You guys. I saw a movie this week in the theater, the first time I’ve gone all year. And I cried. A lot. Not super proud of this. But when I got home and went on the internet, I realized I wasn’t alone. In fact, tons of people on the internet were admitting to crying during the movie.

Some of you may already know this, but during the week I work a full time job in the entertainment industry. I won’t bore you with the details of my work, but I do want to touch upon this time of year and the movies that are coming out. Now that we’re into summer blockbuster season, all of the studios are putting their best foot forward out with their biggest movies of the year, hoping for massive hits. So I like to think that when I see movies in the theater I’m just doing my job ; ).

All the Feels Around Female Superheroes and Empowerment

When I first saw the trailer for Wonder Woman I wasn’t really all that impressed. I’ve seen my fair share of superhero movies (again, just doing market research!) and while they’re consistently ok to enjoyable, they never really blew me away. From a business and consumer perspective, I understood the appeal of a female superhero and applauded Hollywood’s decisions to finally give Wonder Woman a chance on the silver screen and allow a female director, Patty Jenkins, to lead the charge.

What I didn’t expect was how much I would come to love the film, and how I found myself crying unexpectedly less than 10 minutes into the film. And again several times again later on in the film. What was happening?!

Hoping I wasn’t the only one that had this strange reaction to seeing Gal Gadot fight the bad guys in Wonder Woman, I searched Google high and low for the following: “why did Wonder Woman make me cry?”

This article summed up my thoughts perfectly.

Representation is important. The overwhelming dominance of men (and particularly white men) in powerful roles throughout cinema and in media generally is taken for granted, and we don’t even realize the absence of other people — and how it affects us in real life to see or not see images that reflect us on-screen.

Why should these stories — and the telling of them — be the exclusive province of men? Women are bursting into tears in theaters because they didn’t even know how much they wanted and needed this.

If girls and women can see themselves depicted as powerful women in their own right (as opposed to being the girlfriend or wife of a main character), it makes an impact. 

So. Many. Feels.

I get that this isn’t a big deal for everyone – but the reaction many are having to the film is incredibly powerful. Seeing Wonder Woman as such a strong, inspiring character on the screen and then seeing that translating into the film’s incredibly box office success speaks volumes about the state of the industry. The reactions and conversations that have come as a result of this film is also tremendous. For me, the film really resonated with me on a personal level, especially when I think about the kind of space I want my blog to be. I’m beyond proud to be part of communities of strong, driven girl bosses – from the blogging community, to the media and entertainment industries, to my best friends from college.

What many people don’t realize is how empowering fashion can be.

How what you wear can be a direct reflection of your mood and personality and how fun it is to express yourself through your outfit. BTW – Wonder Woman’s uniform was on. point. 

My style continues to evolve – but I always tend to gravitate towards bright colors, patterns, and prints (with a scattering of neutrals). Bright colors make me happy, they’re the sometimes much needed reminder to be positive, look on the bright side, and always remember to create my own sunshine.

That’s why I continue to love pieces from Australian line Mister Zimi. I’m wearing the Charlie jumpsuit in red, but I also love it in this print and this print.

What makes you feel strong and empowered?

xx, Amy

jumpsuit: mister zimi | necklace: sticks + stones