Breaking Norms, Opening Doors

 

Netflix's "Moxie"

Those "dares" appear simple, but they are not, especially in high school. High school is difficult for girls, but it's also tricky for boys (at least girls aren't told "girls don't cry" from the moment they're born). Girls, however, face unique challenges when navigating a conformist world, which is depicted in "Moxie," based on Jennifer Mathieu's YA novel.

Whatever the era, high school is high school. There are popular children. Some people want to be famous. Some are excluded. These dynamics are incredibly toxic in the high school in "Moxie," where "rankings" like "Best Rack," "Most Bangable," and so on are published on social media every year.

Vivian finds it infuriating, but she lacks the resolve to object. When a new girl named Lucy makes waves, first by challenging the summer reading list and then by standing up to the menacing cocky football player Mitchell Wilson, her ignorance is challenged. When Lucy reports Mitchell's harassment to the principal, the principal warns her not to use the word "harassed" and instead to suck it up and ignore him. Vivian and her best friend Claudia are not "trouble-makers" in this sense, but Lucy's fearlessness inspires Vivian. Vivian's mother is a cool mother, and one night Vivian learns about her mother's punk-rock past. Vivian's interest is drawn to the pamphlets. She decides to release her own, dubbed "Moxie." This part of the movie makes it relatable to us as students because we've experienced different cliques and groups in high school, and I know it was a challenging phase. 

The pamphlet, which criticizes boys' obnoxious behavior and the sexist administration, immediately causes uproar. Vivian does not claim Moxie as her own. Anonymity is essential. Girls gravitate toward one another. There's Lucy, energized by the prospect of expanding her protest. Kiera and Amaya are two talented athletes who are enraged that their championship soccer team does not receive as much support as the mediocre boys' football team. There's Kaitlynn, a girl who was expelled for wearing a tank top. CJ is a trans girl who is upset that she is not allowed to audition for the role of Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. The movement sweeps through the school, causing a schism between Vivian and her rule-abiding best friend, Claudia. This part relates to me because, weirdly enough, there are so many restrictions for girls than boys in my school. We weren't allowed to do most of what the boys do, and they were notably more strict on us girls than the boys. So to see this in the film being addressed makes me happy, knowing that it now had enough attention to be called out and fixed.

Claudia's line in "Moxie" is one of the most critical and my favorite moment in the film. I loved how she expressed her difficulty having a say because of her background but still managed to help Vivian and her little "Moxie" movement at the end. Claudia's lack of participation in the protests irritates Vivian, who abandons her to hang out with her new group of like-minded friends. Claudia eventually tells Vivian, "I care; you just have to let me do it my way, okay?" "Moxie" allows this point to be made strongly across diverse participants. Any group that demands monolithic conformity or only includes a specific type of person with a confident outlook/background/attitude does not deserve to be called liberating. "Moxie" understands this. What I love about this film is it has many lessons that it conveys. It tells us that standing up for important causes – especially those that affect vulnerable members of society – is an honorable thing to do. It also tells us that as women, we needed to be treated right and heard as a person and that we are worth more than what society tells us to be.