Trauma survivors deserve complex heroes that make us feel seen in our justifiable rage, and stories that encourage us to hold onto hope and love, even in our darkest moments. In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness chooses the entertainment value of writing the Scarlet Witch as a villain rather than honoring the character’s humanity as WandaVision did.
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Read MoreBetween the infantile, submissive Lotus Blossom or the seductive, calculating Dragon Lady, Asian women have rarely been portrayed beyond these exotified, hypersexualized stereotypes for decades. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings intentionally challenges these gendered tropes, portraying compassionate, powerful, and above all, capable women. It’s possible to create a world where Asian femininity is a strength, and not something to fear or otherwise annihilate.
Read MoreWandavision affords Wanda the opportunity to move through the entire reality of her trauma, ultimately transmuting her loss to further her personal growth and sense of self.
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Read MoreThe modern retelling of Mulan seemingly sacrifices the humanity of its characters to establish itself as a war epic about filial piety.
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Read MoreMarvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. demonstrates a shining example of how to depict women friendships, that of Daisy Johnson (Chloe Bennet) and bio-chemist Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge).
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Read MoreThe series makes it clear that it’s Elena Richardson’s white entitlement and massive, unchecked ego that spark the events leading up to the fire that ravages the Richardson family mansion. Through Elena’s relationships with her mother and her own daughters, we see how Little Fires Everywhere strikes at the oppressive cage of white matriarchy.
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Read MoreEmotions are a natural human instinct that help us engage with our environment. Yet for women, especially those who hold multiple marginalized identities, our emotions are often weaponized against us. Birds of Prey presents a world where women have agency and therefore humanity, where their emotions are normalized and not repressed.
Read MoreWithout the fear and shame of being punished and humiliated for his sensitivity, Jojo is afforded humanity and allowed to grow as a person. In turn, he recognizes and values Elsa’s humanity despite having been taught otherwise. Taika Waititi does a fabulous job with Jojo Rabbit, reminding the audience that we too are capable of change when we’re encouraged to love and not hate.
Read MoreBombshell masquerades as a biographical drama about courageous whistleblowers while dishonestly glossing over the network’s legacy of violent racism. It centers the plight of white women crusading against injustice while ignoring how they built their careers on demonizing and oppressing Black and brown people.
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Read MoreRegardless of their personal feelings towards each other, white supremacy facilitated the Thrombeys to quickly band together against this immigrant woman who they perceived to have infiltrated their family.
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Read MoreFrozen 2 follows Elsa as she fully reclaims her identity after her childhood trauma. She’s presented with the choice of maintaining her comfort or using her powers to right the injustices perpetrated by generations past. By following her intuition and listening to her magick, she breaks a cycle of abuse, discovering the truth about her family and her identity.
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Read MoreDirected by Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho (Snowpiercer, Okja), Parasite is a satire and thriller that explores wealth inequality and the lengths to which we go to survive. It’s a visceral, realistic lesson on the importance of class solidarity, commenting on the cyclical violence of poverty, and demonstrating why we must rise above the scarcity myth.
Read MoreWhen I initially watched the show in 2013, I felt inspired by Mars’s resilience, but during a recent re-watch, I realized that Veronica Mars has always treated sexual assault as fodder for drama. The show perpetuates rape culture by using sexual violence as a plot device, overrepresenting false accusations, and ultimately failing to meaningfully address how trauma impacts its characters.
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Read MoreCaptain Marvel is a powerfully moving story about a survivor, a heroine who embraces her newfound identity. Although her humanity is exploited by power-hungry warmongers, what’s groundbreaking about this film is that Carol Danvers refuses to see her victimization as a weakness, and instead uses this opportunity to break the cycle of violence and war.
Read MoreThe Internet unearthed Whedon's 2006 take on "Wonder Woman" and phew, am I glad it never saw the light of day. The script reeks of the typical male gaze that is already rampant in mainstream media, and is just plain tacky.
Read MoreWatching a woman who looks like me kick major ass helps me accept both my Asian heritage and identity as a survivor of sexual violence.
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