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By Dakota Hornak, Staff Writer
“Moxie” hit Netflix on March 3, featuring director and actress Amy Poehler. The film is based on the original novel by the same name written by Jennifer Mathieu and discusses sexism, misogyny and other social issues in public schools, through the story of 16-year-old Vivian.
After Vivian learned more about her mother’s history of protesting for what was wrong in her high school, she started a zine titled “Moxie” about female empowerment and speaking out against treatment of women in their school. This triggers a group of students to come together and form an alliance, growing friendships and making active change.
The types of harassment and mistreatment featured in Vivian’s school are scenarios many women have experience with. For example, every year, popular boys in the school create a ranking of girls and release it. The list contains objectifying terms and degrades Lucy, a student heavily involved in “Moxie.” Dress code is also enforced only against women with larger chests, and harassment is ignored blatantly by the principal.
This movie shows an example of something I think a lot of people have always wanted to be a part of. Creating active change is such a fulfilling feeling, and “Moxie” demonstrates both personal and societal benefits to participating in it. Vivian and her friends spark a campaign for a female athlete to win a scholarship, planned a day of wearing tank tops to support women unfairly dress coded and performed many more acts of activism. While doing this, Vivian changes from a shy high school student to a vocal and proud woman, growing friendships and genuinely speaking her mind.
What I love about this film the most is how Vivian’s transformation in portraying her views parallels the importance of being open with beliefs now. Over the past few years, activism and political awareness have grown so much that it is nearly impossible to avoid forming an opinion on it. This movie shows this concept as Vivian struggles to hide who she is and then ends up sparking such a large movement.
If you enjoy comedy and films on current issues, this is one to check out. “Moxie” is a unique approach to such a large topic, making for a funny yet strong film about the treatment of women in society and a new age of activism. It is available to stream on Netflix.
