WOMEN OF COLOUR VS EMOTIONS
A review of Turning Red as a black afab enby who has many thoughts and nobody to talk to lmao
I literally just finished watching Turning Red, and I had only ever seen high praises for this movie so I went into it with high expectations. I'm really, REALLY happy to say that the movie was even better than I could have ever imagined. It was fun and heartwarming, funny and thought provoking - it made you cringe but in the way you can clearly see your own experiences reflected in the main character.
Of course, as a young teen, I had never turned into a giant fluffy red panda, but I think anyone who grew up being viewed as a girl (regardless of gender identity) can definitely relate to a lot of the things Mei Mei goes through. Before I get into the deeper meanings in the story of Turning Red, I wanna praise the characters a little bit.
Specifically these four. It was refreshing to see a group of young girls who respected and loved each other so much, who uplifted each other and inspired each other to be confident in their own weirdness. Young girls in media are often created solely to be ridiculed and specifically young girls of colour have it even harder. I loved the bond between all of them - each person felt fun to watch and they all had such a strong presence together and seperately. There was never a moment where I felt like any of these girls was the butt of a joke or a throw away character.
Mei Mei, the main character, is bubbly and funny. She has high energy and she's stubborn. She's bright and expressive, and such a joy to watch.
Her family is so interesting and her relationship with her mother especially showed a specific experience in households of races other than white. It may not seem obvious to some, but people of colour have VERY different mothers.
And that leads into what Turning Red is really about. It's not just one thing, and this is simply me just rambling about the cool stuff I picked up on as I watched it.
The gift given to the women of Mei Mei's family was originally for protection, born out of a desire to help the people you love, and it was passed down from generation to generation, until it reaches Mei Mei, who had no idea about it until suddenly she's a giant red panda and she has (seemingly) no control over her life anymore. What I want to talk about is her mother's (and her grandmother and aunts') reaction to the red panda form.
Her mother thinks the red panda is a monster - uncontrollable and undeserving of even being entertained for just a second. From the beginning you can see just how much she has repressed this part of her and how much she wants Mei Mei to do the same. She and her sisters, and her mother have quite literally locked this monster away so they don't "lose control."
The red panda is not "evil" and it never was. It was simply a gift, and the way it manifested was by emotion. Not just anger or hate (or anything particularly negative) but by STRONG emotion and the expression of such. The obsession with controlling the "beast" is a reflection of the way society treats women and their emotions.
Teen girls are often ridiculed for expressing any kind of positive emotion loudly and proudly. Girls who are fans of something or someone are labeled as "rabid", "crazy" or "hysterical," and the same isn't usually said about boys who express special interest in anything. Its no coincidence that Mei and her friends are fans of a popular boy band in the movie.
Girls who are "weird" or have niche interests are made fun of and it doesn't matter WHAT girls do, they'll always be the butt of the joke.
Women of colour go through this in unique and disturbing ways. Black women (/afabs, like myself) can usually be seen described as "aggresive," if they express their anger or displeasure in an open way. If they're excited, they get called "ghetto" or "loud" or even "uncivilized."
For Mei Mei and her family, it's also a reflection of how asian women (from what I have seen) have expressed many times that they are expected to always be quiet and composed - "submissive," if you will. A lot of media portrays asian women in that way as well.
Even further, women and their emotions have always been shunned. They're seen as "too emotional" to be taken seriously, and if they express any sort of emotion then they are dismissed or demeaned. Men have always used the "women are too emotional" argument time and again to justify their misogyny. They think that women are not intellectual creatures for feeling and expressing their feelings to the public. It's disgusting and I'm glad that we're slowly (very slowly) moving past this idea.
Turning Red showcases all of these things in such a unique way, and I'm so impressed by the work that was put into this story and these characters.
I 100% recommend this movie, if you haven't watched it already. It's so good and I think everyone can learn something from it.
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