The Four Girls of Adventure and Peril

There are four basic female archetypes in perilous adventure art and fiction:  the damsel in distress, the heroine, the villainous dominatrix and the useless henchwoman.  Contrary to the unnatural aspirations of modern feminism, all of them are sexual.
The fair "damsel in distress" is the oldest and most common of the four. Her appeal is in that she is a helpless female in desperate need of aggressive, masculine prowess.
The "heroine" is an independent women who must be wooed and wowed.  She stands for something and fights for what she believes in.  Often, to make her more appealing to our male-dominated society, she is captured and rendered helpless... made a "damsel in distress."  Ironically, women generally prefer a female character to be humbled, even if they excuse the notion as showing women as mistreated.
The villainous dominatrix is a woman who acts according to her whims and passions.  Even if she fights for a cause, it is because she is aroused to do so.  Women like her for her independence.  Men are thrilled by her because she is intimidating.  Often, she is subdued and humiliated.  Her shame is accentuated by her previous arrogance.  Once conquered, however, her comeliness swiftly fades.
The useless henchwoman is the rarest archetype of the four.  She is the helpless and useless "damsel in distress" but on the side of villainy.  Because she is an antagonist, no hero comes to her rescue.  Even if not evil herself, she is a minion of evil, thus, she is fair game to be humiliated and destroyed.  She is the object of hostile affection; a woman to be exploited with impunity.  She is plentiful and readily available.  She is expendable to those who command her and a nuisance to those who assail her.  Her appeal is that of a sex object to be indulged upon, even if indirectly.  She can be enjoyed without commitment or responsibility. She is for others to do with as they please.
It could be argued that there are "exceptions" to my list of four archetypes, but such an argument is inaccurate.  The "exceptions" are simply one of the four in the guise of another.  Yes, sometimes an archetype may switch itself to another, but then it is the other, thus, still one of the four.