Shortly after the release of the final installment of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, film critic Caryn James pondered whether women were “just bored” when it came to Peter Jackson’s blockbuster films.

“Any movie so popular has to grab an audience across all lines of age and sex,” James wrote. “But both demographic and empirical evidence suggests that the trilogy is still primarily a boys’ toy.”

Whether women at that time felt enthralled or bored with these films, which began 20 years ago this month with “The Fellowship of the Ring,” isn’t for me to say. But I know that I, then a 13-year-old girl, and my 12-year-old sister, loved the story of Sam and Frodo and their quest to destroy the One Ring. And we weren’t alone.

“I was obsessed with the DVDs,” Karen Han, 29, a TV and film writer based in Los Angeles, said. “I think it was pretty much every holiday, I would watch all three movies in a day and do a marathon, and I would do that pretty much every year.”

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For a certain subset of millennial women, the “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy occupies the same role that “Star Wars” might for those who grew up from the late ’70s into the ’80s: It’s become a treasured part of the comfort-watch genre for women in their late 20s and 30s.

In the years after the films came out, rewatching them felt like a ritual only my sister and I observed. (My parents saw them with us in theaters, then never watched them again.) Through college, I met the occasional “Lord of the Rings” girl — a few friends in graduate school, and strangers on drunken nights out. And, of course, there were the memes and the accompanying meme accounts.

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Then a few years ago, I began to notice the articles on The Cut and elsewhere. “What of the Boromir Woman?” “I’m Always Horny for Sauron.” “The Greatest Christmas Movie Is ‘The Lord of the Rings.’”

“We all loved ‘Lord of the Rings,’” said Gabriella Paiella, 32, a culture writer for GQ and former staff writer at The Cut. “That definitely did heighten my sense that there was a specifically female interest in these movies that I hadn’t necessarily thought of before because I think the world of ‘Lord of the Rings’ is sort of thought of as a nerdy male interest.”

Jokes and memes remained a fantastic way fans could bond, but Paiella and other women who came of age in the era of “Lord of the Rings” say their passion for the movies is much deeper and more emotional. It’s an attachment that grew alongside the films’ most poignant, Howard Shore score-backed moments: “Don’t you know your Sam?” “I know your face” and “I would have followed you, my brother, my captain, my king.”

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“The overall message of this story is that as long as you have love and hope in each other, victory or triumph is still possible,” Han said, explaining, “It is technically an epic fantasy adventure, but I don’t think it hews to the same kind of ideas of masculinity and power that a lot of these stories traditionally do.”

The trilogy’s primary romantic relationship may be between Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and Arwen (Liv Tyler), the reluctant heir to Middle-earth’s throne and his half-Elven love interest. But both Paiella and Han argue that the connection between the two is no less tender than the heart-rending death of Boromir (Sean Bean) — whose desperation to save Middle-earth leads him to try to steal the Ring — with Aragorn at his side, at the end of the first film.

It’s the kind of moment not often found in male-oriented action films, and in certain corners of the internet, like LiveJournal and Tumblr, that tenderness — between Frodo and Sam, Legolas and Gimli, Merry and Pippin, Gandalf and Bilbo — became the focal point of “Lord of the Rings” fan fiction.

“I was absolutely obsessed with reading gay hobbit erotica,” said Chelsea McCurdy, 35, who works for a nonprofit based in Conway, Arkansas. “And I think that was a huge deal for me as far as my queer journey and the love for these movies.”

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Twenty years later, McCurdy remains especially moved by the female characters — Arwen, Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) and Eowyn (Miranda Otto) — whose roles were enhanced in the screenplays by Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson’s longtime partner, and their writing collaborator Philippa Boyens.

“My all-time favorite No. 1 scene is ‘I am no man,’” said McCurdy, referring to the pivotal scene in which Eowyn kills Sauron’s most terrifying servant, the Witch-king of Angmar. “That whole scene just makes me have goose bumps, and baby feminist Chelsea just ate that up.”

Han, the television writer, agreed, although she was reluctant to use the phrase “strong female character.” She explained, “Whenever people try to do that in contemporary cinema, it always feels like such a shallow and facile understanding, but ‘The Lord of the Rings’ really knocked it out of the park.”

That these female characters and many of their male counterparts are white (as are most characters in the film) hasn’t diminished the trilogy’s staying power, even for those who now hold Hollywood to a much higher standard.

“It’s just kind of beyond critique for me because I think I consumed it so young and because I see it, even if the movies happened recently, as like such an old, immovable work,” said Sara David, 32, an editor at Vice Media and union organizer. “I didn’t notice any lacking gender or race analysis in it because this story is so old and generic good vs. evil, you know?”

This article originally appeared in&nbsp;The New York Times.

Shortly after the release of the final installment of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, film critic Caryn James pondered whether women were “just bored” when it came to Peter Jackson’s blockbuster films.

Shortly after the release of the final installment of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, film critic Caryn James pondered whether women were “just bored” when it came to Peter Jackson’s blockbuster films. “Any movie so popular has to grab an audience across all lines of age and sex,” James wrote. “But both demographic and empirical evidence suggests that the trilogy is still primarily a boys’ toy.” Whether women at that time felt enthralled or bored with these films, which began 20 years ago this month with “The Fellowship of the Ring,” isn’t for me to say. But I know that I, then a 13-year-old girl, and my 12-year-old sister, loved the story of Sam and Frodo and their quest to destroy the One Ring. And we weren’t alone. “I was obsessed with the DVDs,” Karen Han, 29, a TV and film writer based in Los Angeles, said. “I think it was pretty much every holiday, I would watch all three movies in a day and do a marathon, and I would do that pretty much every year.” Spotted: Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson went for a movie date after latter skipped SNL episode For a certain subset of millennial women, the “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy occupies the same role that “Star Wars” might for those who grew up from the late ’70s into the ’80s: It’s become a treasured part of the comfort-watch genre for women in their late 20s and 30s. In the years after the films came out, rewatching them felt like a ritual only my sister and I observed. (My parents saw them with us in theaters, then never watched them again.) Through college, I met the occasional “Lord of the Rings” girl — a few friends in graduate school, and strangers on drunken nights out. And, of course, there were the memes and the accompanying meme accounts. Yearender 2021: Gal Gadot to Scarlett Johansson: Meet the new celebrity moms Then a few years ago, I began to notice the articles on The Cut and elsewhere. “What of the Boromir Woman?” “I’m Always Horny for Sauron.” “The Greatest Christmas Movie Is ‘The Lord of the Rings.’” “We all loved ‘Lord of the Rings,’” said Gabriella Paiella, 32, a culture writer for GQ and former staff writer at The Cut. “That definitely did heighten my sense that there was a specifically female interest in these movies that I hadn’t necessarily thought of before because I think the world of ‘Lord of the Rings’ is sort of thought of as a nerdy male interest.” Jokes and memes remained a fantastic way fans could bond, but Paiella and other women who came of age in the era of “Lord of the Rings” say their passion for the movies is much deeper and more emotional. It’s an attachment that grew alongside the films’ most poignant, Howard Shore score-backed moments: “Don’t you know your Sam?” “I know your face” and “I would have followed you, my brother, my captain, my king.” Yearender 2021: From Christopher Plummer to Prince Philip: Stars we've lost this year “The overall message of this story is that as long as you have love and hope in each other, victory or triumph is still possible,” Han said, explaining, “It is technically an epic fantasy adventure, but I don’t think it hews to the same kind of ideas of masculinity and power that a lot of these stories traditionally do.” The trilogy’s primary romantic relationship may be between Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and Arwen (Liv Tyler), the reluctant heir to Middle-earth’s throne and his half-Elven love interest. But both Paiella and Han argue that the connection between the two is no less tender than the heart-rending death of Boromir (Sean Bean) — whose desperation to save Middle-earth leads him to try to steal the Ring — with Aragorn at his side, at the end of the first film. It’s the kind of moment not often found in male-oriented action films, and in certain corners of the internet, like LiveJournal and Tumblr, that tenderness — between Frodo and Sam, Legolas and Gimli, Merry and Pippin, Gandalf and Bilbo — became the focal point of “Lord of the Rings” fan fiction. “I was absolutely obsessed with reading gay hobbit erotica,” said Chelsea McCurdy, 35, who works for a nonprofit based in Conway, Arkansas. “And I think that was a huge deal for me as far as my queer journey and the love for these movies.” Yearender 2021: Kanye West-Kim Kardashian to Gigi Hadid-Zayn Malik; biggest celebrity breakups of this year Twenty years later, McCurdy remains especially moved by the female characters — Arwen, Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) and Eowyn (Miranda Otto) — whose roles were enhanced in the screenplays by Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson’s longtime partner, and their writing collaborator Philippa Boyens. “My all-time favorite No. 1 scene is ‘I am no man,’” said McCurdy, referring to the pivotal scene in which Eowyn kills Sauron’s most terrifying servant, the Witch-king of Angmar. “That whole scene just makes me have goose bumps, and baby feminist Chelsea just ate that up.” Han, the television writer, agreed, although she was reluctant to use the phrase “strong female character.” She explained, “Whenever people try to do that in contemporary cinema, it always feels like such a shallow and facile understanding, but ‘The Lord of the Rings’ really knocked it out of the park.” That these female characters and many of their male counterparts are white (as are most characters in the film) hasn’t diminished the trilogy’s staying power, even for those who now hold Hollywood to a much higher standard. “It’s just kind of beyond critique for me because I think I consumed it so young and because I see it, even if the movies happened recently, as like such an old, immovable work,” said Sara David, 32, an editor at Vice Media and union organizer. “I didn’t notice any lacking gender or race analysis in it because this story is so old and generic good vs. evil, you know?” This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

How ‘Lord of the Rings’ became ‘Star Wars’ for millennial women

Millennials, some so young they need their parents&#39; permission and others with babies in tow, will join women&#39;s protests this weekend as their generation for the first time faces challenges to rights they have known most of their lives.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend the Women&#39;s March on Washington and sister marches in other cities around the world on Saturday, the day after Donald Trump is sworn into office as US&nbsp;president.

The display of unity is a show of opposition to Trump&#39;s potential impact on women&#39;s rights, particularly abortion access, health insurance, child care and workplace policies that could take a heavy toll on young women, activists say.

&quot;Everything that can affect the population in general is going to affect millennial women,&quot; said Jamie Kenney, 34, a New Jersey writer and mother of two young children.

&quot;Because we are young and because our careers aren&#39;t established and because most of us have uteruses, it&#39;s going to hit us in ways that it hits everybody and in ways that are going to be unique and harder to overcome,&quot; said Kenney, who planned to attend a women&#39;s march in New York City.

Along with the main march in Washington, more than 270 others are planned in the United States and in 33 other nations, with more than 500,000 people expected to join, organizers say.

The marches call for reproductive rights such as access to abortion and contraception, equal pay, affordable childcare, an end to violence against women and rights for gay, lesbian, bisexuals and transgender (LGBT) people.

&nbsp;

&#39;TURNING POINT&#39;

Trump has come under fire for his attitudes toward women that emerged as he campaigned for the presidency. In a 2005 tape that came to light during the campaign he brags about groping women and making unwanted sexual advances. He says he opposes abortion and has vowed to pull government funding from Planned Parenthood, a major provider of women&#39;s health care.

He wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a national insurance program that pays for most birth control methods for women.

&quot;Millennial women have taken all of those things for granted,&quot; said Elisabeth Kelan, a professor at Britain&#39;s Cranfield School of Management and author of a book on millennials entitled &quot;Rising Stars&quot;. &quot;It&#39;s a real turning point for this generation,&quot; she said.

Most millennials, 73 per cent, have an unfavourable view of Trump, according to the Pew Research Center.

Typically defined as those born between the early 1980s and early 2000s, they number around 74.5 million in the United States, according to Pew.

The Trump presidency will have a lasting effect because people form political identities in early adulthood, said Benjamin Knoll, an associate professor of politics at Centre College in Kentucky who specialises in public opinion and voting patterns.

&quot;For the younger ones now in college and their mid-20s, they&#39;re going to come of age at a time when we have Donald Trump as president,&quot; he said.

A millennial himself at 34, Knoll said he would attend a local women&#39;s march with his 8-year-old daughter.

Alessandra Rizzo, 16, plans to ride the bus to the Washington march after her father agreed she could go with a friend, accompanied by her friend&#39;s mother.

&quot;I can&#39;t vote,&quot; Rizzo said. &quot;So the march is just a way for me to express my dislike of what&#39;s going on.&quot; Trump&#39;s scepticism about climate change and his intention to make abortion illegal are most troubling, she said. &quot;I&#39;ll be at the age of having to worry about this when he&#39;s the president, and that&#39;s just very scary to me,&quot; she said.

(Reuters)

Along with the main march in Washington, more than 270 others are planned in the United States and in 33 other nations

Millennials, some so young they need their parents' permission and others with babies in tow, will join women's protests this weekend as their generation for the first time faces challenges to rights they have known most of their lives. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend the Women's March on Washington and sister marches in other cities around the world on Saturday, the day after Donald Trump is sworn into office as US president. The display of unity is a show of opposition to Trump's potential impact on women's rights, particularly abortion access, health insurance, child care and workplace policies that could take a heavy toll on young women, activists say. "Everything that can affect the population in general is going to affect millennial women," said Jamie Kenney, 34, a New Jersey writer and mother of two young children. "Because we are young and because our careers aren't established and because most of us have uteruses, it's going to hit us in ways that it hits everybody and in ways that are going to be unique and harder to overcome," said Kenney, who planned to attend a women's march in New York City. Along with the main march in Washington, more than 270 others are planned in the United States and in 33 other nations, with more than 500,000 people expected to join, organizers say. The marches call for reproductive rights such as access to abortion and contraception, equal pay, affordable childcare, an end to violence against women and rights for gay, lesbian, bisexuals and transgender (LGBT) people. 'TURNING POINT' Trump has come under fire for his attitudes toward women that emerged as he campaigned for the presidency. In a 2005 tape that came to light during the campaign he brags about groping women and making unwanted sexual advances. He says he opposes abortion and has vowed to pull government funding from Planned Parenthood, a major provider of women's health care. He wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a national insurance program that pays for most birth control methods for women. "Millennial women have taken all of those things for granted," said Elisabeth Kelan, a professor at Britain's Cranfield School of Management and author of a book on millennials entitled "Rising Stars". "It's a real turning point for this generation," she said. Most millennials, 73 per cent, have an unfavourable view of Trump, according to the Pew Research Center. Typically defined as those born between the early 1980s and early 2000s, they number around 74.5 million in the United States, according to Pew. The Trump presidency will have a lasting effect because people form political identities in early adulthood, said Benjamin Knoll, an associate professor of politics at Centre College in Kentucky who specialises in public opinion and voting patterns. "For the younger ones now in college and their mid-20s, they're going to come of age at a time when we have Donald Trump as president," he said. A millennial himself at 34, Knoll said he would attend a local women's march with his 8-year-old daughter. Alessandra Rizzo, 16, plans to ride the bus to the Washington march after her father agreed she could go with a friend, accompanied by her friend's mother. "I can't vote," Rizzo said. "So the march is just a way for me to express my dislike of what's going on." Trump's scepticism about climate change and his intention to make abortion illegal are most troubling, she said. "I'll be at the age of having to worry about this when he's the president, and that's just very scary to me," she said. (Reuters)

Millennial women protest Trump in the streets, many for first time

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