Black Panther has taken the world by storm! If the lack of tickets weren’t an indication, the movie opened to record-breaking success. It’s amazing to see a film with an almost all-black cast breaking box office records while shattering ethnic and gender stereotypes. It’s been such a long time since we’ve seen black culture represented in mass media in positive ways that highlight our strengths. Hopefully, this success will message to Hollywood that viewers are interested in stories featuring protagonists of all races and backgrounds – not just white ones!
Black Panther was an incredible movie, and I absolutely loved it. It introduced the world to the Marvel fictional country of Wakanda and its powerful ruler T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman). Even more impressive were the women of Wakanda who showed us that strength comes in many forms. They demonstrated femininity, ferocity, agency, and power – all while knowing when to stand firm or back down.
[Side note] Did you see Chadwick Boseman’s shirtless Rolling Stone cover?
In the land of Wakanda, feminine power is on full display and is an integral part of society. King T’Challa looks to and depends on the support of his mother – Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), General Okoye (Danai Gurira) who leads his all-female royal army, Shuri (Letitia Wright) who is T’Challa’s sister and Wakanda’s chief technological innovator, as well as Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), champion of the River Tribe. These strong women use their prowess to protect their kingdom in various ways throughout this incredible film. It just goes to show that when women are empowered make a huge difference in the growth of our society!
9 Lessons Black Panther Taught Us
It’s incredible how much we can learn from Marvel’s Wakanda! Here are 9 important lessons that this futuristic society taught us.
- A woman can be secure and confident in her own space, while still empowering and supporting her sister.
- Strength is knowing your worth and not accepting anything less.
- Being a Black woman, feminine, powerful, and fierce are not mutually exclusive.
- A woman can be beautiful and sexy without being sexualized, yet still, be aggressive and have brute strength.
- A forward-thinking and progressive society is one which allows women equal rights as men, to explore their full potential.
- A woman can be both a warrior and queen, proud and regal, embracing her prowess while standing in the rightness of who she is.
- Don’t argue with those who say you can’t, just prove them wrong.
- Don’t let your accent or gender sway you from sharing your gifts, and your voice, and shifting the landscape.
- We can balance the traditions of the past while embracing modernization.
What were your takeaways?
