~ Why Pepa Madrigal is, imo, a wonderful representation for women/mothers, a thread : I think that Disney made a great job with Pepa in Encanto for the representation of a fleshed out “ Mother “ character. Usually, Disney have mothers to somehow “ serve “ their children on screen but are never truly depicted as a character on their own. For example, on most Disneys, the mother is either just a character here to support their child / the hero ( Comforting discourse, hugs, emotional support entierely directed to the main character… ) either presented to be a problematic figure that leads the hero to some personal issues, either straight up dead to serve the hero’s backstory. But with Pepa, we’re on a whole different level.
She’s a FULL, mature character. Not only 50yo women are finally represented in a positive way, but also, their own character is recognized IN AND OUT their motherhood. Pepa have her own life struggles, her own fleshed out personality, we see her LIVE and EVOLVE, around AND far from her children, and that’s fantastic. As a 30yo “ Mother “ of a 3yo child, I can’t express how GOOD it feels to feel represented on screen, and not only for our unconditional love and support for our children, but also for being a whole person on our own, with our personal struggles, our disabilities, and most of all : The fact that having a LIFE ON OUR OWN doesn’t impact the fact that we’re loving, careful, devoted parents to our children. Movies in general lack of this depth for “ parents “ characters, and Pepa made it a kind of incredible revolution for me. I’m a disabled non-binary Mom ( Chronic illness + Autistic with ADHD ) of a disabled child ( Autistic as well ) and just like Pepa, my own anxiety/sensory/emotional struggles don’t impact my love for my child. I have moments with him, and moments without him, just like Pepa with her children in the movie. I’m here for my child, I’m spending most of my days supporting him, loving him, comforting him, but at the top of it all, I’m a whole person on my own, out of my motherhood, and that’s SO GOOD to see that on screen.
