Thoughts: Self-Made / On Netflix
I shall call her Madam Sarah. Why give into the patriarchal norm of being defined by the male figurehead in her life and call her Madam C J Walker, after someone who clearly had no respect her. That's an 'insult' that can be done away with now, if not back then. Some posthumous respect is due, in my opinion.a
I thought her story is heartwarming. A girl born into freedom, to parents who were formerly enslaved, and rising above her circumstances in a man's world, tugs at my heartstrings. I'm sure it is an inspiration to many, as well. Personally, I'm not someone with a single-minded focus on growing a business and gaining wealth/fame. But it is certainly not hard to understand where she came from. Anyone can appreciate her undeterred perseverance and the unwavering strength of character, considering they are not qualities we come by often. She dared to dream, in an era when most women hadn't even conceived they could dream. And she dreamed big. And worked hard to breathe life into her dreams.
Spoiler alert, going forward:
She is a washerwoman, not very "beautiful" according to social standards. Widowed at a young age, with a daughter to raise on her own, she's struggling to make ends meet. She meets with kindness in Addie Munroe (a fictional character, supposedly based on Annie Malone), who sells hair products. When Sarah wants to strike a business deal with her, she's "put in her place" by the beautiful and arrogant Addie. And this is a turning point in Sarah's life. She has realized her strength in sales, and decides to put it to good use. The show doesn't talk about how they met, but by this point, she is married to C J Walker, from whom her company as well as her, take their names. We think he is the loving, supportive husband until much later, when we realize he is just another shmuck, who feels castrated by his wife's success. His father, having seen and lived much in a world that changed a lot in his lifetime, is a wise old man, watching everyone and everything. Ignoring his father's astute advice, C J goes on to cheat on Sarah. The heartbreak or pain over this is only implied, since making something of herself and her brand is the key theme in this narrative.
A scene that truly moves you is when Freeman Ransom, Sarah's business manager/legal consultant finds that he had evolved from being someone who looked down upon his wayward cousin, into someone who feels guilty having not respected this cousin who lost his life, standing up for Ransom's son. Through such snippets, the show throws light on the vulnerabilities of being a black woman or a black person in those time; and on the ugly side of the racial burden in a supposedly free world. The last episode seems rushed after Sarah finds out about her precarious health condition that's a looming death warrant. But there is something in the form of closure when she realizes, having coming this far, why she had started in the first place. Her acceptance of her daughter for who she is, and giving into her employee's demands marks the moment of recognition. The show ends with a beautiful shot of Sarah, her daughter and the soon-to-adopted protege, looking up at the night sky, lit up with the fireworks during the company gala, along with the silhouettes of Sarah's parents behind them - as if her life had come a full circle in that moment, and she was seeing the dreams from a humble past come to fruition, while holding on to her legacy. She brought the words of the poem ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling to mind -
“If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you…”