Ms. Kubelik may be the most tragic figure on our list. She's manipulated, handed off, and ultimately saved by a guy far weaker than she. But in context: She's the quintessential stuck woman.

If we're using movies as our guide through history, "good-girls" are also virtuous brides, which means a lot of nay saying on the girl's part. Not only is this Ms. Kubelik "worldly" (that's code) but she's got an eye on advancement and grasps the reality that, if soul-sucking, the game is hers to play.

"Is a girl that's been going around with a fellow for a reasonable length of time supposed to go to the bed with him or not?"

Strong-willed, Eileen is tireless. She withdraws with shock when her hot-headed brother defends her, and fights back when he rejects her pleas for advice. She stands with dignity even after she's been rejected and speaks quite directly about the injustice of her position. Moreover, she's out to relieve herself of her status as an "amateur" (again, that's code). And in that pursuit, she's certainly proactive.

So here's the first of two math problems: According to Eileen, boys are asking and presumably not always getting turned down. According to her brother, the girls you marry say "no." What's Q.E.D. on that one?