It's hilarious how many didn't comprehend that a woman was asking about a good firearm for herself. "Why, you gotta get that little woman a pipsqueak 2000!" Come on guys, it's the 2020's and women can shoot the same guns as men... (Some of you did give good reasons for recommending a smaller firearm. I'm not referring to you guys.)
What tweaks are considered mandatory? I think someone forgot to send me that memo... Mine has a small grip panel, Talon Grips grip tape, 92-style decocking levers (decock only) and a Tru-Glo front sight. The only one of these that I would consider near mandatory would be the grip tape ($25, international shipping included), or another way to make the grip a bit less slippery.
My girlfriend's very favouritest of handguns is still, to this day, the one she bought first - an all-steel, 5", .45ACP 1911. (Loaded with full power 230gr ammo.) So I don't know about outliers - I have a suspicion that some women just tend to have great taste in firearms. And in my limited experience, as new shooters women tend to be more accurate than men. (Men on the other hand tend to be faster in timed drills.)