Lots of ranges have a rental wall. Go there and have her try out several different ones. Don't just pick one out, especially not a snub nosed revolver. Those really are not fun to shoot at all and if she doesn't like it she'll probably never use it. IMO, revolvers really are an experts gun. See if there is an intro class she can attend. One local range has a "ladies night" just for this kind of thing. As far as a recommendation, I say try the S&W 380EZ.

Ruger LCR. Revolvers are less prone to malfunction, and Ruger is one of the best brands out there

I would go for 9mm with high magazine capacity, an XDM perhaps.

I bought a S&W M&P 380 (not the Bodyguard) Performance Center in late 2020. Wife loves it. Finding .380 ammo kinda sucked over the last couple years, but seems to be in stock more now and not quite $1/rnd.

There's a helluva difference between .380 and .357. 9mm is probably the best do-it-all round these days. I'm firmly in the camp that says women should not use revolvers for self defense. Hell, no one should use revolvers for self defense.

S&W MP EZ is a great choice if you have trouble racking a slide. Glock 19/X, Glock 43X, and Glock 48 are good options, Springfield XDM, Hellcat, Sig P229, P320, Ruger LCP... and I'll stop there; pretty much every other manufacturer makes good pistols.

My wife carries a Glock 43 and likes it. The Sringfield Hellcat is decent too. Are you more on the revolver or the semi-auto side?

S&W MP shield 2.0 add a HiViz tritium night sight and you have a nice glowing dot no matter how bright or dark it is.

Fuck S&W. You want self defense for your lady? Get her a pocket shotgun. They are not fun to shoot, but there is no handgun with more stopping power than 45LC/.410 3 inch magnum. Granted there are only 2 shots, but each one will spit 4 disk bullets and 16 BBs, if your using PDX1 shells.

Bond arms has several flavors, and you can get pink handles.

The lcr 2? max gets good reviews. The g3c is also very nice and affordable. If you want something higher end, others made good suggestions.

Before you buy, I encourage two things. One, understand how you will carry. Purse carry is frowned upon. Especially if children are around. If you wear dresses, thigh or purse carry is likely your only options. Women's pants tend to ride high at the waist, which can make 3-9 carry difficult because of draw height; unless cross drawing. Especially on a shorter torso. If over weight, appendix carry is likely out.

Flashbang bras can be a good option, but this requires you to have tits and wear skirts or pants with a shirt or blouse you can reach under.

At any rate, if you need to purse or thigh carry, you may need to look at the really small firearms. Which can also be uncomfortable to shoot.

Oh ya, two, go try shooting some first.