9/30/2017 0 Comments Wondering about Wonder WomanWarning: Wonder Woman Spoilers!!
I finally saw Wonder Woman this past week. (Yes, yes, it is sad that I wasn’t able to see it till now.) I thought it was “wonder”ful! I was totally impressed by the intention and thoughtfulness of the directing. Gal blew me away. I thought she was perfect as Wonder Woman and her acting was so spot on and solid. The trailers had been so serious and intense, that I was a little put off by how many “jokey” moments there were, but then I remembered that this IS a DC/Superhero movie AND this is a parable. All films are representational of life and thought, and especially this one. I realized after watching, that I had attached myself/womankind to Wonder Woman and as I watched her learn and fight and love, my/our learning and fighting and loving was represented. I can imagine that a lot of women did this same exercise. I realized this because after the film, I was very emotionally defensive. I felt strong and fierce. But I also felt tense and not open to connection. My husband and I were cuddled on the couch and he was trying to snuggle me and I just couldn’t join in. As I was trying to practice some non-judgemental observing, I wondered if it was because I had just sat for 3 hours having to fight her/my/our way to follow her/my/our heart and do what she/I/we wanted. And I was still in that “space.” Of course, this is part of our story as humans, and sometimes especially as women, so I think it needs to be represented. But for me, it is an incomplete story. I think it is totally legit that WW doesn’t trust Steve as he’s asking for her help near the end. Even as her pal/lover, he is constantly holding her back and never asks: “What do YOU want to do? How can I support you and your ideas? (Because I can tell you have got some skills… and everything I think is impossible, is possible when you do it...)” WW ends up alone and sad, continuing to fight on her own to save mankind. Again, speaking to the parable, this is often a part of “our” human story--feeling alone and independent and (sometimes) Bad-A. But if I was going to re-show this to myself and show this to my children (my daughters AND sons), I would want the rest of the story of the truth about the potential of human existence and connection to be told. I would (humbly) add scenes looking something like this:
But THE POINT IS: Interdependence. Connection. Support. Vulnerability. Can we ever reach THAT place in parables/discussion about equality? Especially the narrative about women and men? I feel like I hear race discussions/parables reach that place more often, but not the ones about men and women. (And maybe that’s just my context.) Anyway, I just feel the lack of that. The truth that we need each other in healthy ways--and HOW TO need each other in HEALTHY ways--seems to me to be missing from many conversations. Regardless of what the relationship is, this is a truth that when missing, deprives us of experiencing a much fuller, more meaningful, and more empowering life. If we’re going to tell the story, can we tell that part of the story too?
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anna
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