By Sarah Huffman

“The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” was added to Netflix on April 1, bringing back a wave of nostalgia for many, including myself.

This series was hugely popular within the realm of middle-school girls back in the early to mid-2000s. The books and movies presented positive models of female friendships with an added touch of magic pants. If I’m being completely honest, I do not remember a lot about this series, but I do remember the books being part of my library conquest in middle school and having friends that were obsessed with the series.

I do not think I ever actually saw the movies as a child, which was one of the reasons I finally gave in and watched the movie. The story follows four best friends, Bridget, Lena, Tibby and Carmen, as they spend the summer apart for the first time. They find a pair of pants that miraculously fits their four different body types, and they decide to mail the pair of pants around the world to each other to stay connected throughout the summer.

The story is easy to follow, and while the girls face challenges, everything wraps up into a satisfying bow by the end. The movie focuses on female role models, the struggle to gain confidence and the close friendships. I’m aware that this movie was targeted at middle schoolers and others that loved the book series, but I think it’s valuable for people of all ages. The themes in this movie are supposed to inspire young girls, but they can also inspire older girls.

Now more than ever, there has been a push for female empowerment and the idea that women need to lift each other up. A movie like this, as cheesy as it might be, presents those ideas and continues to reinforce them.

The girls face family problems, deal with inner struggles and learn to conquer their problems head on, gaining confidence in the end. The movie frames these situations as if the pants gave them the confidence, but the sisterhood behind the pants is what actually helped the girls through their struggles.

The theme is that women can do anything is important, no matter what medium it is communicated through. This movie reminds us all of that message, especially when there are positive people championing them along the way.

The female friendships in this movie are also important models. Their friendships are not perfect; the girls sometimes disagree and feel distant from each other, but they always come back together. They show that a true friend will fight you sometimes but will always have your back in the end.

Those concepts are nice to be reminded of, especially at a time in my life where I’m realizing that the people you surround yourself with matter so much.

They have the power to build you up and give you the confidence to do anything, no matter where they are or what they are doing.

My friend group does not mail each other pants every week. We do not even talk every week. But we have our own ways of showing that we are there for each other, no matter where “there” is. This movie perfectly encapsulates the feeling of having that type of friend group.

“The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” may be a cheesy, mid-2000s movie about friends who love each other, but sometimes life requires a cheesy story. The themes of this movie are relatable to women — and people — of all ages. And even though the idea of the pants is silly, the ideas of friendship and confidence are not.