“The Woman King” has received critical acclaim so far, and has become a commercial success. In spite of the praise that the movie has received, not everyone is thrilled with the movie’s story line.

#BoycottWomanKing

Following the release and massive commercial success of “The Woman King,” conversations have been swirling online about the significance of the film. While some people seem to believe that the movie is a wonderful depiction of Blackness and the empowering role that the all-female unit of Agojie warriors, others are a bit concerned about the story itself. For many people, the project minimized the role that the Agojie played in the sordid past of the slave trade. This sparked a conversation about the movie’s attempt at white washing and the hash tag #BoycottWomanKing was born. In an interview with “Variety” earlier this year, Viola Davis addressed the backlash, saying that parts of the story were fictionalized.

“…We entered the story where the kingdom was in flux, at a crossroads. They were looking to find some way to keep their civilization and kingdom alive. It wasn’t until the late 1800s that they were decimated. Most of the story is fictionalized. It has to be,” said Davis.

Despite Davis’ comments the hashtag has reached a fever pitch online, and many more people are reacting to the narrative, and calling on others to boycott it.

Different Opinions

Like anything online goes, the saga has quickly become a polarizing tug of war. Although part of the internet has strong opinions about not supporting the film, another part of the internet supports the notion that movies solely serve as forms of entertainment.

A Bad Portrayal Of Black Women

The backlash has also delved into the role of Black women in society and how they are generally depicted as “strong” and masculine. Several online commentators have pointed out how the movie further pushes perceived negative stereotypes about Black women, while stripping them of the soft femininity that women of other races are perceived to have. In light of this, some people are theorizing that this is a movie that is far from women empowerment and is instead Hollywood’s attempt at whitewashing a painful history.

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