Film: Encanto (2021)
“Chores”
Here, Mirabel sets the table for her family as she describes the family’s dynamics through the film’s introductory song, “The Family Madrigal”. The image shows her struggling a little to set the plates because of just how many there are. Given that the plates indicate each member of her family, it can be seen as a metaphor for all the labor she does for them, which given the numbers alone, is a lot. As a woman doing the chores, Mirabel connects to the body labor many women are socialized into. Reference to this body labor is discussed in Arlie Hochschild’s book, The Second Shift, which is highlighted in a journal article titled “When Work Came Home: The Formation of Feeling Rules in the Context of a Pandemic” (Rudrum, Sarah et al. 2021).
“Welcome to Family Madrigal”
Mirabel is the glue that holds the Familia Madrigal together. She stands in between both rows of her family members in the image, symbolizing the bridge between one another, the connection. Additionally, Mirabel mends, or at least attempts to mend troubles among family members, such as fears and worries that are not communicated because of strong people-pleasing tendencies. Being in the middle of all situations is a fitting example of the amount of emotional labor she does to make the family stick together. Also, given that Mirabel did not receive powers, which the rest of her siblings, aunts, and cousins have, she tries to compensate for what she views as a deficiency within herself through acts of service, a.k.a, emotional and body labor.
“Under the Surface”
Luisa is the eldest of all the Madrigal children and the power the magical candle gave her is physical strength. She can move mountains, houses, and donkeys and is always tending to the tasks and needs of her family and community. Luisa does all this body labor without question and without complaint creating or following, feeling rules that prohibit her from displaying any emotion that could trump gratitude. In her mind, she cannot express concern or worry about all she has to so, so she hides it “under the surface.” The task she feels she must handle is impossible and the image depicts that: what she feels seems like walking on a tightrope with weights so heavy on both of her shoulders.
“Who Am I If I Can’t Carry It All”
As the eldest sibling, Luisa takes on a caretaking role with her family and community. As mentioned before, she does plenty of body labor for others at her own expense and does not complain about it. She does not want to sound or come across as ungrateful because of this intense selflessness she has within her. To be selfish is viewed negatively, especially as she views her role as one of service. This view prevents her from extending enough, if any, sympathy margins to herself.
“I Grow Rows and Rows of Roses”
Isabela is the middle child of the three Madrigal sisters. Abuela, the matriarch of the family, views and treats her as the poster child of the Madrigals, which is why Isabela feels this pressure to upkeep the family’s image. Speaking of images, the background is stunning and depicts how she is viewed is very important, especially within the Encanto community. She swings on the vine to land gracefully, something that can be taken as a symbol to represent how much reputation matters and the internalization Isabela has done to protect and upkeep the perception of her family having it all together. Like her other sisters, she takes on the role of a caretaker.
“Perfect Practiced Poses”
To upkeep her family’s image, Isabela makes “perfect, practiced poses,” yet “so much hides behind [her] smile.” Like Kotchemidova’s journal article “From Good Cheer to ‘Drive-by Smiling’: A Social History of Cheerfulness,” Isabela presents as being positive and always happy to the outside world. She practices different poses and makes certain kinds of flowers to please her Abuela. In doing so, she is unhappy because she does not allow herself to be her true self in the name of her family. For example, she does not like Mariano, her boyfriend, but is willing to marry him for the sake of making her family happy and stronger.
TV Series: Made in Heaven (2019)
“Tara visits Adil in the hospital”
Context: Tara (left) and Adil (not pictured) are married. Adil is having an affair with Tara’s best friend, Faiza (not pictured). While returning from a romantic getaway, Faiza and Adil get into a car accident and end up in the hospital. On seeing Faiza in the hospital along with her husband, Tara realizes that she is being cheated on.
In this scene, Tara lies to her best friends’ mother about her daughter’s whereabouts. Tara knows that Adil and Faiza were not planning her birthday and chooses to manage her emotions of hurt, grief, anger, and frustration in front of her in law’s family friends. In another scene, we see her breaking down after consenting to the spreading of this lie. Internally, Tara wants to hold Adil accountable and unleash her emotions but she not only feels that she is responsible for preserving her marriage, but also her husband’s reputation, hinting at the burden on brown brides in the Desi family system. As Tara is reliant on Adil’s funding to maintain her business, she chooses to bury her feelings in front of others, as to not anger Adil. She does this through surface acting using rigid facial expressions, a calm tone of voice, and lying.
“Aliya finds out Angad lied to his parents about her virginity”
Context: Angad (right) and Aliya (right) are set to be married. Angad is the heir to his parents’ company and fortune, while Aliya is a journalist. Angad’s parents decide to conduct a background check on Aliya without her consent, suspecting that their quick engagement indicated something was not right with Aliya. They find out she had an abortion and use that as confirmation bias to cast her a “gold digger.” In an attempt to control the situation Angad lies to his parents and tells them the baby was his and he asked Aliya to abort it.
When Aliya finds out, she walks out of the event in the middle of a dance with her fiance. Angered, resentful, and disrespected, Aliya confronts Angad in public, demonstrating the lack of management over her emotions. Here, Aliya disrupts the feeling rules expected of her. Brown brides often find themselves in situations where they must hide their internal feelings, desires, and thoughts from their in-laws to maintain the social fabric of the extended family system. Refusing to neglect her own feelings, Aliya engages in an expression of vulnerability and honesty.
“Tara convinces Aliya to do emotional labor”
Context: To protect Aliya’s dignity and respect, Angad renounces his family fortune, publicly humiliating (and disowning) his own family. Both partners decide to call the wedding off. As Brown wedding planners, Tara (right) and Karan (not pictured) have an obligation to the couple’s parents to make sure the wedding gets back on track.
In this scene, Tara attempts to convince Aliya to engage in emotional labor and forget the damage Angad’s family did to her as expected from Brown women when it comes to issues with their in-laws. Tara tells Aliya, “It’s done now!” encouraging her to get over her anger. Aliya is repeatedly fed subliminal messages that suggest she is stubborn, ridiculous, and overreacting. Here, Tara policies Aliya for her valid emotions, convincing her that emotional labor is required to sustain a fulfilling, happy marriage so that Made in Heaven can earn capital and consequently Angad’s family is saved from humiliation. In the end Aliya concedes and the wedding goes on, sacrificing her dignity to preserve the social fabric and the family’s reputation.
“Sukhmani explains her strategies to win Jeet over”
Context: Jeet hosts a competition for his potential bride, a pageant where women compete to be his wife, scoring a ticket to America. Sukhmani (above) wins the competition. In her bridal interview she is asked about the intricacies of the competition.
Here, Sukhmani explains, justifies, and emphasizes the emotional labor she participates in, she says, “I’ve had the experience to know what answers they like… Indian values and all.” Sukhmani describes the emotional labor she does in front of the groom’s family through surface acting (eye contact and a smile) to appease them and win Jeet’s affection. She proceeds with the interview in a completely different composure than when she speaks to the camera man, effectively hiding her genuine personality and replacing it with one that aligns with the submission and docility Brown women are expected to perform with their in-laws. Through her interview, the audience gets a sense of the price Sukhmani pays to receive acceptance from her new family.
“Priyanka confronts Vishal about his family’s request”
Vishal’s (right) parents demand 4 crores dowry from Priyanka’s (left). Priyanka’s parents pay the dowry, but, on finding out, Priyanka questions her soon-to-be husband if he was aware of this agreement in the middle of their wedding. She tells her husband the “Pheras can wait,” dismisses him when he asks her to discuss it with him later, and walks out in the middle of her wedding.
Priyanka refuses to engage in emotional labor and proudly wears her disappointment in front of both families. She challenges the patriarchal norms Brown women are subjected to, refusing to put her husband’s comfort, reputation, and feelings over her own. Disrupting the sanctity of their Pheras, Priyanka puts her emotions front and center challenging the feeling rules expected of her in this setting
“Priyanka walks out of her own wedding”
Through intimidating eye contact, stern tone of voice, and the act of walking out, Priyanka wears her emotions on different parts of her body, suggesting the lack of labor she is engaging in. She subverts the emotional sensibilities brown women are expected to adhere to: silence, submission, and internalization. Not willing to sacrifice her dignity (unlike Aliya) to maintain the marriage and peace, Priyanka doesn’t allow Vishal’s parents’ feelings to dominate her decisions, destabilizing the emotional labor brides do for their in-laws.