Katie is an activist, wholly dedicated to tackling the injustice of the world and unafraid of the "powers that be." She's a fighter. She's hardworking and and unstoppable -- until, of course, she marries Robert Redford. Then, like some others on this list, she's confronted with a need to choose between her relationship and her convictions. At first, this makes her look so very strong, even somewhat victorious, but the story's more complicated than "Boy Tames Girl," and so the "happy" ending is that much more bittersweet.

Though her role in this film was more catalyst than character, The Seven-Year Itch features Monroe's single most iconic moment. Her ability to skate the line between virgin and vixen, defamer and dilettante was the magic of Monroe. Most of the time, you couldn't tell which side she played for. Ironically, it's in this film that so famously showed her "bearing all" that we look back and talk about how she remains mysterious. Perhaps it's proof that sex isn't the only weapon in the arsenal. Or it's proof that marital stability isn't so permanent, for just after the studios erected the neon version of up-skirted Monroe her then husband Joe DiMaggio famously filed for divorce.