The strength of women never ceases to amaze me.
I sit here to write after binge-watching Coisa Mais Linda on Netflix, headphones providing the sounds of Spotify’s bossa nova playlist as I write by lamplight at an ungodly hour.
The tale of a woman betrayed and left destitute by her husband starts charming, almost too easy to believe it will play out like a dramatic episode of Dynasty or any other glamorous depiction of the rich & privileged set to the beautiful backdrop of Brazil. But you will soon find yourself wrong.
It is set at the turn of the 1950s’; a time when women were still pretty things to be controlled, trained and “kept in line” as one character aptly puts it. Through each of the women, I was able to experience a full texture of womanhood, motherhood, sexuality and ownership combined. Released in 2019 the series tactfully nods to many of the unfortunate shared realities between the Wold of a Woman then and now.
We are still being paid less than our male counterparts, we are still expected to be “Good wives” by standards set outside of our actual marriages (i.e. culture, family, media) and we still spend our lives with a question of whether we can have family and career.
It’s a question, a theme something that occurs to us just as easily as the arrival of “Aunt flow” and although I think many of us know that we can, the fact that it is almost planted as the seed of a decision one must make in a black, white or grey fashion even before working our first job.
The theme and thread that runs through the main character is very clear; “I want to be free to decide who I am; not just the daughter of {insert name} or the mother of {insert name} or the wife of {insert name}”. From that declaration, everything she does is in pursuit of her own identity, a continuous fight that whilst exhausting brings a true sense of fulfilment.
Each woman in the series is breaking her mould, a mould she never made nor asked for. A rite of passage depending on the circumstances of her birth, rich or poor, black, white, or mulatto. In the case of Adelia; the black & poor one. And before you jump to conclusions she is far from a tale of sadness and sorrow awaiting a saviour. She too is ready to define herself for herself beyond her illiteracy or background with fierceness and tenacity that everyone can only respect.
By now you probably realise that I’m trying not to spoil the entire storyline for you so I’ll land my plane.
As women, we are nuanced, resilient and much stronger than even we think. We fight many of the same injustices as we did back then but the difference is we are more united than ever, we raise our voices on and offline and I’d like to think we make up more than 1/3 of the working population by now. We roll up our sleeves and get things done, claiming our crowns as Queens. You see, we finally realise our throne is not contingent on anyone but ourselves, our Queendom awaits us in the form of our true selves.
It is on the other side of our confidence
It is beyond the battle with the imposter
It is not concerned with our body image
It remains despite the micro-aggression, bullying and discrimination
It is awaiting with open arms, love, strength & fresh armour for a new day
You see, we are no longer the sleeping beauty, waiting for a male prince and saviour. We are beautiful and awake to our circumstances but more awake to our dreams and journey of self-discovery.
We, women, are the most beautiful thing about Most Beautiful Thing.
