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

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/seventh-row-podcast-1017704/179-what-if-we-told-stories-about-women-beyond-their-love-lives.md
Podcast: [Seventh Row Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/seventh-row-podcast-1017704)
Published: 2025-07-18T01:37:00+00:00
Episode link: https://seventhrow.libsyn.com/179-what-if-we-told-stories-about-women-beyond-their-love-lives
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/seventhrow/179._What_if_we_told_stories_about_women_beyond_their_love_lives.mp3?dest-id=1934753
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Duration seconds: 1629

## Resource

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.

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## Transcript

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