Why Black Panther Deserved A Win And What Feminism Truly Stands For
Black Panther is phenomenal for a number of reasons.
For one, it tells the story of the rise of the underdog - a
third-world African nation, that lived far too long in the shadows, is now a
pioneer in cutting-bleed technology. It doesn’t tell the story of distress
or suffering of the Blacks as most Black movies do, but rather tells the
tale of Black victory and empowerment. It kind of struck a chord with me being from a third
world country myself (we don’t call ourselves that though).
The movie explores a range of human emotions and dogmatic dilemmas in a skillful yet seamless way. The peppy banters between the protagonist and his sister oozes a sense of warmth and mutual respect. Okoye choosing her sworn loyalty to the throne and anyone who sits on it over her own affection for T’Challa is thought-provoking. You see a giant hippo charging straight at M’Baku (a supposed opponent) during the battle, but it stops dead in its tracks as its eyes meet a familiar face (Okoye), and it immediately begins to lick her instead, all fury forgotten. It is both unnerving and spectacular. It tells you in subtle undertones that humans may change sides as easily as they change socks, but animals – even the giant, scary ones as the hippo in question - simply can’t change their minds once they fall in love with their humans.
The two lovers divided on either side of the battlefield have to battle their own emotions as they each fight for what they believe to be the right thing to do. As Okoye was all set to face-off with W’Kabi, he had to but ask, “Would you kill me, my love?”. I could feel the chills as Okoye unflinchingly says, “For Wakanda, without question!”. You could see her heart breaking into a million pieces, but she chooses to overlook her own emotions for the greater good - her eyes say it all.
And finally there’s the resentful and cold-blooded anti-hero whose freakish body-brands (one for each kill!) do manage to give you the creeps, but you simply can’t hate him. He is a victim, “a monster of our own making”, in T’Challa’s words, and you tend to sympathise with him, rather than be mad at him. That along with Michael B Jordan’s gullible face just does not see contempt coming its way.
But more than anything, what I took home with me was one glorious idea that Black Panther so beautifully celebrated - feminism. There is no damsel in distress here. No knight in the shining armour or prince charming to wake the sleeping beauty from her sleep or free a delicate maid from the clutches of an evil step-mother. Right from the super-smart and sassy Shuri to the all-female Wakandan special force soldiers, these women are anything but delicate, and are beautiful in their own bald, black ways - women who love themselves just the way they are and are only proud. Okoye, bald as she was, stating that it’s a disgrace to be wearing a wig (when forced to wear one while working in disguise) is one of my favourite moments. It reminds you what self-love is all about.
So this Women’s Day, let’s celebrate the joy of embracing ourselves just the way we are.
Feminism does not stand for a bunch of women trying to do everything a man could, just the way a man would. Feminism stands for equalism, and being equal does not mean being same or similar to someone or something. It is to be equal as regards rights, responsibilities and duties, and being treated with equal respect and given the same opportunities irrespective of your gender (man or woman - it works both ways, you see).
Yes, there may be some roles that are for-male-only like fatherhood for example, and some that are for-female-only like motherhood. And please do not commit the treachery of confusing the one with the other. Each role has a unique design and fulfills a particular function in the process of child-rearing, and one cannot be swapped with the other.
Feminism is about celebrating the things that make you who you are - your uniqueness, your own special abilities that bring a balance and equation in everything you do.
Then why call it feminism? Why not call yourselves a humanist or an equalist? I think the words of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie will suffice to answer the question.
The movie explores a range of human emotions and dogmatic dilemmas in a skillful yet seamless way. The peppy banters between the protagonist and his sister oozes a sense of warmth and mutual respect. Okoye choosing her sworn loyalty to the throne and anyone who sits on it over her own affection for T’Challa is thought-provoking. You see a giant hippo charging straight at M’Baku (a supposed opponent) during the battle, but it stops dead in its tracks as its eyes meet a familiar face (Okoye), and it immediately begins to lick her instead, all fury forgotten. It is both unnerving and spectacular. It tells you in subtle undertones that humans may change sides as easily as they change socks, but animals – even the giant, scary ones as the hippo in question - simply can’t change their minds once they fall in love with their humans.
The two lovers divided on either side of the battlefield have to battle their own emotions as they each fight for what they believe to be the right thing to do. As Okoye was all set to face-off with W’Kabi, he had to but ask, “Would you kill me, my love?”. I could feel the chills as Okoye unflinchingly says, “For Wakanda, without question!”. You could see her heart breaking into a million pieces, but she chooses to overlook her own emotions for the greater good - her eyes say it all.
And finally there’s the resentful and cold-blooded anti-hero whose freakish body-brands (one for each kill!) do manage to give you the creeps, but you simply can’t hate him. He is a victim, “a monster of our own making”, in T’Challa’s words, and you tend to sympathise with him, rather than be mad at him. That along with Michael B Jordan’s gullible face just does not see contempt coming its way.
But more than anything, what I took home with me was one glorious idea that Black Panther so beautifully celebrated - feminism. There is no damsel in distress here. No knight in the shining armour or prince charming to wake the sleeping beauty from her sleep or free a delicate maid from the clutches of an evil step-mother. Right from the super-smart and sassy Shuri to the all-female Wakandan special force soldiers, these women are anything but delicate, and are beautiful in their own bald, black ways - women who love themselves just the way they are and are only proud. Okoye, bald as she was, stating that it’s a disgrace to be wearing a wig (when forced to wear one while working in disguise) is one of my favourite moments. It reminds you what self-love is all about.
So this Women’s Day, let’s celebrate the joy of embracing ourselves just the way we are.
Feminism does not stand for a bunch of women trying to do everything a man could, just the way a man would. Feminism stands for equalism, and being equal does not mean being same or similar to someone or something. It is to be equal as regards rights, responsibilities and duties, and being treated with equal respect and given the same opportunities irrespective of your gender (man or woman - it works both ways, you see).
Yes, there may be some roles that are for-male-only like fatherhood for example, and some that are for-female-only like motherhood. And please do not commit the treachery of confusing the one with the other. Each role has a unique design and fulfills a particular function in the process of child-rearing, and one cannot be swapped with the other.
Feminism is about celebrating the things that make you who you are - your uniqueness, your own special abilities that bring a balance and equation in everything you do.
Then why call it feminism? Why not call yourselves a humanist or an equalist? I think the words of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie will suffice to answer the question.
"That is what feminism is. Feminism is about justice for everyone. But you have to name a problem. And the problem is that it's women who have been excluded. We need to call it what it is."Trevor Noah's answer to this was spot on too: "It's the same thing that people say about 'Black lives matter.' They want us to say 'All lives matter.' We know that the rest of the lives matter, but the problem needs to be addressed though." (You can catch the full interview here.)
So this Women's Day (and all days from this point forward), come let's be an equalist. Let's be a feminist.
#Feminism #CelebratingEqualism #BlackPanther #TheLittleThingsInLife
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