Lost but enjoying the view…

After taking time off of pondering over Little Women and trying to think of something to write about, I find that I have a lot to say, so much so that I do not know where to begin. The more time I spend looking closely at Little Women, the novel and the movie adaptations, the more I am beginning to dislike the essential elements of the plot and characters. I find myself becoming annoyed by the fact that Jo is so masculine in her mannerisms, mainly because she is set up on some pedastool. She is portrayed as someone that young girls and females should strive to be. I feel like, to an extent, the rest of the March sisters are looked down upon. Their flaws are all emphasized and recognizable. It’s not easy to pick out Jo’s faults and they don’t come to mind when I think about her. Yes, she has masculine characteristics, but those are not portrayed as bad aspects/habits to have. What’s essentially wrong with Meg dressing up at the coming out party and wanting to look pretty? Why does she tell Laurie not to tell Jo how she’s ‘behaved’, like she has committed some terrible crime?
With this on my mind, I have been thinking about strong, independent female characters. The first one that came to my mind was Lizzy Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. I think that she displays some qualities that could be deemed masculine or unlady-like, or at least that could for that time period. She walks to Bingly’s house when Jane falls ill, which they emphasize in the most recent film version. So now I am wondering if all female heroines are to some extent masculinized but then I am not sure that I know what is essentially feminine anyway. I know stereotypes and generalizations but then who made or compiled all of those stereotypes? a male?