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Are people born wicked, or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?
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-The opening line of Wicked
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I loved the Broadway play Wicked so much that I saw it twice! But the original book is what permanently altered my perspective on villains.
Like every millennial in the U.S., I grew up on Saturday morning TV shows and Disney movies. But I had a secret.
๐ฆน๐ปโโ๏ธ I felt bad for the villain.
Even when they showed the vulnerable side of villains, we weren't supposed to root for them. But I needed to know why.
I couldn't see past the villain's loneliness and the hurt. I wondered if you can still be a "good guy" if you're constantly shitting on the "bad guys."
Like real life people, I didn't believe that these characters were born evil. I wanted to know their backstory, especially if they were female villains (who were rarely shown).
๐งช My hypothesis โ female villains are not evil, they are misunderstood.
Let's use three famous female villains in this thought experiment:
- Rita Repulsa from Power Rangers
- Elphaba from Wicked (also known as the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz)
- Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty (also known as the evil fairy godmother)
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Tragic backstories you didn't know until now
Rita Repulsa from Power Rangers
Somewhere in the Universe, there was an evil being named Dark Specter who persuaded Ritaโs dad to sacrifice Rita for their evil cause before she was even born.
๐ฎโ๐จ The girl didnโt even exist yet and men were already trying to control her.
Ritaโs mom was like โFuck that shitโ and tried to run away with her. But Ritaโs weak-ass dad sent his henchman to find Ritaโs mom, killed her mom in front of her, and gave Rita to the Dark Specter.
Rita was only a child at the time. Her journey to villainy was a matter of survival. Despite being the OG villain of the Power Rangers, she eventually redeems herself and becomes good.
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Elphaba from Wicked
Elphaba from Wicked is more famously known as the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz.
Elphaba was born with green skin, immediately making her an outcast and subject to ridicule her whole life. When she meets the Wizard of Oz and refuses to follow his orders, he turns the entire world against her by labeling her as the villain.
๐ The real kicker is that he's the reason why she's green!
The Wizard of Oz had an affair with Elphabaโs mom, convinced her to drink a โmysterious green liquid,โ and got her pregnant. He's the reason why Elphaba was bullied her whole life. When he couldn't control her, he convinced everyone that she was evil when he was the real asshole.
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Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty
Maleficent is better known as the evil fairy godmother from Sleeping Beauty.
Maleficent was the leader of the Moors (a land of magical fairies) when she was betrayed by a man named Stefan, her childhood sweetheart.
There was a [human] king who tried to conquer the Moors because he was a greedy motherfucker who had nothing better to do. He ended up retreating and dying from his wounds (courtesy of Maleficent).
But before the king died, he offered his throne to anyone who killed Maleficent. Wanna guess who volunteered? Stefan.
He didn't end up killing her but he royally pissed her off, and that's why she cursed his daughter (deep sleep, true love's first kiss, etc etc).
Initially, Maleficent simply did her job of protecting her land.
Was it OK for her to take revenge on an innocent child? Arguable.
But can you blame her?
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When life imitates art
These are stories people made up. They're not real. Right? ๐ฌ
Letโs look at The Handmaidโs Tale by Margaret Atwood. When asked where Atwood got her inspiration for the fiction book, she said from โreal historical events and societal trends, including the Salem witch trials, the Iranian Revolution, and the rise of religious extremism"(source).
When I asked on LinkedIn for women to tell me more about being in their "villain era," here's what all of their responses had in common:
They're not committing crimes or trying to take over the world. They are choosing to do less because theyโre fucking exhausted.
Which apparently makes them the villain.
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We know that we need to set boundaries and prioritize our health. But that also means not immediately helping out family, community, or work every time they call.
โHealing and growth come with the risk of losing the village. โ
It doesn't matter if what you're doing is what's best for you and the generations that come after you. When you turn against the village, the village will turn against you.
You become the villain.
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Defining good
Hero. Villain. Good. Evil.
Weโre out here trying to be a good person, but how are we defining it?
Is a good person someone who works tirelessly, even if it threatens their health and relationships?
Does a good person always give to others, even if they have little to nothing left for themselves?
Can you still be a good person if the majority decides youโre not?
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Just because other people call you the villain, it doesn't mean you have to subscribe to their story.
๐ You're not the "bad guy" at work for holding people accountable.
๐ You have to stop referring to yourself as the "mean parent" for enforcing the rules.
๐ You have to stop shaming yourself for not doing all the things a "good person should do."
Instead, choose to be the hero in your own story.
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๐ฆ Milestones, moving, and meetups
I reached a few amazing milestones this year already, including 6,000 followers on LinkedIn and almost 400 email list subscribers!
Size doesn't matter...but it helps. Aimiright, ladies? ๐
This is no April Fool's joke: my four year business anniversary is coming up on April 1st. ๐ I still don't know how I'm going to celebrate.
Some suggested a giveaway or discount. Others suggested I go to Vegas to see Magic Mike or drink four Four Lokos.โ
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Most likely I'll spend my business anniversary packing because we're moving soon. If you live in the Washington DC area, hit me up. I'm already plotting my first IRL meetup (mastermind dinner anyone?).
Despite the chaos of moving across the ocean (again), I'll continue to publish issues of better work twice a month. Not because I want to hustle nor do I feel forced to; this writing commitment gives me consistency.
If you've been thinking about sharing better work with your friends or network, send them this message โ
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As always, thank you for your time and support.
๐ซก See you on April 10th.
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