Reimagining Femininity Through Shuri from “Black Panther”

Black Panther (2018), directed by Ryan Coogler, is a cinematic masterpiece that illustrates an authentic representation of the African diaspora in a science-fiction realm. Before the 21st century, Western cinema consistently constructed images of African life as inferior to Whites (Harris, 2018). The African representations in media are often reduced to marginalized and supporting characters. The portrayals of African women were even more limited to a stereotypical trope that rejects them from intersectionality. They are reduced to harmful tropes, such as angry Black women or hypersexualized femininity. Black Panther envisioned an African nation free from colonization, with Black women in a position of power (Allen, 2018). A new trope that the movie has created within female empowerment is the “noble Africana genius girls who are intelligent and innovative” (Harris, 2018) with Shuri's character. Princess Shuri, T’Challa’s sister, is a multi-dimensional character that diminishes hegemonic femininity in the Afrofuturistic reality. 

Black Panther reimagines the African narrative through an Afrofuturistic lens. Afrofuturism allows the diaspora to extend the African traditions and culture into the future with technology (White, 2018). It is an artistic movement informed by the past and present of the Black experiences and imagines a future where African values and ideologies thrive. The film envisions a version of Africa free from colonization, presenting positive portrayals of the diaspora beyond stereotypes (Strong & Chaplin, 2019). The refusal of white hegemonic ideology is also evident in the depictions of the female characters.  The women of Wakanda are the prominent roles in Black Panther. They are the “Divine Feminine” guidance, instrumental to the existence and triumphs of the Black Panther himself, T’Challa. These powerful female characters reject the damaging trope of femininity that is too often affiliated with patriarchal ideologies that fuel white hegemony (Strong & Chaplin, 2019). The women of Wakanda are not weak; they have agencies and complex identities.

Black women in motion pictures often are limited to these characterizations: the marginal, the ethnic, the exotic, the victim, and the entrapped who lack agency and purpose (Terry, 2018). Black Panther portrays its female characters to counter such tropes. Afrofuturism allows Black Panther to create an alternative reality where the African nation is uncolonized and creates gender equality that refuses Eurocentric standards and its hegemonic femininity. Schippers defined hegemonic femininity as the ideal characteristics of women from a patriarchal gaze that "guarantee the dominant position of men and the subordination of women" (Schippers, 2007, p. 94). T’Challa would not survive and thrive as Black Panther without the women in his circle, especially Shuri and her inventions. She possesses unlimited potential and high intelligence, and even though she is the younger sibling, she is not inferior to T’Challa. 

Shuri is the epitome of "Black Girl Magic," a term created by CaShawn Thompson to celebrate the beauty, power, and resilience of Black women” (Wilson). Her first appearance is when she greets T’Challa (13:58), wearing her braids, a puka shell necklace that represents wealth and a shirt with an Adinkra symbol from the Asante region Africa that means purpose (Vanity Fair, 2018). Her purpose is evident in Wakanda—she leads the technological advancement and is crucial to the success of Black Panther. She is claimed to be more intelligent and creative than Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, two prominent tech titans of the Marvel cinematic universe (Renfro, 2018). Shuri’s character is intersectional, a term coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw that defined the lens where identities and their power interlock and intersect (Columbia Law School, 2017). Her existence in the film is not confined to just a singular axis. Shuri is proudly performing as a sister, daughter, a warrior, a prodigy and a Black woman in charge. Her character has integrity. She is intelligent yet humorous—often offer a comic relief with her one-liner on scenes. Her banter is brilliant, without putting herself at the expense of the jokes, as seen in the laboratory scene with T’Challa. She lightheartedly called her brother "my king" and jokingly scolded his footwear by reciting an infamous meme, "What are those?" (38:55). Apart from her wit, she is not defenceless in combat. She could hold her weight during a fight with Killmonger while simultaneously instructing Ross in her laboratory (01:47:55). Her portrayal actively expels the typical representations of non-white women in media rooted in a White patriarchal tradition. She is responsible for Wakanda's technological advancement, a role that is predominantly filled by White men in reality.  

Shuri's personality reiterates the anti-alienation and intersectional sentiment of Afrofuturism. Her appearance and importance in the film significantly impact women's empowerment, mostly young Black girls. Her experiments and innovations have contributed considerably to Wakanda's prosperity. Her character corresponds to the alternate narrative of Afrofuturism, where Black women are liberated from white ideals. The film still raises an argument about monarchy's relevance, even in a futuristic, imagined world. During the coronation ceremony (22:54), Shuri raised her hand when N’Jobu asked if anyone from the royal family would challenge T’Challa. She was joking, but the scene leaves the audience to wonder what if Shuri seriously proceeds to confront T’Challa. Her inventions have already contributed to the existence of the Black Panther. It will not be peculiar if Shuri becomes the Black Panther. T’Challa as Black Panther arguably would not exist without her inventions. Black Panther had successfully invented an alternative universe authentic to the African diaspora where femininity has a newfound power and position in society, specifically through the realization of a 16 years old girl genius, Shuri.  

References

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Schippers, M. (2007). Recovering the feminine other: masculinity, femininity, and gender hegemony. Theory and Society, 36(1), 85–102. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11186-007-9022-4

Strong, M. T., & Chaplin, K. S. (2019). Afrofuturism and Black Panther. Contexts, 18(2), 58–59. https://doi.org/10.1177/1536504219854725

Terry, B. (2018). The Power of a Stereotype: American Depictions of the Black The Power of a Stereotype: American Depictions of the Black Woman in Film Media Woman in Film Media. Retrieved from https://ecommons.luc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4708&context=luc_theses

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