Who gets to say who we are?

Gloria Steinem's 1992 classic work combines feminist politics with personal growth, exploring issues of self-esteem, self-identity, and inner liberation.

Marilyn French's 1977 feminist fiction classic follows protagonist Mira's transformation from a submissive 1950s housewife to a 1960s feminist awakening, revealing patriarchal marriage's oppression of women and the possibility of women's liberation.

Olivia Wilde's directorial debut revolutionizes the high school comedy genre, following two academic overachievers who decide to cram four years of fun into one wild night before graduation. This self-aware coming-of-age comedy explores female friendship, academic pressure, sexual identity, and teenage identity formation through an inclusive lens.

Director Maryam Keshavarz's coming-of-age drama focuses on a wealthy Iranian family, particularly headstrong teenager Atafeh whose relationship with her friend Shireen evolves from friendship into romance and even eroticism, alongside her brother's journey from recovering drug addict to religious extremist. This vibrant exploration of sexual rebellion showcases high school protagonists confronting patriarchal oppression, culminating in a penetrating examination of women's treatment under Iranian theocracy.

Girls aren't allowed to be Whangara chiefs. But that's not acceptable to Paikea (Keisha Castle-Hughes), the 11-year-old powerhouse who believes her destiny is to ride whales and lead her tribe. Courage, leadership, and defiance are all at play in this Kiwi drama from Niki Caro.

A "way existential" 1990s time capsule of fashion, pop culture, and Valley girl verbiage, Amy Heckerling's rom-com riff on Jane Austen's Emma celebrates female friendship and sexuality, and it puts a woman's self-fulfillment above finding a man. Even if "fulfillment" technically includes finding a man.

Feminism isn't just about women kicking ass - it's also about allowing us the freedom to be who we want. For the protagonist sisters in Gillian Armstrong's adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's novel, that means a writer, a musician, a housewife, and a free spirit.

Adapted from Virginia Woolf's novel, this tells the legendary life story of immortal aristocrat Orlando spanning four centuries, experiencing a gender transformation from male to female during this journey. This pioneering work explores gender fluidity, identity formation, and patriarchal oppression of women through poetic cinematic language.

Canadian avant-garde cinema mostly seen and analyzed by college students, Patricia Rozema's fairy-tale whimsy, about an artist on her journey to self-discovery, is one you should seek out - particularly because it's made by a fantastic team of women.

A bored housewife becomes fascinated by the free-spirited lifestyle of mysterious Susan and embarks on an adventure of mistaken identity. This 1980s film by a female director uses humor and wit to explore themes of female identity, self-discovery, and breaking free from social constraints.

A romp through a Catholic girls' school courtesy of a pair of mischievous teens, this Hayley Mills classic is all about sisterhood. But the real feminism is happening behind the lens: Ida Lupino, the sole working female director of the '50s, was blazing a trail for the women who would follow.

Agnès Varda's 1962 masterpiece uses real-time filming to depict the psychological journey of a young singer awaiting cancer diagnosis results over two hours, standing as a landmark of both French New Wave and feminist cinema.

Maya Deren's 1943 experimental short film explores female subconscious, identity, and gender power relations through dreamlike visual language, serving as an important pioneering work of American avant-garde and feminist cinema.

Released in 1940, this Howard Hawks rom-com still resonates with progressive themes today. It stars Rosalind Russell as Hildy, a star journalist who has her own ideas about what she wants for her life (traditional and non-) and isn't going to let her boss-slash-husband, played by Cary Grant, get in the way.

In this TEDWomen talk, Courtney E. Martin reflects on the evolving meaning of feminism across generations. Through personal narrative and cultural critique, she explores three paradoxes that define her generation’s feminist identity, emphasizing the tension between tradition and innovation, idealism and pragmatism.