What Judy Blume Shows Us About Curiosity and Connection

Judy Blume’s book Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret was named the New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year in 1970, and yet it was also banned from her children’s primary school. Covering topics such as puberty, crushes, and religious questioning, the book became a relatable classic, and it was adapted into a movie in 2023. 

Blume served as a producer on the film adaptation and ensured her creative vision was properly executed. Critics noted that Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is as relevant today as it was in the 1970s. Swap out a belted skirt for low-rise jeans, hand Margaret a cell phone, and it would be basically the same. So why would the movie choose to be true to the book’s original setting? My theory is that film used the warm, muted colors and small-town relationships of the 1970s to contrast today’s bright screens and global connectivity. This comparison shows us the way curiosity about ourselves and our communities can be used to build relationships. 

It’s no secret that people have access to more information now than ever before. Research has linked internet use to loneliness in young people. The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across apps and platforms makes the answers to even our most ridiculous questions accessible. Specifically for young women, the constant intake of images of other women makes it easy to compare our bodies, features, and perceived beauty. 

In Margaret’s time, the availability of media depicting female bodies was limited enough that she looked to women in her life to see what her body might become. When young women today are curious about their bodies and eager to find out what it “should” look like, the internet gives them access to countless women in the world to compare themselves to. These women often apply a beauty filter, use Photoshop, or have surgically altered bodies, all to look more attractive, which sets them apart from the women in Margaret’s community who don’t have access to this modern technology. Her curiosity, depicted in the setting it was first written in, reminds us that the bodies we see every day are real and normal. It helps us reject the standards that confine beauty to women who only look a certain way. 

Throughout the story, her curiosity about her boobs, periods, and beliefs pushes Margaret to explore and make connections. Upon moving to New Jersey from New York City, Margaret becomes friends with three other girls, and they form a secret club centered around impending womanhood. Together, they participate in a now iconic exercise which involves pumping their arms and chanting “We must! We must! We must increase our bust!” Margaret has never cared much about her boobs before, but she joins in the motion with zeal. Her curiosity about her growing body leads her to build friendships with the other girls in a way that feels less common today. Today, instead of asking her friends, for example, a girl might turn to a search engine to learn how to increase her cup size.

After watching a film on menstruation at school, Margaret drags her friend to the local supermarket where they buy pads, though neither of them has started their first period. Fear strikes as they walk up to the cash register to pay and look up to see a teenage boy checking them out. After paying, they barely make it out before they start sprinting down the street. They come to a stop, and as they catch their breath, they burst into laughter. The anticipation of their periods brings them together in spite of the terror they felt at the store. In contrast with their experience, menstruating people today can easily order any item they want online and have it delivered, void of any human interaction. In fact, that’s what I’ve done my whole life. What’s lost is not just the anxiety, but also the feeling of being “in it” together.

Margaret may be interested in things that don’t apply to everyone, but she engages in new relationships and strengthens bonds in a way that feels rare today. The way I see it, the movie helps us imagine using our common curiosity to build connection and community. I’ve only ever lived in a world of information, but the film adaptation of Margaret has shown me that I can find who I am in the community of people around me.