179. What if we told stories about women beyond their love lives?

What happens when a story that once felt modern… suddenly doesn’t?
And what does that tell us about the limits — and possibilities — of the stories we tell about women?

In this solo episode, Seventh Row Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney tracks a shift in perspective — hers, and maybe yours too.

📍 How a 2021 film reopened an old question
📍 Why Far from the Madding Crowd (2015) once felt strikingly modern — and what I see in it now
📍 And what this tells us about how our expectations for stories about women have changed — fast

Along the way, I dig into:

• How the marriage plot continues to shape the kinds of stories we tell about women

• The limits of romantic “choice” when that’s the only choice on offer

• Why stories that include romance aren’t the problem — but centering it might be

• And how our expectations for women’s stories are shifting — fast

🎟️ Want to know what the 2021 pick is?
Join Reel Ruminators to find out — and be part of the conversation.