You're not even required to like it , but you're required to consider it

Giselle Levy: That's Jackson Pollock. 

Susan Delacorte: In a word. 

Connie Baker: I was just getting used to the idea of dead, maggoty meat being art. Now this? 

Susan Delacorte: Please don't tell me we have to write a paper about it. 

Katherine Watson: Do me a favor. Do yourselves a favor. Stop talking, and look. You're not required to write a paper. You're not even required to like it. You *are* required to consider it. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is my fave scene of the movie. Mona Lisa Smile is one of my favorite movies about gender equality and ,also, about art. The story is about Katherine Watson who wants to be different and make a change. She's a newly hired art instructor at Wellesley College, which is one of the most conservative colleges in the state. The school where she is teaching have girls that are intelligent and smart. But being a traditional school ( it's set in 1950's) these girls are going for being married and not even to consider having a collegiate education. This is what i love about Ms. Watson, with her teaching methods and using art to convey her idea, she made them question themselves if they're really for being a traditional housewives. For Watson, she knew that they have potentials but they never thought of it because the girls were raised in way to be the perfect wives. Movie is telling us that what man can do , woman can also do it.


In the movie, men usually take the office-kind of jobs and girls are just for home , taking care of the babies. But I'm not saying that there's something wrong about being a wife and having kids. (I actually want to have my own family, but now...) In life , for me, there are opportunities that come in once in a lifetime, one in a million. And I guess that's what Ms. Watson wants to put it right here, that these girls are young and they should savor their youth and reach for their dreams, aside from having a family. Because when you have a family, you can't really do it , AT ALL. I can see my mom, I love her so much, and she has dreams of her own too, but she can't quite possibly do the stuff that she wanted because they have me. Now that I'm old and entering the world (almost) of the yuppies, I told my mom that she doesn't have to mind me ,that much, because I have of my own and she needs to be happy and go for what she wants.I dont know what she wants but I'll be happy for her. The movie talks about choosing what your paths and going for what we believe in.


In choosing our paths, and dreams to believe in, it's like saying whether a piece of article is an art or not. What makes it art, what makes it a good or bad art or just a piece of junk. The definition of art , for me, is vague. But I do know that it's something that makes us feel something, whether it's happy, sad, erotic or grotesque. There are actually no rules, nor standards. It's about us. No one has the right to direct your life or make you a slave or be the dictator of your own life. So whatever that makes you happy, contented and confident about, do follow it. Follow your heart because If you dont, all your life you'll be questioning yourself about how will it be if you've done this and that.


Ciao :P
xoxo


( Photo and Script , IMDB.COM)