there are a lot of external factors which make young women feel as though they need to structure their lives+identities around other people's wants and needs

women have a wonderful capacity for lives of empathy and service, but one wonders how much of a choice it is for most

the latest "little women" film adaptation deals with this beautifully. what does it mean for a woman to choose to be alone? what pressures do we encounter if we choose solitude? what do we owe to our families, our potential mates, but mainly: to ourselves?

jo wants to be a writer to fulfill her own artistic vocation, but she writes trash to finance her sister's health. she turns down laurie even though he could accomplish the same thing. she chooses the path of greater independence & only picks bhaer when she's no longer dependent.

not every girl is a jo, impulsive and driven and certain of her own desires. many more are megs, who choose quickly and well, or amys, who accept some measure of dependence and charm to get by, or beths, who can't even picture an adult future for themselves.

forget the enneagram or myers-briggs, i think "are you a meg, jo, beth or amy" is the only true personality test

little women has been with me since i was 10 years old and it has never left my heart, it's only become more profound with age and i'm realizing that these characters are so much deeper than their external characteristics. they all experience desire so differently.