The last few weeks have been awesome for feminist movie goers!  Jennifer’s Body, Paper Heart, and now Whip It! haven’t exactly rocked the box office, but the presence of so many movies featuring powerful DIY women in Hollywood is encouraging.  And I’ll admit on a personal level, I am loving it.

Whip It! is a fun, exciting, empowering film about powerful women being exactly who they are, regardless of the expectations society has for them and the rules they’re supposed to follow.  Bliss (the phenomenal Ellen Page, who always plays awesome characters) is the stereotyped high school misfit, old school rock T-shirt, wide rimmed glasses, frizzy hair and all.  She’s not what her parents want her to be (mom wishes she had a beauty queen, dad wishes he had the all-star linebacker).  She’s not what her peers want her to be (she’s an easy target as such a predictable weirdo).  And she’s not who she wants to be either, until she discovers the roller derby.

I don’t care how cheesy or cliche the line “be your own hero” is – its a line that more girls and young women need to hear.  Rather than becoming a groupie or cheerleader to the Hurl Scouts, Bliss joins the team and becomes its star.  Her teammates are equally powerful and enjoyable.  I was particularly impressed with Kristen Wiig who was finally allowed to play a character other than her standard SNL parody, bringing depth to the team capital/single mother Maggie Mayhem.  Drew Barrymore as Smashley Simpson was also quirky and cute, as usual, but without the eye-rolling over-the-top style she often presents.  As this was her directorial debut, I was pleasantly surprised to see how small her role was and how graciously she let the other actors steal the show.

The second storyline romance was also refreshing about this film.  Part of this is that it was a second storyline in the first place, rather than the primary plot of the movie.  Additionally, as sweet as the romance is, it was fantastic to watch Bliss walk away in the end having made the decision that was right for her, refusing to be disrespected and strung along by a guy unworthy of her time.  Imagine the impact on young women if this were more representative of the messages they receive about friendship and romance.

I recommend this film to all young women, and all parents of young girls.  More women need to be allowed and encouraged to be who they are rather than who they’re “supposed” to be as the perfect daughter, sister, friend, or student.  Keep the lady-friendly films coming!

Have you seen Whip It!?  What were your reactions?