Yes, that is a reference to the viral clip of Reese Witherspoon where she literally says ‘Women’s Stories Matter,” in reference to her goals of telling women’s stories through media. As much as this clip is used to joke on Twitter, it rings true on so many fronts. As a woman, watching movies and television shows entirely dedicated to the stories of women is so refreshing. It makes it even better when these media pieces are written and directed by women. When a man tries to create something relatable to women and their experiences, it most always falls flat. Women telling stories about themselves is something that shouldn’t be up for debate or struck down, it should be celebrated.
In honor of Women’s History Month, we wanted to highlight our communities favorite media pieces created by women that highlight women, as well as the women themselves. We asked our members about their favorite characters, movies, or TV shows that were written by women, and we also picked our three favorite female directors to highlight them and their work.
Women directors are becoming more and more common in the industry, yet the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences continuously refuses to acknowledge them at the Oscars. Only two women have ever won the award with only eight having been nominated. Yet I can name so many influential directors that happen to be women are ignored.
Take Ava DuVernay for example, her films are emotional and powerful as she highlights issues of race in America through films lik 13th and Selma, yet she is consistently left out of Oscars nominations or conversations, even though her films have left deep impacts on audiences.
“I love how she brings important social issues to light through her work, and I think she does a great job of telling Black stories in a way that makes them accessible to wider audiences and increases awareness of racial inequalities.”
Maryam Chingwe
Female directors are integral to our society and have created some of the most impactful cinema and films of our time. They provide a unique lens that would otherwise go unseen and their work deserves to be recognized.
The first director that we wanted to highlight is Greta Gerwig. Gerwig is the highest-grossing female director of all time with all of her movies being centered around women and their lives.
“My favorite director is Greta Gerwig. Every film she creates wraps up the complexity of transitioning from girlhood to womanhood so well. She has created so much solidarity among women, and her style of film always feels incredibly nostalgic.”
Sarah Steen
Her debut film, Lady Bird, was nominated for multiple Oscars and garnered critical acclaim. It follows a high schooler named Lady Bird McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) who just wants to get away from her live in California with her overbearing mother and the Catholic school she’s been forced into. The film is a true coming-of-age story as we see Lady Bird grow and realize she doesn’t actually want to grow up. The story is extremely relatable to so many young women and is such an important film.
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Her second film was her version of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. The story follows the four March sisters in Civil War-era America. The oldest is Meg (Emma Watson) who dreams of becoming a wife and mother.
Then there’s Jo (Saoirse Ronan) who is more of a tomboy and does not want to be tied down to a man and aspires to be a writer. Next there’s Beth (Eliza Scanlen) who is the quiet sister and enjoys helping people. The youngest sister is Amy (Florence Pugh) who wants to travel and be an artist. The film shows the lives of the March sisters and is great representation of how many women have different dreams and that’s okay, which is perfectly represented in the quote from Meg that goes “just because my dreams are different than yours, doesn’t mean their unimportant.”
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Of course, we can’t mention this film without mentioning the most “written by a woman” male character there is: Laurie Laurence (Timothée Chalamet). The scene where he professes his love for Jo is ingrained in mine and so many others memories and will be forever.
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“I enojoy seeing the relationship between sisters presented in [Little Women] because I feel like it doesn’t happen often enough. Jo’s quote in the movie ‘women are made for more than just love’ is really shown throughout the whole movie and demonstrates the purpose of the film.”
Paige Hill
Her most recent film is her most successful which of course is Barbie. Following the titular doll, portrayed by Margot Robbie, and her journey to the real world and the learning of becoming a real woman. We also see the introduction of patriarchy into Barbie World at the hands of Ken (Ryan Gosling), and how she navigates realizing that men really do rule the world. With help from human, Gloria (America Ferrera) and her daughter Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt), Barbie realizes that being a woman is amazing while also being exhausting and that men will always have the upper hand. This film is a masterpiece. While campy and fun at times, the message that this film has is one that I think everyone needs to see to get.
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“I connected to Margot’s character as the main “Barbie,” she showed self-doubt in moments but at the end of the day, knew who she was and that she was confident and strong and able to do anything she set her mind to.”
Emma Huber
The next director that we wanted to highlight is Sofia Coppola. Reigning from the Coppola dynasty of Hollywood, Sofia put her nepo-baby status to good use and has churned out some really amazing films. Her first film The Virgin Suicides (based off of the book of the same name), is one that is incredibly tragic but a must-watch film. It follows the Lisbon sisters and their extremely religious and overprotective mother. The sisters wish to live a normal life, which is mostly granted to them, but not without consequences. The film is told through the POV of neighborhood boys that are obsessed with the sisters and is perfectly made.
Dresses, $31, by Grace Karin.
“[The Virgin Suicides] is my favorite piece of media directed by a woman, because it shows how boys romanticize girls but don’t know what’s underneath and what they can be going through.”
Alexa Davidoff
The next film of Coppola’s that we wanted to highlight is Marie Antoinette. I, myself, am a huge Marie Antoinette girlie so this film was a guaranteed favorite. It follows the tragic life of Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst) who was the Queen of France from 1774-1792. The film was actually shot at the real Palace of Versailles where she lived and while campy and modernesque, it is a great telling of her life. Now I cannot speak on the historical accuracy of the movie, but that does not stop it from being one of my favorites. There are many widely thought misconceptions about Marie Antoinette, one of them being her famous line “Let Them Eat Cake,” which she said in response to concerns over peasants running out of bread. The thing is, she never said this, and the movie pokes fun at it in a creative way.
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The final film of Coppola’s that we will be discussing is Priscilla. Based on the book Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley, it follows Presley (Cailee Spaeny) through her relationship with Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi) and the abuse that she suffered while in this relationship. It is a stark contrast to Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis that was released the year prior (which I love), and shows what the relationship was really like for her. The entire film is shot beautifully and really makes you question if you know the real Elvis or not.
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The final female director that we wanted to highlight is quite possibly the most influential women in all of television, Shonda Rhimes. Rhimes consistently churns out hit after hit and her shows have left such a profound impact on society. The first show that we wanted to highlight was her first hit Grey’s Anatomy. Over 20 seasons (and counting), this medical drama focuses on Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), a surgical intern at Seattle-Grace Hospital who navigates living up to her famous surgeon mother’s legacy while also balancing a relationship with the resident neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey). You also see her form bonds with her fellow interns including Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) and Izzie Stevens (Katherine Hiegel) as well as her resident Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson). She even has a younger sister, Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh), who is introduced in the later seasons and is one of my favorite female characters ever. There are so many women and relationships in this show, it was impossible to cover them all and include them in our shoot, but they are all important to the show and it’s storyline.
Scrubs, $19, by Just Love. Jacket, Stylists Own.
The next Rhimes show that we wanted to discuss is Scandal. Scandal follows Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) who is a professional “fixer” in Washington, DC. Basically, if you ever run into a legal problem, you call Olivia Pope and she will get rid of it and make sure you get off scott free. Pope is the ultimate girlboss, but she also just so happens to be having an affair with the President of the United States, Fitz Grant (Tony Goldwyn), creating for an incredibly juicy storyline. The show has so many twists and turns but Pope always asserts her dominance and shows that she runs Washington and at some points, that is a literal statement.
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The final show we wanted to talk about is the smash hit Bridgerton. Each season of this Netflix drama takes place in the Regency era and follows a different sibling of the Bridgerton family who are members of the nobility. The second season focuses on Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) who falls in love with Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley), despite courting her sister, Edwina (Charithra Chandran). The show is wildly successful and the third season is due sometime this year.
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“I love how it shows romance back in the day and they have amazing representation. I have never seen an Indian woman as a love interest so it was amazing to see in such a popular show.”
Mahi Patel
All three of these women are so important to not only the Film and TV industry, but society as a whole. Just look at Greta Gerwig, Barbie made over a billion dollars and actually boosted the US economy. Women’s stories matter, and don’t let anyone tell you that they don’t. It is so important for young girls and women to see themselves represented in the media that they consume and it’s even better when its made by women like them.
STYLISTS: Cameron Crews and Ava Stewart
PHOTOGRAPHER: Cameron Crews
MODELS: Kelsey Griswold, Reagan Carson, Case Alexander, Riley Hall, Clara Freitas, Isabelle Huller, Rachel Kelly, Eleanor Bond, Kelsey Bohn, Paige Hill, Amelie Kenney, Jordan Campos, Shaniya Woolridge, Ally Haddad, Zoe Chu, Victoria Kelly-Alcantara, Saniya Sapkal, Kanika Poojary, and Tejal Chandhana.
LOCATIONS: Hillsborough Street, Dorothea Dix Park, and Stanhope