Moxie is a Netflix movie released in 2021. It was directed by Amy Poehler and produced by Kim Lessing, Morgan Sackett, and Amy Poehler. It is based on a novel of the same name written by Jennifer Mathieu published in 2015. The movie is about high school students and centers on Vivian (played by Hadley Robinson),  a shy, white unpopular girl. When a new Afro-Latina student – Lucy (played by Alycia Pascual-Peña) arrives at school, Vivian realizes that Lucy doesn’t let other students get away with sexism. Vivian is inspired and soon begins writing a zine called Moxie, in which she encourages other girls to band together against the sexist attitudes of men and school officials.

discussion

How are various identities (gender, race, sexuality, age) represented in the trailer?

What attitudes and issues present in the trailer have you seen happen in high school?

The movie has been criticized for Vivian’s relationships with the girls of color in the movie, as both Lucy – who’s Afro-Latina – and Vivian’s best friend Lydia – played by Lauren Tsai whose parents are white and Chinese – seemingly serve only to further Vivian’s story. Have you seen this trend in other media? Do you think this is a good or bad representation? 

If you were to make a zine about an issue in your school or community, what would it be?