‘Encanto’ and Luisa

First of all, her song is pure fire.

‘Surface Pressure’ is the anthem of the 2020’s, fight me.

Luisa is one of Mirabel’s older sisters and she has the Gift of Strength.

Yes, she has a physique that would put the Rock rightfully to shame, and while she has physical strength, she struggles with emotional strength.

I’ve said before that Latino families have a generational tradition of boxing in kids into certain roles; the oldest will be given the responsibility to manage the younger siblings and primos. The oldest will be scrutinized for setting the example, they don’t have to be perfect but they must do as they are told.

It’s a lot, and it’s not exactly limited o Latino families but it is more prominent in our culture because we hold a lot of pride in our heritage.

Part of this is because while three generations of my family were born in America, we have never been welcome here and Mexican culture is stripped away bit by bit. A lot of people talk about the Segragation of Black and White people, there are less conversations about how my people were treated back then. My abuelo took me to the movies when I was a kid in a town he grew up in, I was near the border and it was a small little theater and I couldn’t understand why he always wanted to go to that theater. Although I loved the arepas and tamales that were sold on the street outside the theater that we were allowed to take in.

It wasn’t until I was older that my tia explained that that theater was owned by another man in the 60’s and Mexicans weren’t allowed inside. Mya abuelo tried to go in back then and they beat him and left him bleeding in the street. So when someone from his neighborhood bought the theater, he went whenever he got a chance.

I had an Ex Boyfriend who told me how lucky I was that I had a movie about a Mexican Super hero and I asked him what he meant, and he put on ‘Nacho Libre’.

The stories of Latino people are few and far between. I am grateful for moves like ‘Spare Parts’ and ‘In The Heights’ because it at least portrays us in a modern sense. While I enjoy westerns, my people are not depicted well.

So while our heritage is wiped away from us, we have our traditions and unfortunately some of those traditions include using fears to box the children with immense emotional pressure.

That has been what we’re left with.

Back to Luisa, and being the oldest under a lot of pressure. I’m not sure I’d say the most pressure because every siblings is put under pressure f their own and no two are alike.

Luisa has he pressure of a Gift that can help everyone equally, everyone could use an extra strong hand. If she can lift it, it’s her responsibility. Abuela has it branded in all of their heads that their Gift is the thing that makes them special and they have to serve their community.

She feels like she would be one of those managers that would live by:

“If you have time to lean, you have time to clean.”

I’m not sure if Luisa is the oldest sibling of Julieta and Agustin but she’s definitely falling into that middle child complex in my eyes because the middle child always tries their best to be distinctive and helpful at any cost.

Also, I would like to add that Luisa is one of my favorites characters because she’s not ashamed of being built like a brick house. She is proud to be strong and doesn’t try to shy herself away from it.

I started going to the gym a couple years ago on a regular basis and I started boxing and weight lifting. With the pandemic still going on, I went to work and the gym and that was it. I spent 3-4 days a week there for at least two hours bunching between boxing, cardio, and weight lifting.

It wasn’t until I went out with a couple friends a few months ago that I realize how much I have bulked up since they last saw me and being one of the shortest people in my friends group, I felt very self conscious. I could lift way more than any of them but I was ashamed of how I looked because I wasn’t delicate and small anymore.

Then I saw Luisa being proud of herself, especially in the end when she learned to balance out her self-care and her responsibilities. And the community that gathered that LOVED Luisa for being strong and buff and with muscles for days, it made me feel more confident in return.

Luisa’s character taught a lot of people the importance of not giving 100% all the time and to balance our emotions; but it also showed that beauty can come in all different shapes and sizes and that it will be celebrated with good hearted people.

Excuse me while I go cry again.