In recent years, people have begun to celebrate “Galentine's Day” on Feb. 13th in addition to Valentine's Day. Many attribute the origins of Galentines to a “Parks and Recreation” episode that aired on Feb. 11th, 2010 where Leslie Knope, played by Amy Poehler, throws a party to honor the female friendships in her life. While Galentines parties can take any form — from a lovely brunch to a meticulously planned event — sometimes it can be nice to have a night in and watch a movie with those you care about the most. There are many movies over the years that have not only culturally impacted women all over the world but also displayed the importance of female friendships and sisterhood. These are just a few:
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)
Four best friends, Tibby, Lena, Carmen and Bridget, find themselves in the charity shop one day with the perfect pair of pants: a pair that will fit each of them perfectly. As each friend goes their separate ways that summer, they decide to send the pants to each other so each can have a turn, writing of their adventures with the pants. While each girl is inexplicably different, they are close friends . As they learn of each other's troubles and worries throughout the summer, they comfort each other and help to make things right again. Originally a book, the story of “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” is one of strong female friendship that transcends conventional barriers.
“Legally Blonde” was not only a groundbreaking film 24 years ago but has continued to inspire young girls and women everywhere. Women can be heard quoting Elle Woods iconic line “What, like it's hard?” whenever they come up against someone who doubts them, showing just how much of an impact this movie has had. In the film, Elle is trying to win her boyfriend back by joining him at Harvard Law School. There she learns that he has already found a fiancée, Vivian Kensington. While Elle and Vivian should have been enemies, hypothetically, the two lift each other up and apologize for any way they have mistreated the other before actually getting to know them. Elle and Vivian are only one of the great examples of a healthy female friendship in the film and they continue to show others the importance of not just helping each other grow but also not judging a book by its cover.
In “Mama Mia” Donna is preparing for her daughter Sophie’s wedding when Sophie drops a bombshell: she has invited the three men that may potentially be her dad to her wedding. Donna hasn’t seen any of the men since the summer she spent with them years ago and is understandably overwhelmed at the news. Donna’s friends, Tonya and Rosie, are not only there for her in that moment, but, as seen in the second film, have been by her side the whole time as she raised Sophie as a single mother. The two help Donna through her emotions at seeing the three men again and help her decide what she wants to do about the identity of Sophie’s real father. This film shows the importance of community and how important it is for each woman to not only invest in those around her but also the younger generations.
For many years people have looked on the pageant industry as something that hurts young girls and is overall detrimental. While “Miss Congeniality” doesn’t portray all the realities of the pageant industry, it does show how the unique community it can bring to young girls and women can be extremely uplifting. In “Miss Congeniality” Special Agent Gracie Hart goes undercover to stop a terrorist attack at the Miss America competition. There, she meets many other women who she first writes off as vain and out of touch. As she starts to interact with them, however, she sees the power in their femininity and how important a strong female community can be.
Originally a novel by Louisa May Alcott, “Little Women” follows the four March sisters through their adolescent years into adulthood. While three of the sisters, Jo, Meg and Amy, have left home, they all come back when they hear that Beth has become ill. As they comfort their sick sister, they must come to terms with the ways they have treated each other. “Little Women” is a story of sisterhood, both the good parts and the bad. While Alcott didn’t shy away from the hurt that the four sometimes caused each other, this story has gone down in history as one showing the love and unique bond in sisterhood.
Greta Gerwig’s critically acclaimed film “Barbie” follows Barbie, who seems to have the perfect life in BarbieLand. One day, Barbie starts to have new thoughts and feelings and learns that it means something is wrong with her owner in the real world. Barbie decides to travel there to see if she can make things better with Ken, played by Ryan Gosling. Once the two find themselves in the real world, they realize that it isn’t the perfect place that they thought they had helped influence it to be. Barbie decides to take her owner, Gloria, and her daughter, Sasha, back to BarbieLand to show them how great it is, however, once there, Barbie realizes that Ken has brought new ideas of the patriarchy from the real world to BarbieLand. As Barbie and her friends try to fix all that has gone wrong, they learn the powerful lesson of not being who you are and that you don’t need anyone else to decide what you are worthy of.
“Oceans 8” is the newest installment of the Oceans franchise that was rebooted in 2001 with George Clooney playing Danny Ocean. While the older movies feature a star-studded all male cast, “Ocean’s 8” switched things up, following Debbie Ocean, Danny’s sister. The film begins with Debbie getting released from jail and unfolds as she starts to plan her next heist. As she selects each of the seven she needs to help her complete the task at hand, Debbie focuses on the skills that each might bring to the job. Debbie surrounds herself with an all-female crew, even with that not being her intention going into it. As viewers watch them work together to pull off the heist, they see the power in women standing up for themselves and working together to make the impossible happen.
“Hidden Figures” follows three African-American women, Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughn, and their work for NASA in 1961 during the height of segregation. As each of the three are given the possibility for a promotion inside NASA, they lift each other up to overcome the obstacles at work and home. Katherine, Mary and Dorothy can be seen pouring into one another not just in their personal lives but also in their professional lives. As the movie continues, the three also work in the hearts of their coworkers around them and help to unite the community within NASA under the common goal of winning the Space Race. This true story of female friendship and the power of working together is one for the ages.
Photo Courtesy of Engin Akyurt on Pexels
Posted by Adeline Gruen