Wednesday 26 July 2017

Who is the Real Femme Icon?

So I was walking around the supermarket, humming the theme song for Game of Thrones and wondering why anyone in their right mind wouldn't be watching it.
I'm sorry but it just bugs me.
And y'all say it like you're showing off.
When in reality you're missing out on some of the greatest TV to ever television.
Oh well.
Not what this post is about.
This post is about La Femme and being over-dramatic about Wonderwoman.
I was scrolling on Tumblr about the time Wonderwoman came out and there was a lot of excitement from white Tumblr about Gal Gadot being all, au naturel. I read this one post going on about how every wrinkle and cellulite on the Amazons was highlighted in 3D. And how empowering that was for women etc etc and so on and so forth.
Now ever since I was a kid and Wonderwoman was a cartoon on TV, she had never managed to excite my interest. Never been 'my' super hero.
Frankly, I don't get the hype.
So I watched the movie very begrudgingly just because peer pressure.
#SpoilersAhead
I had a number of complaints.
First of all, they jacked the Captain America script.
Only they left out all the human connections which made Captain America: The First Avenger and all subsequent sequels great.

There was no Bucky equivalent and quite frankly they did not get me invested in the interactions between the Amazons or between her group of 'fighters' who were just mirrors of Steve Roger's gang of army Marauders (minus Bucky - I cannot emphasize that enough).
And what was that love interest?
Oh my God whatever Chris Pine's character's name was cannot compare to Peggy Carter. And I have a question. Were there no British actors available? Did they ask Tom Hardy? Did he say no? It was weird.
I have to put a disclaimer here because Chris Pine has attempted to make me care about him in many movies and so far has failed.
All in all, Wonderwoman didn't make me feel like going out there and slaying the hell out of life.
Furthermore, she was supposed to be this run of the mill everyday woman. Look at her. That is not run of the mill or every day. That is some statuesque, ripped, beautiful, sexy womanhood.
And then there is Arya Stark.
A girl.
She's just an ordinary girl. The last born of several boys and a very girly girl. Her sister was the kind of girl other girls want to be.
She wasn't like them though.
She wanted to learn sword play and not needle point.
"Stick 'em with the pointy end." Jon Snow told her when he gave her Needle. Little did he know...
She didn't wake up wanting her hair well coiffed, her clothes perfectly styled.
She woke up like this. But she was flawless anyway.
And when push comes to shove, she was like the most BADASS person, male or female, on screen.
"The North remembers." she said, after exterminating a roomful of men.
Now that made me feel empowered.
That made me feel a bit of warmth in my chest, pride, happiness, like that time Brazil won the world cup when Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Roberto Carlos were still playing. Just...crack. Or how I assume crack makes you feel.
So people are still busy looking for some mythical role model when there she has been for seven years.
Right in front of you.
I love Arya Stark.
She's my favorite serial killer.
But my real role model in this game called life, aside from myself, my mother and my son is....
You guessed it.
This picture was taken today from her meeting with the President of France where she discussed the education of the girl child specifically in Africa. Now we all know that Macron talked some smack about Africa's problem being we have too many children or some shit like that. I don't even care about his ignorant ass. But considering what an ignorant ass he is, he was still eating out of the Queen's hand and offering to launch more programs geared at education in Africa in spite of his views.
That my people is why Rihanna will now and always be the Queen of my heart and the only role model I need. Where she came from, and where she is now, in just ten short years is mind boggling.
And it's real life.

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