The movie soon reveals that Sidney's mother was murdered years prior to the events of the film, and that Sidney has been dealing with the emotional fallout ever since. When reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) approaches her about Sidney's false testimony that put an innocent man in prison for her mother's murder, Sidney doesn't take it in stride. Instead, she punches Gale square in the face, with no apology given. With that, it's revealed that Sidney is hardly a "perfect" heroine. She is not always sweet, or respectful, or even right. Her survival in the film is not contingent on how "good" she is, but rather on how much she's willing to fight for what she wants.If there's one thing that defines a horror film, it's the characters' inability to have control over their own lives. In Scream, the masked serial killer stalking Woodsboro — and, more specifically, Sidney — threatens to take away her control over her own life. Yet Sidney proves early on that she's in command of her fate. When she finds evidence that Billy might be the killer, she turns him in. Later, when Billy finds his way back in her good graces, she decides that she's ready to have sex — and feels no shame in her decision. She is a heroine with agency, and one who feels like a real person. She has flaws, complex emotions, and the ability to make mistakes. What she never allows herself to become is a victim of her circumstances.This dynamic is further exemplified in the the Scream franchise's three sequels. Sidney goes to college, and later becomes a women's crisis counselor and self-help book author — all while simultaneously dealing with a serial killer who demands complete sway over her life. Yet, even as the bodies pile up, Sidney never lets the killer win. She is the heroine of her own story — the terrible things that happen to her don't steal that fact away.Sidney reminds women that there's no right way to be a heroine, or a "good woman," for that matter. This Final Girl has agency, and though we may never be hunted by Ghostface, Sidney is still a role model for women who unapologetically fight to have authority over their own lives.