All students have that moment where you lay in bed trying to get motivated to start the day, a day filled with classes, deadlines and feeling like everyone else has their lives together and you don’t. When I am feeling this way, I enjoy watching shows or movies that get me feeling inspired – a personal favourite is watching legally blonde, especially when Elle leaves the party and decides to officially lock in on law school instead of Warner. Maybe of the characters you can inspire to be like, some can be relatable characters to see yourself in and maybe some can just ignite that motivation in you.
Never have I ever: Devi Vishwakumar
‘Hey gods, it’s Devi Vishwakumar, your favourite Hindu girl in San Fernando Valley. What’s a-poppin’?’ – Devi Vishwakumar
Devi is one of the most promising students in her class. Devi is authentically herself, she is chaotic and loud and makes a fool of herself being caught up in gossip and drama at every turn. Despite this, Devi remains dedicated to her studies and her goal of attending Princeton. Never have I ever has such charm and is a really great watch, so while being inspired by Devi its also a great escape from studying! Devi displays how it’s okay to be a little chaotic, we can’t all be the academic clean girl type. We all serve a little bit of the duality of Devi Vishwakumar sometimes there’s nothing wrong with that!
Legally Blonde: Elle Woods
‘If I’m gonna be a partner in a law firm by the time I’m 30, I’m going to need a boyfriend who’s not such a complete bonehead.’ – Elle Woods
Elle Woods is a typical girlie girl, she’s blonde, she wears pink at every opportunity and she’s her sorority president. A heartbreak sets Elle on a path to Harvard law and world that doesn’t embrace her, Elle is a fish out of water. Elle learns how to play the game of law school while never changing who she is, by the end of the movie she’s still the girly pink loving girl she always was – she’s now just got a law degree on her bedazzled belt. Elle shows us that we don’t have to lose femininity to be taken serious in academic fields and just because you don’t fit societies idea of a career doesn’t mean you shouldn’t chase it.
Greys Anatomy: Lexie Grey
‘You think that you are so badass cause you lived. I’m the reason that you lived’ – Lexie Grey
Lexie, joins the hospital as an intern however her start there doesn’t go smoothly, she feels isolated from her peers and at times overwhelmed. Even though Lexie is struggling socially and in her personal life she continues to stay committed to her job, studying and keeps trying. Lexie is a great example of sometimes things aren’t Pinterest perfect, and we can be struggling however we can all work through and grow from these situations. Lexie teaches us all that it’s okay to be a little lost, we can have tough patches and be overwhelmed but the important thing is to keep trying.
Hidden figures: Kathrine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson
‘We go from being our fathers’ daughters to our husbands’ wives to our babies’ mothers’ – Mary Jackson
Hidden figures is a movie based on the lives of African American women working at Nasa in the 1950/60s, the women face extreme prejudice from the people who work there and from a society that doesn’t accept them. All three women fight to be seen in the space throughout the movie: it’s an emotional, tough journey and at times a hard watch. This movie is an insight into how things have been for women at times throughout history in academic and career spaces. The movies highlights the inspiration of these women and how they fought at a time when the only choice to get what they wanted and deserved was to fight against a system that wasn’t made for them. The women of hidden figures are a reminder that as women in academics we must keep going, to honour those who fought to get us here but also for those who didn’t have to opportunity to study and chase the careers they dreamed o
What we can learn from these women
All these women inspire audiences in different ways but also provide really good watches for viewers outwith their benefits for academic motivation. All of these projects are able to highlights the layers of women’s struggles and lives within academic fields while also giving hope to viewers and serve as role models for viewers. Throughout them all, we see that the ultimate lesson is to keep going, be ourselves and don’t give up.