This is an incredibly thoughtful and layered analysis of this movie. I, too, did not see Wicked in theatres only because I wasn't as interested as everyone else, but viewed it with a friend at their home who's really rooted in the theatre scene. You brought such a powerful lens to Wicked that I hadn't fully considered, especially around dynamics of race, colorism, and the myth of white female allyship. Your point about Elphaba being read as a Black woman, especially through Cynthia Erivo's performance and the intentional choice of braids totally makes sense considering the central theme of the character is "otherness."
I also really appreciate your breakdown of Glinda. She isn't "bad," but is deeply self-serving and whose so-called goodness is performative and rooted in self-preservation. Your distinction between sympathy and empathy was especially important. it reminds me how often marginalized people are praised for their strength and resilience, but rarely offered true support or understanding. That dance scene at the ball was a perfect example of what you described: not solidarity, but guilt masked as kindness. What stuck with me most is your final point about the way the film was marketed as a story of friendship and empowerment, when in fact it paints a more sobering-and perhaps more honest-portrait of how systems of power work and who they serve. When I watched the movie, I asked the same question as to what could have happened if Glinda had truly stood beside Elphaba. That hypothetical future really shows just how important true allyship is, especially when someone is in a position to use their privilege for real change.
Thank you so much for reading! 💓 It means so much that you are able to understand my perspective on Elphaba especially! Wicked is truly a nuanced story with so many layers that I just did not feel like the focus on friendship did it justice at all. I mean it still did extremely well in the box office so that’s something, but I’m not sure it’s audience truly grasped all of the important themes beside the friendship aspect which to me really did play such a small part in what this film represented. I am so curious about how things will play out in part 2! Besides my overall critiques of how the film was marketed it truly is an incredibly powerful and compelling story.
This is an incredibly thoughtful and layered analysis of this movie. I, too, did not see Wicked in theatres only because I wasn't as interested as everyone else, but viewed it with a friend at their home who's really rooted in the theatre scene. You brought such a powerful lens to Wicked that I hadn't fully considered, especially around dynamics of race, colorism, and the myth of white female allyship. Your point about Elphaba being read as a Black woman, especially through Cynthia Erivo's performance and the intentional choice of braids totally makes sense considering the central theme of the character is "otherness."
I also really appreciate your breakdown of Glinda. She isn't "bad," but is deeply self-serving and whose so-called goodness is performative and rooted in self-preservation. Your distinction between sympathy and empathy was especially important. it reminds me how often marginalized people are praised for their strength and resilience, but rarely offered true support or understanding. That dance scene at the ball was a perfect example of what you described: not solidarity, but guilt masked as kindness. What stuck with me most is your final point about the way the film was marketed as a story of friendship and empowerment, when in fact it paints a more sobering-and perhaps more honest-portrait of how systems of power work and who they serve. When I watched the movie, I asked the same question as to what could have happened if Glinda had truly stood beside Elphaba. That hypothetical future really shows just how important true allyship is, especially when someone is in a position to use their privilege for real change.
Thank you so much for reading! 💓 It means so much that you are able to understand my perspective on Elphaba especially! Wicked is truly a nuanced story with so many layers that I just did not feel like the focus on friendship did it justice at all. I mean it still did extremely well in the box office so that’s something, but I’m not sure it’s audience truly grasped all of the important themes beside the friendship aspect which to me really did play such a small part in what this film represented. I am so curious about how things will play out in part 2! Besides my overall critiques of how the film was marketed it truly is an incredibly powerful and compelling story.