When Little Fires Everywhere first released on Hulu, a few weeks ago, I immediately added it to my “watchlist”. But it took weeks for me to be in the right mindset to actually sit down and watch the show. Now that I finally have, it’s time for me to review Hulu’s hit series, Little Fires Everywhere.
But I also wanna touch on what this show made me realize about being a woman, so both of these things are disclosed below.
Little Fires Everywhere Starts Off Slow But Burns Bright At The End
I’m not gonna lie, watching Little Fires Everywhere is like watching a small fire grow the longer it burns, and I can’t imagine this wasn’t done on purpose!
The show doesn’t really unravel until episode 5 or 6, and as much as I hate slow-paced series and movies, this one was well worth the wait.
Watching everything unfold, and learning how each woman got to her breaking point in life was incredibly insightful. Of course, it was also heartbreaking but definitely eye-opening.
Being a woman is hard, and I don’t think men will ever understand this. The expectations that come with being a woman is infinite, and a burden that not everyone can bear. But I’m super glad I watched Little Fires Everywhere, as the topics (that I’ll discuss below) were interesting to watch play out on screen.
While Watching Little Fires Everywhere I Wondered …
Photo Credit: Hulu
How many women feel trapped, like Elena?
Despite her craziness, getting to see what went on inside Elena’s head was extremely interesting. On the outside, Elena appears to be this well-groomed, has it all mom, with the big house, the loving kids, awesome husband, great job, etc., etc.! But eventually we learn that not everything is what it appears to be.
And as sad as this sounds, when Elena finally admitted that she didn’t want her fourth child out loud, I saw her relax. As if, saying it out loud made her feel better! As if the burden of being trapped in a life that she was made to believe that she wanted, was crushing her soul, and letting that one secret slip began to heal her, even if it crushed another.
You see, Elena was taught that because she was a wealthy white woman, by none other than her own mom, that she should live the good life. The stay at home mom, let your husband take care of the bills, while you take care of the household, “good” life. But that’s not what she really wanted!
Yet, she let her mother convince her that was the only choice she had. And by the time she had kid number four, she was done! Kid four was her breaking point!
Imagine finally going back to work, to find out hours later that you’re pregnant again! Then imagine wanting to have an abortion and being told by your mother that that’s not for “women like you”!
While it was wrong for Elena to treat her kids the way she did, she felt trapped, and I can imagine so many women feel the same way.
To be born into a life that’s not really yours! To be told what to do or else. Or to think that you should live one way and then feel like you can’t really switch gears because you’re already “in too deep”. Elena wanted to leave! She wasn’t happy. But with four kids, she felt trapped in the life she already had. She wasn’t really trapped of course, she could have left at any given moment, but that’s not how it FELT.
Photo Credit: Hulu
How many women sold themselves for success, like Mia?
Almost quite the opposite of Elena, Mia was poor and had to make it through life on her own. And like Elena, who was taught that she had to live one way, Mia believed the same. Mia was taught that she had to go to college at any means possible to be successful! Even if that meant selling herself?
You see, when Mia ran out of money for school, she sold her body for a few grand to ensure that she could finish. And not even more than needed! Just enough to make it through the last year of school. Now I know what you’re thinking – you’re thinking Mia was a stripper, but no, there’s actually more than one way to sell someone’s body.
See Mia “sold” her body to a couple who couldn’t have kids! To Mia, this was her only way to finish school, so she took the “job”. But she quickly learned that being a surrogate isn’t as easy as everyone makes it seem. Mia had her reasons for what she did, but I still don’t think they were great reasons for “stealing” a child.
Anywho, we often hear crazy stories about what women do to finish school, and it was insightful to see this story play out on screen. I myself had to stop going to school because I had a bill to pay. But never in a million years would I have thought to do something so extreme to finish. It just goes to show how many women are taught that they have to succeed at all costs! (Even if that cost is themselves.)
Photo Credit: Hulu
How many girls identify with Izzy?
Not being wanted from the moment you were born. Not fitting in with anyone. Having everyone turn on you. At any age this would be difficult, but to have to deal with this as a teen, it’s tremendously dangerous. Things like these can break a kid for the rest of their life!
So I couldn’t help but wonder how many girls have felt the same way!
I think Izzy always knew her mom didn’t quite love her the way her mom loved her siblings. But to actually hear those words out loud, is soul-crushing!
Then to love someone and have them turn on you! Lie on you! As if you meant nothing to them! All because they were scared of how others would treat them. How many girls deal with this? It breaks my heart to even think about it.
Photo Credit: Hulu
How many girls crave a home, like Pearl?
You know how they say, “there’s no place like home”? Well, for some girls, there’s no place to even call home! And Pearl is one of those girls. Always moving, but never really knowing why. Never having a place to call home for more than a few months at a time. It’s a small thing so many of us take for granted. But not having a home hurts!
Every time I use my own mug (instead of something my mom has bought) I feel more “at home”. Something as simple as having my own dishes, in a place where nothing really feels like it’s mine, soothes my soul.
So I can relate to Pearl, even though I’ve lived in the same place for most of my life. This still doesn’t feel like home!
And then I think about all the shows I’ve watched that touch on foster kids, and how they move from home to home, never feeling stable or loved where they go and it makes me so sad!
Photo Credit: Hulu
How many girls feel pressured, like Lexie?
If you’re not a perfectionist or were taught you have to be perfect you’re never gonna really understand what it feels like, and how much pressure it creates. But if you ARE, then whether or not you’ve ever done something as extreme as Lexie, you can completely understand why she felt the need to do what she did.
Never feeling good enough for who you truly are is hard! It doesn’t excuse bad behavior but it’s definitely a huge reason that’s often overlooked when kids act out.
And to feel pressured to be perfect, whether it’s at home, or at work, is just an incredible burden to bear. I had to teach myself (and I’m currently trying to teach my 8-year-old daughter) that perfection isn’t everything! It’s better to try and fail, than to never try at all because you’re so damn scared it’s gonna be wrong! Or in Lexie’s case, it’s better to just be yourself instead of trying to be someone you’re not because everyone around you thinks that’s who you should be!
Photo Credit: Hulu
How many women suffer silently, like Linda?
Little Fires Everywhere doesn’t dive into Linda’s story in great dept, but it’s so easy to see how hard her life was, despite what it appeared to be. Linda had miscarriage, after miscarriage, and couldn’t have kids! And to have to be friends with someone who has FOUR of them, and doesn’t even WANT the fourth one! It’s a lot!
And don’t give me the crap about being happy for your friends, cause that’s not what this is about! It’s about the silent suffering women endure because they want to be happy for their friends, and they feel like they can’t express how they truly feel without sounding like a b*xch!
Like Elena made it clear that she couldn’t stand her last child! Imagine what it’s like to not be able to have kids and listen to your friend complain over and over about her kids! It’s exhausting I’m sure!
Yet Linda put on a happy face each time she was with Elena, to mask the true pain she felt. We see it finally come out towards the end of the show but Linda was quiet for YEARS! I couldn’t imagine suffering that long! Not silently at least. Lol
Photo Credit: Hulu
How many women are judged, like Bebe?
Speaking of Linda and her suffering, how about Bebe’s suffering! And judgment! What Bebe did to keep her kid alive was extremely difficult! Often times, parents are judged for giving their kids up! HOW COULD YOU, we scream! If you loved them you would have never let them go! But watching Bebe’s story unfold just proves that GOOD parents do what they know is BEST for their kids, even if that means letting go so that they can live!
Yet she was instantly judged, not just as a mother, but as a woman, and made to feel as if she was the worst person on earth! Imagine having to choose between having your kid starve to death in your care, or giving them up so that they could have a fighting chance with someone else! Then being told that what you did was wrong, without ever asking why you did it in the first place or what happened!
It’s something I’m sure plenty of women deal with on the regular, but nonetheless it was such a great reminder that we should never judge others for what they did in the past when we don’t even know the entire story!
So yeah …
This is what it’s like to be a woman! To be so confused in life, and to feel like your life isn’t really yours to live! To feel like no matter what you do, it’s just not good enough! Of course, there’s more to being a woman than what’s above, but I’m grateful that I watched Little Fires Everywhere because these are important stories that may just help another woman realize that she’s worth more than what others think of her! That her life is hers and that she should live it the way SHE wants! F*ck what other people say or think! And it was a reminder for me to do the same.
Little Fires Everywhere was great and I’m thankful for women like Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon who thought it was important to tell these stories and to remind us to just unapologetically be us!
Click here to watch Little Fires Everywhere on Hulu.
P.s – Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to hit the share button below so your friends can read this awesome post as well. Comments are always appreciated and responded to. So gon’ and tell me how you REALLY feel! Thanks in advance! Now click around and read something else. Lol There are lots of suggestions below!
Awww thank you!!! It's so good!!