10 feminist movies & shows to watch on International Women's Day (that aren't Barbie)
Alternate universes, adventurous documentaries, fantastical historic retellings & more
Women’s Day is just a few days away!
I’ve found the international evolution of the holiday quite interesting. If you’ve been here a while, you’ll know I’m half Russian. Over there, March 8th is a powerhouse holiday that celebrates all the women and all things feminine. It’s Valentine’s Day, it’s Mother’s Day, it’s everything. My mom taught me that it’s a day for us to be pampered with flowers and chocolates and all sorts of lovely things because we’re amazing and we deserve it.
Here in the west, it’s less about the treats and more about feminism, which I’m still very much here for. That’s why I like celebrating it with feminist media, chocolate, and flowers. It’s the perfect hybrid of my cultural upbringing and my surroundings.
And there’s so much feminist media to consume! Of course there’s Barbie, the cultural phenomenon that had everyone in a chokehold in 2023. But I’m purposely not including it on this list, because there are so many other gems to be discovered.
Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved Barbie. It tackled so many fears and frustrations that women have in a clever and playful way. I’m humming “I’m Just Ken” as I type this out. But I was surprised at how many people were treating it like the first girl power-themed movie to ever be released when it first came out.
If you’re looking for even more of that (k)energy in your life, here are 10 of my favourite feminist TV shows and movies. They’ll give you all the motivation you need to feel like you can overthrow the patriarchy.
1. I Am Not An Easy Man (Je Ne Suis Pas Un Homme Facile)
Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if men and women completely swapped gender roles? I Am Not An Easy Man will show you.
Damien, your typical misogynistic playboy, gets a taste of his own medicine when he wakes up in an alternate universe where women act exactly like men do in ours, and vice versa. Men are now the ones to get overlooked and objectified, as women are deemed to be the leaders that are mentally and physically stronger.
Damien has to deal with sexual harassment, not being taken seriously at work, toxic beauty standards, and societal judgment for just living his life as a single cat owner (the horror). Of course, his female bosses and family members just don’t get his newfound frustrations. Some of his male friends even think he’s being dramatic.
It’s an interesting and satisfying watch — while Barbie played with the idea of role reversals, I Am Not An Easy Man does it in a more literal way. And it’s always nice to see a misogynist get his come-uppance.
Note: This is a French movie, so you’ll have to be ok with subtitles if you’re not francophone.
2. Mountain Queen: The Summits Of Lhakpa Sherpa
Don’t let the title fool you. Alpinism may be a major theme of this documentary (it’s about Lhakpa Sherpa, the woman who holds the world record for summiting Mount Everest ten times), but it’s an inspiring feminist story at its core.
Lhakpa has overcome major odds to achieve her dreams of being one with the mountain: her patriarchal upbringing and an abusive marriage. She had to pretend to be a boy to escape her village and get a job as a mountain porter. She had to live under the oppressive thumb of a toxic man who was essentially using her mountaineering skills for his own gain. But despite the ongoing challenges she’s had to face, Lhakpa always managed to make it back to the place she loves most: Mount Everest. She comes alive when she’s there, her strength and confidence shining among the jagged cliffs and snow-capped peaks.
She’s a bona fide badass who has stopped at nothing to achieve her goals, even when pretty much everyone around her told her she couldn’t accomplish them. You’ll be in awe of her, I promise.
3. Moxie
There’s nothing like teenage angst and passion to get you riled up. Moxie isn’t your typical high school flick. While there are certain elements that are universal, like teenage crushes and clique culture, this movie is really about the birth of a young feminist.
Vivian, your quintessential teenage shy girl, starts an anonymous feminist magazine to counter her school’s toxic masculinity problem. She’s inspired by Lucy, a more outspoken new girl that has the guts to stand up to the school’s resident douchebag — this is the movie that triggered my potentially irrational disdain for Patrick Schwarzenegger (if you’re watching the current season of The White Lotus, you’ll know what I mean).
Moxie (the zine) inspires the females of the school to finally stand up for themselves, rebelling against everything from archaic dress codes (hello spaghetti straps) to unwanted advances from their male classmates. It’s a feel-good movie (the zine unites the nerds and the popular girls!) that still tackles serious issues that women of all ages face. Nostalgia and empowerment all in one go, what more could you want?
4. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Breaking the glass ceiling has never been more funny. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is the story of a female comedian in the 50s and 60s trying to make it in a male-dominated industry.
Midge Maisel had a seemingly perfect life as an Upper West Side housewife — until her husband pulls the ultimate dick move and cheats on her with his dim-witted secretary. In a drunken haze, Midge makes her way down to her favourite comedy club to share her unhinged thoughts about his infidelity, where her future talent manager Susie discovers that she’s actually hilarious.
Instead of forgiving her husband, like most other women would have done at the time, Midge decides to divorce him and pursue a career in comedy. Pretty much no one takes her seriously and she faces rampant sexism with each gig, but she’s determined to follow her dreams and become a star.
Mrs. Maisel is sharp, visually pleasing, and shows the diverse side of feminism. Many people wrongly assume that you can’t be a feminine feminist, but Midge is exactly that. She still loves beauty, fashion, and interior décor, and she has a soft side to her. She just also doesn’t accept any bullshit.
5. Hacks
Hacks will be right up your alley if you’re a Mrs. Maisel fan. Deborah Vance, one of the main characters, is essentially who Midge Maisel would be in modern times.
She was one of the first major female comedians in the 1970s, but Hacks shows her struggling to retain relevancy in the later stages of her career. She hires a younger writer, Ava, to help revitalize her act. The two clash as Ava shows Deborah that her work isn’t as progressive as she thought it was (her material ends up getting her temporarily cancelled at one point), but the two ultimately become a great team.
It’s an interesting and witty look at the progression of feminism; it’s not enough to just be a woman in a male-dominated field anymore. You also have to learn to adapt to our ever-changing world.
6. I May Destroy You
Created entirely by the brilliant Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You is a daring exploration of sexual consent and all of its nuances. It follows the story of Arabella, a Londoner trying to figure out what exactly happened to her after blacking out and getting sexually assaulted in a club.
As women, I’m sure this topic is something we’re all a little too familiar with. It’s also something we may sweep under the rug in certain cases. I May Destroy You will force you to reflect upon every uncomfortable (or worse) situation you’ve ever had to endure, but in thoughtful and necessary way.
I believe that this is an important series to watch, especially for young women that might be new to the dating scene. Even for those of us who are a bit more seasoned in our sexuality, it asks some very poignant questions that you won’t want to ignore.
7. Minx
On a related note, this series explores the million dollar question: is embracing sexuality empowering?
Minx is the tale of Joyce Prigger, an aspiring feminist writer who ends up launching a porno mag. Ok, that’s a bit crude — it’s the first erotic magazine catered to the female gaze; Minx is set in LA in the 1970s, and yes, the fashion is absolutely fabulous.
It’s not at all what she had in mind for her first publication (Joyce is somewhat of a prude, tbh), but it’s her one shot at making a name for herself in the world of journalism. No conventional publishers took her idea for a feminist magazine seriously, so she reluctantly turned to pornographer Doug Renetti (a delightfully sleazy Jake Johnson), the only investor that saw her potential.
Joyce and Doug go through a rough patch in the beginning as she wants to intellectualize the publication while he wants to sex it up, but eventually she begins to embrace the eroticism and finds a mostly happy balance. I think this is a particularly fun watch for anyone interested in the intersectionality of feminism and sexuality, especially with the rise of smutty female-oriented literature in today’s world.
8. GLOW
If you want even more retro vibes, put GLOW — short for Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling — on your list. Don’t worry if you’re not into sports (I’m not), the wrestling is more of a subplot.
Set a decade later than Minx in the same city, GLOW is about a rag-tag crew of struggling female actors (including Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, and Kate Nash) that find a sense of belonging and empowerment on the set of a faux wrestling show.
The premise of the fictional show (which was actually a real wrestling show in the 80s) is ridiculous, misogynistic, and racist, drawing on all sorts of awful stereotypes. Despite all that, the GLOW ladies end up loving the fact that they actually have ownership over their roles.
What I enjoyed about GLOW is that it explores and embraces the characters’ flaws. Can someone claim to support her fellow women if she betrays her best friend? What if she’s reliant on her husband or other male members of her family? Life gets messy, but GLOW shows us feminism isn’t about perfection, and anything is possible if you put your heart into it.
9. My Lady Jane
Who says romances can’t be feminist? My Lady Jane is a deliciously witty (and saucy) fantasy retelling of the fate of the real Lady Jane Grey, one of history’s most doomed heroines. She’s known as the ‘nine day queen’ because in real life, she was deposed after only nine days as the Queen of England. In My Lady Jane, she manages to escape death thanks to her charm and intelligence. Sorry for the spoiler, but it’s explained in the intro of the show, so not really sorry.
My Lady Jane pokes fun at the horrible ‘duties’ women had to endure throughout history, like arranged marriages to nasty old men and generally not having control over their own lives. But it has a positive twist. Jane lucks out with a husband that’s supportive, caring, and easy on the eyes — we love a male feminist. And, as a bonus, their chemistry is out of this world.
It may not be the deepest show on this list, but it’s a fun and imaginative watch, so it’s here. Plus, the soundtrack is amazing — I had it on repeat for weeks after watching the show. It’s filled with power anthems from female musicians and female-led indie bands, like Tegan & Sara, Black Honey, and Cherry Glazerr, which only lends to the feeling that the girls are really pulling the strings in the My Lady Jane alternate universe.
10. The Great
Some say The Great walked so My Lady Jane could run, while others believe it’s the opposite. Either way, they’re both historical retellings that put women in positions of power.
The Great goes from an occasionally true to a mostly untrue retelling of Catherine the Great’s coup of Russia, but it’s still highly entertaining. Catherine is a naïve young noble who gets married to Emperor Peter of Russia (a hilarious Nicholas Hoult that you’ll hate to love), only to learn that he’s an immature, narcissistic idiot with mommy issues that’s seriously hindering the country from growth. She has dreams of making Russia a better place by improving education, cultivating more art and culture, and introducing more rights for women and serfs. Peter doesn’t want to do any of that, so she stealthily overthrows his regime to get her way.
While not historically accurate, The Great is clever, witty, and slightly obscene. Elle Fanning’s Catherine is sweet and charismatic, but also slightly delusional and self-righteous. Still, the show does a good job of showing all the different ways feminism can be interpreted. For some, it’s fully overhauling old systems. For others, it’s slyly pulling the strings behind the scenes and carefully manipulating situations to obtain better circumstances. Either way, The Great reminds us just how formidable women are — and always have been.
Thanks for reading! If you go on to watch any of these recommendations, I hope you love them.
Let me know if/how you’re celebrating Women’s Day in the comments! And if you enjoyed this roundup, you know what to do for more.
OHHH I LOVE THESE RECS!!!