So a while back I wrote a blog called How to be a Feminist While Netflix-ing and to continue with that theme of passive aggressive feminism by way of activities you can do on the couch I picked a couple more movies that have female leads. In the previous post we learned that less than 11% of protagonists are women!!!! Outrageous. 

It's no wonder that Kristen Wiig was an amazing hot mess in Bridesmaids because in Girl Most Likely she got lots of practice being brilliantly unstable.

I've been reading a book called The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine and it's been enlightening to give it minimal credit. You know how something like 90% of ladies' story lines have something to do with a boy, or finding love or being wedding crazy, well apparently it's not our fault. 

Not to mention HOTTIE BOOMBALOTTIE Darren Criss from Glee does a great job bringing our leading lady out of her dark place, plus he is super handsome & a great singer. (Spoiler, he impersonates a Backstreet Boy about an hour into the movie.) It's a story about belonging, assholes, impersonators, good hearted freaks and families - both the kind you're born into & the kind you find.

It is not the best movie I have ever seen and it is not the worst movie I have ever seen. If you have no interest in seeing this I understand but I do think that it depicts a fairly healthy family dynamic. I am not going to lie, I love that the parents smoke pot and that the mom doesn't have it all together. It is directed by a woman, BOOM. And let's face it the whole world is obsessed (whether you love or hate) Miley and Demi! 

Weird as hell, with lovable characters and relatable sexuality. Takes place in Australia, which instantly excited me if you've been reading me for a while you've seen one, two and three reasons why I love that damn continent and can't wait to go back. Any way this movie is incredibly strange and I loved every awkward nuance. Watching movies produced in different cultures is so important, as important as supporting female driven plot lines and film crews.

AMAZING CAST, a story line that will make both men and women cry, laugh and blush! I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT. Plus a female director, what more can I ask for?! 

Remember ladies, you are worth everything. You deserves your stories to be told, to watch movies that you can relate to. All girls deserve to enjoy story lines that inspire possibilities and encourage self-acceptance. 

xoxox, kp

That Coup Life by my good friend AMANDA! 

WHY I LOVE CC

How Millennials Are Changing Travel

Amy Poehler Life Coach

Why I am Not Ashamed to love the Kardashians
I have written about this very topic before on my blog, check it. 

This 8-Minute Ice Cream Ad, With a Lesbian Love Story and Lily Allen, Is the Sweetest Ever

ZOEY the feminists

6 Things Introverted Women Do Right

This is for all of my friends who yelled at me for not shaving my arm pits enough, you know I am beautiful any way! I am glad this guy gets it and is forcing people to question this societal 'norm.'
Photographer Ben Hopper Discusses His 'Natural Beauty' Series

A Sassy Black Female Student Body President Making Waves iin the Private School World - LOVE IT!

5 SIgns Girls Gone Wild is a Thing of the Past

Everything I learned From 'The Princess Diaries'

Being Cool in High School is Not Important

Which Country Does the Most Good?

http://hellogiggles.com/things-married-people-think-single-people

'Like a Girl' - don't just watch the video but actually read the whole piece, great critique! 

As with many of these posts most of it is HelloGiggles so... there is that. 

The 'Before and After' Project 

Read some of this, then go play outside! 
xoxox, kp

I am unaware of the exact moment or situation in which the idea for this post came from but I think it had something to do with the low number of female protagonists, and also I was noticing an increase in female leads - which is positive but the fact that the world is noticing proves that we still have a lot of work to do. 

Once I started combing through Netflix to find shows and movies with female directors or producers, IT'S A LOT HARDER than you might imagine. 

So then I started to do a little bit more research...

These are just a few of the staggering stats that you can find about this topic,I mean, 11% of protagonists are women...are you kidding me?!

Then I started to binge watch everything I could find with female directors.

We Are the Hartmans is a bit cheesy, especially from the beginning but it has some funny moments, great lessons and an overall heartwarming story line. Director Laura Newman has many  talents besides directing: she is also a composer, writer and has one acting credit. Newman also worked on GASLAND, a documentary about natural gas and fracking. 

I effin loved this movie, 16 to Life not only takes place in a small town - it really seems like Minnesota; a few references and the river give it away. 
Hallee Hirsh does an amazing job as main character Kate, her hair is epic and her depiction of being sexually frustrated, 16 and living in a small town during the summer is spot on. And although the city in which I grew up is a skip from downtown Minneapolis, I identified very much. 

Trivia from Hirsh's IMDB page:

This movie is BOMB! First off remember Haley Joel Osment?!? Cute little boy from Pay it Forward, Secondhand Lions, etc?! Well he is all grown up now and he ROCKS OUT a role as main character Bethany's father's boyfriend.

At the beginning when you first meet Bethany her room, her closet is all very Molly Ringwold in Pretty in Pink, but within the first ten minutes there is an unexpected twist with the whole graduation scenario. 
The mom (Anna Gunn) from Breaking Bad does an amazing job being a nervous, uptight, overprotective lunatic and the little brother (Martin Spanjers) from 8 Simple Rules is a great addition to the family dynamic. The cast is great and the nuances of the film are super sweet; the coffee mug scene and the parking at 'Dressed Up,' just to name a few.

The message of following your dreams is one that can not be argued with, but I think that it is so cliche that she wants to go to fashion school. I encourage girls to realize that dream isn't as glamorous as it may seem. It could be much more glamorous to save someone's life or invent something that changes our world for the better. 

The message of following your dreams is one that can not be argued with, but I think that it is so cliche that she wants to go to fashion school. I encourage girls to realize that dream isn't as glamorous as it may seem. It is much more glamorous to save someone's life or invent something that changes our world for the better. Although creating pretty outfits is great, (I get high off doing it most days) but find a dream that is more authentic and challenging the arranging and rearranging styles.

This last movie, I thought this one was important to throw in the mix because it came out in 1996 and takes place outside of the United States. Having varied examples is important to me because women are amazing multifaceted love bugs that all use their wings in different ways. Love Serenade was written and directed by Shirley Barrett who is Australian, and this screenplay takes place in a rural setting off of Australia's Murray River. I LOVE AUSTRALIA (There are one, two and three parts about how amazing my time there was).

This movie is super weird, really hilarious and it won the Caméra d'Or at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. I put it on my Ipad thinking that I would watch half and go to bed, I was so intrigued that I watched the whole thing; I couldn't stop watching this strange, amazing movie that was part Napolean Dynamite, part Lolita and part Jackie Brown (soundtrack).

After I started writing this blog post I was perusing Facebook and I came upon this great blurb shared by one of my favorite organizations to follow, HelloGiggles. I am glad Kiera Knightley and I are on the same page! :)

The next time you want to watch a movie (and you are spending more time trolling for something to watch then you will actually spend watching the movie) look for a movie with a main character that has tits, or a director with a feminine sounding name. 

This won't change the world, it probably won't  do much - but you and Netflix will know that those movies are just as good as any male-directed Hollywood blockbuster. It will also affirm we want to see more women in leading roles, production and directing positions because they deserve to be there.

Stay tuned this week for a blog about my favorite TV shows on Netflix with female protagonists, way easier to find than movies directed by women! (Unfortunately.)


xoxo, kp

RELATED BLOGS:

- Netflix Movies With Righteous Leading Ladies 

After a long, harsh, sunny, toxin filled, adventured full, way too fun weekend I call on these good buddies to aid my recovery.

Doctor Bronner's is my shower soap, it's amazing - end of story. I dilute it with water in another bottle and use it all over, rubbing in circles always towards my heart, urging the blood flow and immersing myself in the peppermint goodness.


It's so important to stay hydrated during long holiday weekends when you are running around doing every possible activity that you can fit in to the few days. From Bbqs, to pontoon rides, bike rides, hikes, patio happy hours and everything else people did over the fourth, bodies were being exposed to elements, worked out, worked over and losing water. After I put my skin through sunny days on lakes, nights of drinking I stand in the bathroom naked dance for a minute and use my Alba Botanica lotion on my entire body, twice. I lather of ups my hands and go from feet to wrists and repeat! Drinking obsessive amounts of water is important to because hydrating from the inside is better than lotion. 


I've written about Intelligent Nutrients several times but I have been using this leave-in conditioner A LOT lately to combat the dryness of summer hair, in and out of water, up and down, full of sweat, not to mention the damage my extensions inflict.


I have also written about this Simple face lotion post Australia but to reiterate my awesome opinion, I love it and I use it to hydrate my face religiously. Having a nice foundation face tan in the summer is my favorite, I only used waterproof mascara in the last few days because my tan means I take a break from my make up routine. I struggled with that last sentence, in it's original form it read - tan means no make up necessary. And then I challenged myself, is make up really a necessity? No it's not. I could easily live with out it, it would be different but possible. Just saying.


As always I love you, keep challenging norms and keep loving yourself & living the life in which you are the happiest version of you.



Xoxo, kp