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Feminist Reading Of ' No Normal '

Decent Essays

Shannon Keel
Dr. Francis
Feminist Reading of Culture
October 19th, 2017

Ms. Marvel: “No Normal”

Reading “No Normal” was my first ever experience with the “Ms. Marvel” spinoff, and I absolutely loved it. I think choosing a sixteen year old, Pakistani-American, Muslim girl as the main hero was a bold move for the American comic book giant Marvel, but I believe it truly paid off. In “Ms. Marvel: No Normal,” Kamala is a wonderful representation of female empowerment through self identity. The main plot point of the comic is that Kamala, (a Muslim high school girl struggling with her faith and identity) is asked if she’d like to attend a party where alcohol will be served, which is a violation of her religion. As she contemplates …show more content…

However, this image also doesn’t truly show Kamala as herself. Although I myself am a white woman, I personally felt empowered when Kamala’s father tells her, “you don’t have to be someone else to impress anybody. You are perfect just the way you are.” As she tries on her different identities, she realizes that she doesn’t fit into either image, both American and Muslim. Using her own wit and motivation, she creates her own identity instead. I really enjoyed the representation of female strength in this comic.

One portion of the plot that I thought was very interesting was Kamala’s personal identity intersecting with her sense of strength. When Kamala finally “accepts” her true self, she’s forced to shrink into a tiny version of herself. Although this was pivotal to the action-packed plot, I thought this specific metaphor was interesting. I connected her finally “accepting herself, (for she hadn 't yet, not completely,) to have to being reborn, or a type of hero’s journey where she has to reemerge as her true self, fully realized, in order to succeed. It’s only in the fifth and final volume that Kamala is capable of mastering her powers, after being shrank. With Bruno’s help, she physically, (and mentally) grows into a giant, her truly realized, heroine form to save the day.

“Ms. Marvel: No Normal” is a great read that really connected with me. Kamala

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