As a huge marvel fan and feminist, this scene made me happy to see the women of Marvel come together to defeat their biggest foe. One of the terms we learned in class was androcentrism which most Marvel movies have been. It was up until last year, Marvel released their first solo, female hero movie, Captain Marvel (who can be seen in this clip).
As we watched the documentary “The World Before Her” one thing struck out to me: the use of lightening cream on the pageant girls to lighten their skin. It reminded me of a column I read this week (for my opinion writing class).
One of the girls who was forced into prostitution was worth less than the other girls due to her skin being darker. Why is having dark skin such a bad thing?
I also made connections from the documentary to Under the Udala Trees. The documentary spoke a lot on traditions, one example being Prachi’s mother saying that a woman isn’t completely a woman until she is a mother. In the book, Ijeoma’s mother had the same mindset.
The article about discusses traditions and modernity that women run into in South Asia. This article connected back to Bibi Haldar and how the story was narrated by the women of her town. They looked at Bibi through the eyes of tradition while Bibi ended up more modern since she was a single mother and ran her own store.
“…just remember that it is the same moon that wanes today that will be full tomorrow. And even the sun, however long it disappears, it always shines again.”
Anuli, Under the Udala Trees pg. 287
The article I included above is an interview from NPR. They interviewed the author of Under the Udala Trees, Chinelo Okparanta about the book. Whether you decide to listen or read, she gives great insight about the story and how she feels about the characters. I particularly liked how she described Ijeoma and her mother’s relationship as opposed to how readers feel about it.
“There is no amount of prayer that can change that.”
As we began reading Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta this week, I made a connection. In part two of the book where Ijeoma’s mother is trying to “convert” Ijeoma from thinking “sinful thoughts” it reminded me of this scene from one of my all-time favorite shows All American. Ijeoma’s mother and Coop’s mother are both religious women who don’t support their daughters’ sexuality. While Ijeoma’s mother is trying to convert her with bible lessons, Coop’s mother decides to kick her out of the house.
This article explains how there is more to media than just white men and women. Hollywoods thinks including one black actor in a film or tv show satisfies the diversity component. We NEED more black women and women of color in media!
This is an episode from the show Black-ish (I encourage whoever’s reading this to watch) where Bow forms a feminist activism club for women of color, after leaving a similar club that was predominantly white women. As we were discussing intersectionality in class, this episode came to mind.
Women Writing Worldwide Blog