Anne with an E is a coming of age tv show aired on Netflix on March 19, 2017. The main character, Anne Shirley Cuthbert, I would say is a big inspiration for all women. Throughout the show, we see her trying to find her place in the world as we see her grow. Although the show itself isn’t necessary labeled under a ‘feminist’ category, she is undoubtedly a feminist icon. The show has a very strong powerful message directed towards women, and it's a show I think they (and especially younger girls) should watch. 
 

Starting off with who she is: Anne is an intelligent, determined, and warm hearted “kindred spirit." She always has the best attitude and energy despite the fact she is an orphan who gets bullied all the time for her red hair and looks (although I think she is gorgeous). The show is set in the 1800’s and as we all know women had absolutely no rights. Anne thought differently though. She always thought women and men should be treated equally (hence the feminism portrayed in the show) and never felt threatened by the gender norms. She stayed true to herself and her beliefs-- she never let society’s criticism get to her.

Not only is the show a good representation of women empowerment, it also has a good representation for the LGBTQ+ community through friendships, inclusivity, and family relationships. Throughout the show, we see LGBTQ+ folk and others exploring queerness. Diana’s great aunt Josephine and Anne’s best friend Cole set a welcoming and powerful message to LGBTQ+ watchers: to be proud of who they are. Throughout the show there is also a lot of friendship and the reminder of its importance. Diana, Anne’s best friend, sets another inspirational message about friendship. She shows us that being there for your friends no matter the circumstances is a key factor to finding one's place in the world.

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A very important part of the show was the inclusivity. The black community and their struggles were very well represented throughout the show. One of the main characters, Bash, becomes Gilbert's partner and soon becomes a part of the town community when he joins the family's field. We see the community slowly accept him as the kind, hard-working person he is-- as opposed to initially seeing him as a threat, This was a powerful message on how the color of a person's skin does not determine who they are. Lastly, family really brought together this show. Anne’s adoptive parents, the Cuthberts (they’re siblings) never married anyone and we see them take in a child they did not plan on raising together. Through this, we see that family love is bigger than any other love, and we get the notion that we should appreciate it. Anne surely did. In short-- Anne with an E is a very powerful TV series that everyone should watch as a reminder that we should all be proud of who we are, what we believe in, and simply to never let someone else’s criticism get to us. 

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