Women and Gender Resource Center hosts movie night for social wellness – The Crimson White

Viewers watch the movie “Ladybird” as a part of the Thrive Together: Campus Wellness Action Series.

The Women and Gender Resource Center hosted “Growing Pains and Social Strains: A Deep Dive into Lady Bird” in the Student Center on Thursday. 

The event, which was centered around a viewing of the 2017 film “Lady Bird,” directed by Greta Gerwig, included snacks, a watch party and a discussion of the film’s themes of relationships, conformity and boundaries as one comes of age. 

Kerrigan Clark, a program coordinator for the WGRC, organized the event as part of the center’s Thrive Together: Campus Wellness Action Series, which is based on the University’s Alabama Model of wellness. For the month of January, the series’ theme is social wellness. 

“With each month, we do a kind of educational event, but then also a service aspect. The service aspect was earlier this week, we served for MLK Day, but then we also had this one, which was our educational event,” Clark said. 

She said she picked this movie because of how relatable it is for students. It follows a senior in high school, who calls herself Lady Bird, as she deals with relationships, college applications and difficult family situations.

“I thought that this event would be really good just to talk about different social aspects of college since Lady Bird is transitioning in her life,” Clark said.

Ayla Bourgault, a freshman majoring in electrical engineering, learned of the event through her roommate. Despite having already seen the film, she was interested in examining its themes of growing up and dealing with relationships with significant others further. 

“I’m interested in learning things about the meaning of movies,” Bourgault said. “I’m not majoring in film, but it’s one of my passions.”

Isabelle Bennington, a senior majoring in advertising, had not previously seen the film but was moved by its emotional aspects. When asked about her experience at the event, she praised its ability to open the door for difficult conversations regarding conflict in young people’s lives. 

Bennington recognized that these discussions are often stigmatized and students are not always willing to go to their friends with the kinds of issues “Lady Bird” presents. The topic of familial conflict is specifically one she believes adolescents have a hard time talking about with their peers. 

“I think it’s good to open that discussion, especially because it is a really tumultuous time in your life,” Bennington said. 

In February, the Thrive Together series will continue with a theme focusing on physical wellness. For information on future events, students can stay updated through the WGRC Instagram as well as through the page on mySource. 

“I do the Thrive Together series, and then I also plan Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month,” Clark said. “So I really enjoy helping students learn all these things.”

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