"Moxie" Positively Represents High School Feminism
Illustration is based off of artwork for Jennifer Mathieu's book-turned-movie "Moxie". Illustration by Naomi Ruiz | The Corsair
The Netflix original film "Moxie", based on the 2015 Jennifer Mathieu novel of the same name, premiered on March 3. According to Forbes, an online global media company and magazine, "Moxie" was ranked at number 1 on Netflix's streaming platform for the first week of its release. This review discusses sexism in the public high school system.
The film centers around 16-year-old teenage girl Vivian Carter (Hadley Robinson) who publishes an anonymous zine calling out sexism at her school. Vivian's mom (Amy Poehler) who is also the director of the film, has a rebellious past that plays a part in inspiring Vivian's activism. Vivian is further motivated when she also realizes that her new friend Lucy Hernandez (Alycia Pascual-Peña), along with the rest of her female classmates, are struggling to have their voices heard at school.
"Moxie" nailed its representation of sexist issues in public high schools — such as student ranking lists, dress codes, and lack of sexual harassment prevention — however, there were a few things that the film could have done better.
Professor Paris Poirier, a Santa Monica College film studies department professor, felt that "Moxie" could have delved deeper into sexuality. "When Lucy kissed her friend on the lips, the film could have explored aspects of sexuality beyond straightness. There are hints of Claudia's feelings for [Vivian] going beyond being strictly platonic too, which felt a bit underdeveloped. These moments felt a bit frustrating because some of the lyrics on the terrific soundtrack imply lesbian love," said Poirier. She refers to "Rebel Girl", a song originally performed by Bikini Kill. In the film, the song is covered by the real-life, half Asian, half Latinx band, The Linda Lindas.
Even though the story of "Moxie" is told from Vivian's point of view, the film missed an opportunity to dig deeper into the intersectionalities of the characters. Claudia (Lauren Tsai), Kiera (Sydney Park), and CJ (Josie Totah) — the only trans female character — are a few supporting characters that didn't have expanded storylines.
In regard to representing other real-life women's issues, Poirer said, "Moxie as a concept, reminded me of the Our Bodies, Ourselves publishing activities that happened in Boston in the early 1970s." Our Bodies, Ourselves is a real-life nonprofit organization that advocates for women's health and social justice.
This organization has published books that address the political, economic, and social forces that shape women's health. Even though most of their health content is no longer being updated, they continue to maintain their website, which features their history and legacy, new blog posts, and more.
Overall, "Moxie" is a feel-good coming-of-age film that aims toward young women who may not feel like they have a voice, or are struggling to find one. The big message from "Moxie" is to inspire change in the public high school system, even when all hope seems lost. If Vivian can encourage her peers to fight for gender equality, young girls in real life can do it too.