Actress turned director, Greta Gerwig, has taken the film industry by storm and recently became the first female director to surpass 1 billion dollars in box office revenue. With movies that have consistently been highly ranked by audiences and critics alike, Gerwig is redefining what it means to make films and empower women through her stories.

First nominated in 2018 for her film “Lady Bird,” Gerwig gained national recognition as one of the seven women nominated for Best Director since the Academy awards started in 1929. She gained recognition again in 2019 with her adaptation of “Little Women,” establishing herself not only as an amazing screenwriter but also as a great director. Throughout her filmography, Gerwig has continued to include  themes of women empowerment by sharing female stories, embracing her role as a female director and telling stories of women from a woman’s point of view. Most of her films revolve around young women struggling to find their way as they progress into adulthood and through self discovery; this was never as obvious as in her most recent film, “Barbie.” Called a “make or break” career moment by Gerwig herself, the film and the brand came with a massive fanbase of people around the world, including many Madison students. The film,         which addressed Barbie and Mattel’s past controversies and talked about gender and societal norms by comparing Barbie’s world to ours, started a cultural discussion around the world on how we view gender stereotypes

“I found it very impactful,” Kyra Corrado(‘24) said about her view on the movie. “It was a great way to bring up some ideas that aren’t typically brought up in the media.”

4 months after the films release, the films impact can still be seen in the day to day  lives of many students, with the color pink become a staple and expressions like “I’m Kenough” incorporating itself into daily conversations. Although many students loved the Barbie movie, arent as thrilled about the Barbie phenomenon.  Due to social media and the Barbie image, many had high expectations, but some students felt that the movie was a little overhyped.

“Although the film was stunning and aesthetically pleasing and the message was good, I felt it was a little overhyped,” Maya Sheth (’24) said.

Due to the blockbuster success of Barbie, Gerwig has established herself as a director not only capable of writing and directing critically renowned films, but also films that bring in alot of money for the box office. Gerwig has recently been hired as the director and writer for the 2 new “Chronicles of Narnia ” films for Netflix, making it her 3 and 4 film in a row that’s an adaption of a previous work. It’s unclear when Gerwig will start writing movies of her own in the future, but her success has been an inspiration to female directors and screenwriters in Hollywood.