Which Little Women are you?

A love letter to girlhood, ambition and the many versions of becoming a woman.

I intend to make my own way in the world - Jo March

I’ve truly never loved a movie as much as I love Little Women (2019). No one spoke to me as loudly, or as tenderly, as those 4 sisters. Watching them felt like remembering something I’d never lived but somehow already knew. From the first scene, it felt like I already knew them. Not just as characters, but as parts of myself, girls I’ve met, or the kind of woman I hope to become. I can recite any part of the movie by heart.

Some people will call this an obsession. I think it’s passion.

Everyone who watches Little Women ends up wondering which sister they are — and I was no exception. I, too, searched for the one who looked most like me. I fear it is inevitable. And while I tend to hop between Amy and Jo (perhaps because they are two sides of the same coin), I’ve realized that the question might be much different than that. “Which Little Woman am I?” might not actually be the right question — or at least not the whole question. Maybe it’s not about choosing one sister to “be,” maybe it’s about how each of them lives in us, in different ways, at different times.

✧༺♥༻∞

---

Jo — “I care more to be loved. I want to be loved.”

Jo is the one I admired first. The one I felt proud to identify with. She’s bold, clever, restless — everything I used to think being a strong woman meant. She writes, she fights for her space in the world, she doesn’t wait for permission. For a long time, that felt like the kind of woman I wanted to be: independent, untouchable, focused on her work.

I thought being a strong woman meant not needing anyone. But then she says this, she admits it. She wants to be loved, she wants to be known, she wants to be understood. Even Jo, the fearless one, the one who turns down love and leaves home, still wants to be chosen. I used to think wanting love made you weak. That softness came at the cost of strength. But Jo showed me that you can be both. You can be ambitious and still crave connection. You can want to make your own way and still want someone walking beside you. It’s okay to want a witness to your life. I don’t think Jo was much of a romantic. I think she just wanted someone to choose her. To see her as she is. Raw, imperfect and strong-willed.

Jo’s boldness isn’t a mask she puts on to hide. It’s simply who she is. She’s unapologetically herself in a world that expects women to be quiet, obedient, and small. Jo rejects those expectations with every fibre of her being. She denies the mould society lays out for her, even if it means standing apart. But being that independent isn’t always easy. Sometimes it gets lonely. Jo pushes against what everyone expects of her, and that can make her feel like she doesn’t quite fit in. I know that feeling. There are moments when trying to stand on your own means stepping away from others, and that can be isolating. But Jo also reminds me that being alone sometimes doesn’t mean you don’t want connection, it means you’re making space for yourself first, and that’s okay.

✧༺♥༻∞

---

Amy — “I want to be great or nothing.”

Amy, my dear Amy. Do not tell the others, but she’s my favourite, and I think I somehow relate to her more. She goes through so many meaningful changes throughout the story — growing, learning, and becoming. Through it all, she never apologizes for being herself. At first, I didn’t always get her. She seemed vain or spoiled, and sometimes even selfish. But the more I watched, the more I saw how fiercely she believes in her own worth. That line — “I want to be great or nothing” really spoke to me. Writing this article, I had trouble picking my favourite quote of hers because I love so many of them. But this one… this one is by far my favourite.

I want to be great or nothing.
I will not stand for being mediocre, or okay, or good.
I want to be magnificent.
I want to be recognized.
I will not settle.

People sometimes dismiss girls who want too much. When we want attention, when we care about how we look, when we say we want something grand, it’s seen as shallow. However, Amy knows exactly what she wants, and she doesn’t water it down to make others comfortable. That’s what I admire most. She doesn’t pretend to be less ambitious, less emotional, or less expressive than she is.

I am that girl. The one who wants beauty and meaning. The one who wants to be seen, really seen, and not mistaken for shallow just because I care about how things look. I want a life that’s full, intentional and extraordinary.

Amy is not lost or naive; she’s wise, and always has been. It’s just that people were so focused on her flaws, they didn’t bother to notice her insight. They missed how sharp she is, how much she sees and understands. I’ve felt that too, being underestimated because of how I speak, how I carry myself, what I want. People assume they know you before they even try to understand you. But Amy never waits for permission to be taken seriously. She just is.

✧༺♥༻∞

---

Meg — “Just because my dreams are different than yours doesn’t mean they’re unimportant.”

Meg is often seen as the “responsible” sister, but that label hides how much she’s negotiating beneath the surface. She wants stability and family, yes, but that doesn’t mean she’s given up on her own ambitions or desires. Choosing a conventional path isn’t about settling — it’s a decision she made, knowing the compromises it required. Meg isn’t someone who doesn’t dream big. She just dreams differently. She chooses to embrace reality, not out of resignation, but because she truly loves it. For her, that means family, home, and simple, lasting love. It’s a conscious choice, not a resignation.

She is the truest romantic of all because she understands that romance isn’t only about fireworks and rebellion. I would be lying if I said I fully agreed with it. But I believe that her choices were thoughtful. To her, it’s about finding beauty and meaning in the everyday, the quiet moments, the commitments, the life that most people overlook. That line “Just because my dreams are different than yours doesn’t mean they’re unimportant” feels like her way of claiming that dreams and fulfillment don’t have to be dramatic or grand to be real and powerful.

Meg reminds me that dreaming big doesn’t have to mean breaking all the rules. Sometimes it means knowing what you want and embracing it fully, with open eyes and a full heart. Meg reminds me to be grounded.

✧༺♥༻∞

---

Beth- “My wish is to have us all to be together with Father and Mother in this house. That's what I want”.

Last but not least, Beth. Beth is the quiet soul of the March sisters. She doesn't ask for grand, magnificent things. Instead, her dream is simple: to keep her family close, to hold onto the home and love they share. However, do not be mistaken, she is much more than that. Beth is the one who holds everything together because if not her, who? She cares deeply. She notices when something is wrong. She doesn’t center herself, but she centers everyone else. If something needs to be done, Beth does it — without needing to be asked. If someone is hurting, she feels it with them even though she’s probably hurting more in silence. Beth reminds us to be soft. She’s the part of me that gives and cares for the others like her life depended on it. Beth is the glue.

I see pieces of Beth in myself when I’m trying to make sure everyone is okay. When I feel responsible for the energy in the room. When I put others before myself, because I want to help and fix everyone. Beth doesn’t ask for much, and yet she gives everything.

“If I must put water in my wine until it's overflowing with simply water well than I will do.”

This is what Beth reminds me of.

✧༺♥༻∞

---

All of them all at once

The more I think about it, the more I realize that I’m not just one sister.

I think Amy has taught me to be soft, as much as I am hard. Jo has shown me how to be upfront about what I want and to never give up on my dreams. Meg, in the simplest way, reminded me that simple dreams matter too — that a simple life can be beautiful if you choose to make it so. And Beth taught me that caring is never the wrong choice, because it will always lead you where you’re meant to be. Every single choice is precious in this life, because you never know where it might take you. I am Jo. I am Amy. I am Meg. I am Beth. At different times, in different seasons, they’ve all lived in me. Sometimes all at once. Right now, as I’m writing this, I’m channelling my inner Jo. My inner writer.

To me, Little Women is not about picking one path or one identity. It’s about how we shift, evolve, and carry contradictions. To me, it’s about the way we dream and the way we stay. The way we long, fight, care and grieve.

That’s the thing with people. They’re usually more than one thing, and a lot of the time, they’re a puzzle of contradictory things/traits. But I think that’s the beauty in humans. I always thought the question "describe me in one word" to be complicated or unfair because I believe that one word would be an unfair representation of humans. How can multiple facets be turned into one?

That’s why I love Little Women. You get to see multiple facets of womanhood. You can be all of them or some of them all at once. But if you’re simple and easy and manage to describe yourself in only one word, well, congrats, you have achieved what I have never been able to do.

Describe myself without reaching into buts and maybes, and alsos.

But just for the fun of it. I thought about it, and although this word might only capture the essence of me at this very moment.

If I were to describe myself in one word, it’d be: clever

Perhaps that’s why I love Little Women so much. Because within them I recognize myself —not one version, but all of them. And that makes me feel whole.