Women I Wish I Could Be Friends With - Katharine Hepburn Edition

"Never complain. Never explain." - Katharine Hepburn

So a few years ago, when I was couch ridden and emotionally retarded having just returned home from Jacksonville, the only things I really wanted to do were:

1. spoon peanut butter out of the jar and slather it on Oreos and
2. watch Turner Classic Movies.

I wasn't really interested in showering or making a living, so I'd gorge myself on movies from the 50's and 60's as a way to distract myself from the self-pitying pit of depression I was in. Movies back then always had everything figured out in a couple hours. Innocent. Wholesome. Perfect. And one of my absolute favorites was Summertime, starring Katharine Hepburn.

In the movie, Katharine Hepburn travels as a single, middle-aged woman to Venice to live out her dream of living abroad after saving up for several years. A woman traveling alone, especially to a foreign country was practically unheard of in the 1950's. But this role was perfect for Hepburn, who was all but notorious for busting balls and breaking the boundaries for the women of her day. 

And if I haven't made it abundantly clear already, that's my kinda lady! I think some of us, myself included, take for granted how far we've come since aprons and tupperware dominated the brain space of our grandmothers. Even the fact that I get up and choose everyday NOT to put on a dress is progress. My grandmother wasn't allowed to play softball or basketball when she was a girl because her father, my great grandfather, wouldn't allow her to wear pants or shorts. But Katharine Hepburn? She said bump all that and made a conscious decision to  do whatever the hell she pleased. Once, in a studio, the crew took the trousers she wanted to wear away from her to try and force her into a dress. Instead of acquiescing, she walked around in underwear until the damn things were returned.

It was all in her blood though. She was raised by a mother who was a feminist before anyone ever even conceived of the word, an abortion rights advocate, teacher of liberal open-mindedness, and co-founder of Planned Parenthood.

And while she was resented for all this (yes - resented for a pair of pants), she never apologized. Her independence was seen as audacious and her forthright nature and imposing physical stature was an affront to the softness and gentility of women everywhere. But she held fast to it. Not unlike the way I hold steadfast to the stem of a wine glass- all but daring someone to question how man drinks I've had (note: the answer is always 2). Many chided her for quitting her career and tending to the man's man Spencer Tracy, who maaaay or may not have been married. And Catholic. Some called her feminist convictions wishy-washy. But to me at least, that's not what feminism is. It's about choices. It's about doing what you want and living like you want - not how you're supposed to because you happen to be a woman. And she did that.

Katharine Hepburn was smart, career-minded, witty as all hell, and a stunna. Who couldn't use more friends like that??

Cheers! And Happy Tuesday!

xo. 

As always, these images were taken from Google, weheartit, and amodelstudent Tumblr. I don't not own any rights to them.