I believe Lara Croft is a mixture of both of these as she has strong qualities about her where she is independent, strong and unique. However i think her image is constructed for a male audience, as most action and adventure films are targeted at a male audience especially as this film started out as a video game which is also a male dominated area as it said men play video games more than women.
The first scene shows Lara Croft in her action role showing Independence, strong abilities, athletic and flexibility, however there are alot of shots that show fragmentation shots especially focusing on her thighs, hips, legs, torso and facial expression.
Looking at the film there are scenes that are in there purely for the pleasure of a male audience. For example the scene where Lara Croft is in the shower it shows her washing her hair and caressing her body, this scene does not drive the narrative forward in anyway but is there for a male audience satisfaction. After this scene she walks off and drops her towel where you see the side of her breast which is put in there for the exact same reasons however this scene is in there for a little part as the butler offers her a dress and she says no however in the end you see her in one where she shows he femininity.
However even though her character is represented as Strong and independent and quite a masculanised woman she still has stereotypical feminine qualities such as she does the quest just for her Dad as he didn't complete it. This shows the family element of the character and also she wants to use the powers to bring back her Dad to have more time spent with him. Also she uses her power to bring back the man she loves.
However i believe she is more of a feminist icon for people to look up to as she is independent, Strong, loving and she tries to do the right thing. However i do believe that the film is constructed for a male audience as her image is so closely constructed where she is in tiny shorts, tight tank top, she is skinny with big boobs which goes with some men's fantasies.
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