Some of the criticism towards the 2019 Little Women, is the fact that a lot of the promotion of the film included several fatphobic comments from Gerwig regarding Friedrich’s character. Obviously this is not ethical or morally correct. There is a problem within Little Women researh, because there are Alcott’s scholars who dismiss Friedrich as a love interst for Jo because of fatphobia. Based on her diaries Louisa May Alcott seemed to have liked more stout and stacked men, and she even critices the looks of the skinny men who inspired Laurie’s character. So the statements from Gerwig and these scholars are in contradict with Alcott herself.
Louisa May Alcott also suffered from body dystrophia. She became ill after her service in the Civil War and she was treated with mercury. The mercury treatment caused some major damage in her body and created mood swings, increased her weight and hightened up testosterone levels in her body making her look more masculine than she was and causing her constant pains. When her fans saw her they went away dissappointed because she wasn’t pretty. In Little Women, there is an idea that love beautffies a person. Jo and Friedrich are beautified by their love, in each others eyes.
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