Why Movies About Girlhood Aren't Just Entertainment
Clueless
Twilight
Pretty Woman
The Notebook
Legally Blonde
Mean Girls
And so many more….
As girls and women, these movies have become sort of a religion. We can recite the lines, copy the outfits, and rewatch the films over and over. But its not just about being entertained, its about a connection to girlhood that sustains our mental, emotional and spiritual energies. Sometimes even our sanity.
Girlhood or Womanhood is both a culture and an act of rebellion. Its the collective experience of women that encapsulates our hopes, obstacles, criticisms, joy and values. In its rebellion we celebrate what society rejects and labels as frivolous, delusional, excessive, foolish and immoral.
The need for this world we’ve created is shown in how the practices and lifestyles of women have a history of being demonized and criminalized.
In 1547 a “gossiping proclamation” was passed in England at a time when authorities were concerned that women sharing stories could potentially challenge the status quo and support their independence. Men were encouraged to keep their wives and daughters inside the house.
During the 19th and 20th centuries in America, women were given lobotomies and/or thrown into psych wards, diagnosed with hysteria for expressing extreme emotion, practicing sexual freedom, even for things like having hot flashes or chest pains.
Women were burned at the stake for not following society norms.
In 1918 Black women in Greeneville, South Carolina were banned from being housewives because white women did not have enough help in their own homes.
And of course just recently, the right to abortion has been overturned.
Oppressive measures like these are systemic attacks on how women choose what is most healthy and joyful for our wellbeing. Whether that be rest, freedom over our bodies, the ability to shape life around us, setting boundaries that define society, or taking our own flawed paths to self actualization.
Movies like the ones I mentioned above are a representations of these experiences, shown through a pop culture feminine lens. This layering I believe is why these stories resonate so deeply with this generation.
The culture of girlhood expresses itself in the way we take our individual and collective experiences and cope with them through our feminine energies and/or things that are viewed as traditionally feminine. These symbols in culture allow us to cope and indulge in our own joy to uplift us as we explore our trials of life.
For example, Pretty Woman is more than just a glitzy love story between a sex worker and a wealthy business man. Its the journey of a woman and her relationship with her own self worth, overcoming past and current abuse, alchemizing old narratives about her value and potential then eventually choosing herself. The penthouse, shopping spree and red curly hair goals add a level of pleasure and fun, reflecting our aspirations which often serves as catalysts for these very human transformative journeys that I am speaking of.
Legally Blonde isnt just a cute comedy about a woman going to law school to get her boyfriend back. Its a story about how we can create our own heartbreaks in order to propel us into new and more empowered versions of ourselves.
The Notebook, our favorite romance story that’ll probably make you cry more than any other is deeply about the journey of a girl into a woman choosing the life she wants for herself. Because women know how the men we choose shape our emotional bodies, finances, comfort, freedoms and access to happiness.
And Clueless is more than a story about a rich popular girl being disillusioned while living her Beverly Hills lifestyle. Its about a girl who highly values the art of fashion, being a good friend and experiencing the romance she deserves, finding a way to express these priorities in a way reflects the maturity she is evolving into.
What might seem unrealistic and excessive to some is what actually gives us the balance of healthy or sometimes even over the top self care. But the point is, life is over the top and complicated. Girlhood understands the importance of softness, care, fun and decadence (when possible) as fuel while surviving through life’s harsh lessons.
These movies mirror our duality. The culture of girlhood is the space in which we transition through very real and heavy life experiences that are natural to the human experience while prioritizing beauty, fun, softness (when we can) and connection.