Here's Why The Pioneer Woman Compared Herself To This Classic Feminist Movie

Some moviegoers consider 1989's Steel Magnolias to be a feminist film, although that's debated. IndieWire thinks the movie is the opposite of feminist because the female characters' only concerns are men and their families. On the other hand, a blog called A Young Person's Guide to Feminist Films calls Steel Magnolias the ultimate feminist movie, right up there with the Ghostbusters remake. Whatever your opinion of its underlying message about the role of women, there's no arguing the power in the expression used for the movie's title. The term "steel magnolias" is popular in the southern U.S. and declares that women are both strong and feminine (via Word Sense). They're the true bedrock of any family. As Sally Field's character says in the movie, "Men are supposed to be made out of steel or something" (via IMDb). But it's the women who are always holding things together.

No doubt this is what Ree Drummond had in mind when she referred to women as "Steel Magnolias" in a recent post on her Pioneer Woman blog. "I guess if you've lived enough years as a wife, mother, sister, daughter," Drummond wrote, "you're going to develop the ability to power through crises without crumbling."

Ree Drummond used her popular blog on March 15 to update her fans on how her husband, Ladd, and nephew, Caleb, were recovering from a head-on-crash on March 10 (via FOX23 News). Both men were badly hurt but are going to be okay. A day or two after the crash, after the crisis had passed, Ree's daughters, Paige and Alex Drummond, got around to asking their mom how she was doing. Her answer was strong as steel: "I am good." She went on to write, "I may still have a crumble ahead, don't get me wrong, but right now I'm firmly in Steel Magnolia mode."

Then the always thoughtful Ree Drummond considered some more, and she wrote that the real reason she said "I am good" may have been that the outcome could have been so much worse after Ladd and Caleb crashed their fire engines into each other while battling a wildfire near the Drummond Ranch. Caleb was initially listed in critical condition, and Ladd broke his neck in two places. Drummond also acknowledged her many fans, who lent even more strength to this Steel Magnolia. She ended her blog post with, "Thank you all so very much for reaching out to our family and for keeping us in your hearts through the past several days. I can't tell you how much it means to all of us, and I'll never, ever forget it!"