By: Kate Tabor

The movie ‘Little Women’ by Greta Gerwig has been my favorite movie since it came out in 2019. At the time, I would’ve been 11. I’m not sure exactly what it was that made me originally fall in love with the film, but I do know why I continue to love it.

I’m not really sure how many times I’ve seen the movie, but enough times to be able to recite almost every scene. In case you aren’t familiar with the story of ‘Little Women’ The story follows four sisters in the years after the Civil War, and goes back and forth between them then, and their childhood.

In a way, I believe the story encapsulates the spectrum of what it means to be a woman. Each sister has their own passions, and their own way of going about them.

Jo, the “main character” has dreams of being a writer in New York, and hates everything “feminine.”  She goes about the notion that women don’t need a man, or love, in order to be fulfilled, and she claims she doesn’t want love. She goes on to marry Professor Friedrich Bhaer, who she met and has grown close with in New York. The reason I find this very interesting isn’t because I think what she believes is any less true, or takes away from her point, but rather it amplifies it. It shows that yes, women are their own people, with their own dreams and passions and brains, which Jo argues herself in the movie, but yet you can still yearn for love while being all that and more.

Oftentimes, without even meaning to, women and girls give up pieces of themselves for the men that they love, or the men who claim to love them, and though we live in our modern society, this still happens, though in smaller and unnoticed ways.

However, this all begs the question, is it wrong for women to yearn for traditional love? Of course not. Meg, the eldest sister, had a dream to marry a wealthy man and to live a life of comfort. She wanted to be a mother, and a wife, by the standards of back then. She wanted to embody that traditional mold of a woman. I find there’s nothing wrong with that, and it even strengthens Jo’s original point, too. At the end of the day, a woman should be able to choose her passion, whatever that may be.

Amy, the youngest sister, and my favorite, has dreams of being a successful painter. She’s oftentimes underlooked. She strives for greatness, and won’t settle for average. Maybe she’s my favorite becaus she reminds me the most of me, but I think it’s also because she has big dreams, and isnt afraid to chase them. She knows what she wants, and won’t settle for less, and I really admire that about her. Especially for those times, it wasnt common for women to be supported in pursuing their own passion in a work environment.

I could say much more about this movie, and go into even greater depth, but to summarize this all, Greta Gerwig showed the side of women that often gets overlooked, especially in the media. She shows the real side, a side that doesn’t revolve around men, but doesn’t neglect the idea of love. So, if you haven’t before, go watch her version of ‘Little Women’.