Film

That Iconic Jo and Laurie Scene From ‘Little Women’ Has Become A Huge Meme

If there's a bad habit you can't shake, Saoirse Ronan's "I can't, I can't" speech is the cure.

by Michelle Rennex  18 February 2020
little women jo meme I can't

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Greta Gerwig’s Little Women was a film loved by critics and audiences alike.

The 2019 adaptation of the classic 1868 novel wowed viewers with its superstar cast and stellar acting. But even though the film was snubbed at the Golden Globes, the period drama has gotten a second life through memes online.

In particular, the scene between Jo March (Saoirse Ronan) and Laurie (Timothée Chalamet) has been popping up all over Twitter in the past few days. In the scene, Laurie professes his undying love for Jo and asks for her hand in marriage. Jo, the icon, rejects Laurie, explaining to him that she simply doesn’t “believe [she] will ever marry” because she “loves [her] liberty too well to be in an hurry to give it up.”

During the exchange, one particular moment has been deemed meme-worthy enough, and that’s Jo’s “I can’t. I can’t”. Jo’s exasperated reply has now been paired with habits that are simply impossible to not do — like crafting a sentence without an em-dash, for example.

The Little Women Jo meme has even made some draw parallels between what was likely Greta Gerwig’s inspiration for the film — Little Women: Atlanta. In a video edit, @prasejeebus highlighted that Saoirse’s Jo speech was a little too similar to Ms. Juicy’s from Little Women: Atlanta. Regardless, one thing remains true: Jo March and Ms. Juicy are both on-screen icons.