. We also have Stockholm's character who begins as a hostage and eventually falls in love with one of the robbers. She becomes an active participant in the heist. She contributes her knowledge of the inner workings of the bank. Her ability to start a new life, breaking away from the (harasser) father of her child, shows her personal growth. As someone initially shown as a weak character, she is able to get herself together and take a role in the heist.





















Lastly, let's not forget how Alicia Sierra while being pregnant is able to find the professor all by herself, without the need of a team or a man. She is able to do what no one could and that too all alone!





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Rania Bakhtiari
Rania Bakhtiari
Jun 22, 2023

I really liked reading this blog!

It provides such an accurate representation of the woman in Money Heist. For sure, the female characters in Money Heist represent pure intelligence and resilience and challenge various traditional gender stereotypes. Each female character brings her own uniqueness and strength to their character, Nairobi, who is unafraid to take any risks, Tokyo, who is absolutely fearless; even Alicia, who, despite being pregnant, is shown to be highly determined and finds the professor on her own just as you mentioned in your blog.

I believe showing Stockholm as someone who escaped her abusive husband also shows strength.

However, just as you mentioned, her character was also associated with her love interest, yet I still believe…

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25020161
Jun 23, 2023
Replying to

yes, love how they are fearless and the show is breaking stereotypical representation of women.

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Really enjoyed reading this blog, almost makes me want to watch the show. It is quite refreshing to see a strong willed and independent female representation. What struck me the most was the fact that these women were represented as their own person as in they were not necessarily associated with a man who would make them realise their true potential or their calling but rather they completely take their decisions on their own which portrays the strength of their character. Even though as you mentioned, Stockholm fell in love with one of the robbers and joins the heist but that does not define her journey. She has an entire story of self growth and how she managed to come…

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25020161
Jun 22, 2023
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Yes you are right, everyone had their own reasons for joining the heist and no one needed a guy to make them realise their true potential!

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Khadija Nasir
Khadija Nasir
Jun 22, 2023

I loved the post! I agree with your point on female representation in the show. I found many instances of there being powerful portrayals of feminine power, but I also found a a lot of sexism that was present and allowed to slide. This did not surprise me when I saw that most of the writers for this show were male. Some instances I disliked were the scene where they compared women to cars, Tokyo being compared to a Maserati, and Monica's portrayal and story arch.I disliked She was a hostage that was seen to fall in love with one of the band members and later ran away with him. There was also an instance of discussing her pregnancy while…

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25020161
Jun 22, 2023
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I do agree with the sexism part and the sexist comments that were made. I personally also had a problem with that. I agree that the writers room should have had more women, sexism definitely becomes a problem when the script is written by men. These were a lot of problems with the male characters but I feel like all the women regardless, were so strong and never held back by sexist comments which were so unnecessary and extremely problematic.

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Alina Tahir
Jun 21, 2023

A fun read! I think by portraying female characters as integral members of the heist team, the show also sends a powerful message about women's abilities and their capacity for leadership and strategic thinking. As we’ve discussed in class it is equally important to see diverse representations that reflect the reality that women can contribute in various fields, including those typically associated with male dominance.

I haven't watched the entire show but your analysis did remind me of one of my most favourite movies Ocean's Eight which is a female centric take on oceans 11 and it also focuses on women leading a heist, something that I really like about that movie is the representation of women from various backgrounds…

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25020161
Jun 22, 2023
Replying to

Yes, I love Ocean's Eight! and I loved how women of different colors were shown to be equally skilled and capable of leading a heist!

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Great post! I agree with a lot of your points and definitely can see the importance of female representation here; a lot of these characters come across really strong, independent, and crucial to the team, which I really appreciated. Here, women can excel in unconventional and high-stakes scenarios, navigate complex situations, make tough decisions, and assert their authority, so it definitely challenges gender norms,

That said, I would like to criticize the show a little bit. While the female characters are portrayed as intelligent and strong, there are instances where they still conform to traditional gender roles. The romantic relationships the women are in can sometimes undermine their individual agency and their roles in the heist. Tokyo's individuality is initially…

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25020161
Jun 22, 2023
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Thank you for this, I do agree with Nairobi's past not being explored properly but then other male characters such as Helsinki etc were also not discussed in detail. I think they chose to focus on some characters only. Tokyo and Raquel however, I feel like are very strong characters who did not need anyone. For example, Raquel actively chose to be a part and not just because of the professor. When we see Rio breaking open the ceiling to save Tokyo's life, that shows Tokyo being emotional but she does not then just leave everything to try to escape or she is not too overpowered by her emotions, she still remembers why she joined the heist and remains strong…

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