In my 40th year around the sun, I wanted to be inspired and celebrate the strong women in the world who have made a difference. Each woman should know she is a leading lady in her own life- empowered to make her own decisions and have bodily autonomy. It is nearly impossible for us to make progress when we forget where we have come from.
It was a subtext of my upbringing that women’s rights had really taken things too far, rather than not far enough. According to this teaching, our freedom is that we are free to follow God’s law, and in so will be blessed, but apart from that- we are pawns of evil. This God is inherently male and his disciples and leaders, also full supporters of patriarchy. But if patriarchy is not the plan and God is neither male nor female, then we must consider women to be endowed with the same rights as men. Freedom to flourish in this world. It is sad to me that I can be a woman who was raised to wish she were born a man, not because she despises her gender, but because she despises the hurdles continually put in their way for success.
I am but a mere beginning student in the fight and struggle for gender equality. But the more I learn the more I am enraged, enlightened and empowered to continue our fight not only for women in America, but around the world.
I am working on watching 40 movies to instruct and move me- movies where women lead, some fun, some serious, some historical, & some inspirational. I’m 21 down and 19 to go…What movies have moved you?
- 9-5 (1980)
- Norma Rae (1979)
- Alien (1979)
- Eat, Pray, Love (2010)
- Miss Congeniality (2000)
- Hidden Figures (2016)
- Legally Blond (2001)
- Wild (2014)
- Harriet (2019)
- Sound of Music (1965)
- Aliens (1986)
- Philomena (2013)
- Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
- A Star is Born (2018)
- 27 Dresses (2008)
- Women Talking (2022)
- Woman King (2022)
- Suffragette (2015)
- Thelma & Louise (1991)
- Little Women (2019)
- Color Purple (1985)