Why can't programs with female lead characters be aimed at men/boys too?

Maisy! DS2 likes maisy, thanks for the reminder

Oh yes, they liked Maisy Mouse too.

The Tom Hanks animated Christmas film with the train - Christmas Express or something? The "lead" or main character is a boy but the little girl who finds a way to include the poor and inspire the sceptical - what a strong character she is! I think there is a hint at the end, too, that she is a future president.

Polar Express? My boys enjoyed that too.

My boys loved Peppa Pig and ds1 liked Dora the Explorer. Both of them like The Sarah Jane Adventures too.

Hunted with Melissa George. Crackin'.

NCG, I love Homeland and Claire Danes but it's co-led rather than female led, I'd say. Still, there's no reasonable way Brodie could be a woman, so I'll let them off . Definite Bechdel Test pass too.

I think mixed co-leads may be more common for general appeal, Friends for example.

I never saw My So-Called Life, was that aimed at both genders?

Did everyone apart from me realise Peppa was female before they started watching it?

What about the tv series Once Upon a Time? The main characters are mainly female and all the female characters are strong in my opinion.

Yes, Peppa Pig as another poster said. My son and daughter both love it. I am so happy it became a huge success to slap it up CBeebies (they were pitched it and turned it down if I remember).

The Descent is a great film with an almost 100% female cast.

The Tom Hanks animated Christmas film with the train - Christmas Express or something? The "lead" or main character is a boy but the little girl who finds a way to include the poor and inspire the sceptical - what a strong character she is! I think there is a hint at the end, too, that she is a future president.

Tracey Beaker? Know nothing about it except its name.

The Sarah Jane Adventures - lead character was female and over 60. It was a spin-off from a series with a male lead, but I think it built up enough of its own following to count.

I guess it links in with the Bechdel test, and the fact that men routinely see their reality reflected back at them when they watch a movie or TV, but women rarely do.

And another tenuous link is the fact the JK Rowling used her initials back when she was an unknown - boys wouldn't want to read a book by a woman; all sorts of assumptions would have been made as to the content of the book. And then 3 of the 4 leads were boys. Luckily the girl has the most gumption. :)

DS (3) and DD (2) both love Dora in equal measures. Shame they felt obliged to come up with Diego to make it that bit more palatable for boys

My dd loved Wolfblood (on CBBC) She said that everyone in her class watched it, I know there were 2 leads but I think it was the main female character and her best friend that were the actual "leads".

Looking at the DVD packaging (i.e. the way it was marketed): season 1 - black vest top, and not cropped, no cleavage; season 2 - sensible black 3/4 sleeved top; season 3 - sensible black 3/4 sleeved top; season 4 - high-necked sleeveless top; season 5 - tiny bit of cleavage, I suppose; season 6 - v-necked top but no cleavage; season 7 - not cropped and no cleavage but this is the only image I feel a bit about as her top is cut quite low at the back and she's doing that silly looking-back-over-shoulder-at-the-camera pose.

Claire Danes in "Stardust". Aimed at everyone!

Well anything with Claire Danes in it is fine by me.

Googled Buffy = no cleavage/legs photos in first 7 pages. Gud because I am (still) trying to get dd into Buffy and she would not approve of salaciousness. At all.

Google also ranks and reranks by popularity - I can believe that the more revealing images are clicked on out of proportion to their frequency inthe series.

I can't remember any gratuitous skimpiness in Buffy, she was a very strong female character.

Joss Whedon said "The very first mission statement of the show was the joy of female power: having it, using it, sharing it."

Second page of results (this is on mobile so fewer results to a page) - one cleavage shot, plus one wearing a jacket with nothing underneath - so combined cleavage + cropped, I suppose. But it's not an image from the series and not one I remember seeing in the publicity; it looks rather like an unrelated photo shoot Sarah Michelle Gellar did.

Since you ask, Google image search for Buffy, first page of results - no cleavage shots, no cropped tops, one short (not tight) skirt.

Gah! Although maybe not at this time of year; in the summer when we are closer to a Californian climate.

Although did Buffy wear short skirts?

Look at a random selection of teenage girl, see how many cropped tops/short skirts there are. Altho

Frances McDormand again in Burn After Reading.

Claire Daines in Homeland, the best drama currently on UK TV. Her character, Carrie Mathison, is not without her issues, but that is what makes her so powerful. Her and Damian Lewis' characters are absolutely outstanding.