Ororo Munroe / Storm Appreciation VI

[Omegastorm]

Yes, She should be expected to "go through something"...she is human after all. But nothing so dramatic as to cause her to cut her hair and adopt a new, harder edge. Don't misunderstand me, I absolutely love the change but the Ororo...coming out of the Mutant Massacre which could be regarded as one of the "darkest" periods in her life...would not give in so readily to such emotional upheaval...especially when she herself (thanks to Marvel's shitty editorial and "consequences") played a part in the final outcome.

I see where Humphries is going with it, I accept it...but...

What does cutting her hair and having a harsher tone symbolize to you? Why are you hesitant about it?

But you don't think Ororo would fall to such a thing. I disagree completely. She has never allowed herself to be happy in a relationship that could have been longterm. We all knew that Forge wouldn't last. I knew that T'challa wouldn't either. That said it makes perfect sense why she would cut her hair to clean out the past and start something new. It's not like she's having a Britney Spears moment where she's bipolar and loosing her shit. She's not. She's just going through healing the wounds that are there. I don't know if you have ever done this. I know I have, when shit hit the fan I sometimes changed my appearance to match what was going on internally. Her wearing a mohawk and dressing in a regal and elegant way is a combination of what is changing inside her.

o

[Imraith Nimphais]

And, I used to change my hair and appearance on a whim...I am not hesitant per se...just...not completely on board with his reasoning. Only from the perspective that she had a hand in the dissolution of the marriage.
T'Challa annulled it, when she was trying to reason with him. But then she turned around and slapped him upside the head, blasted him with lightning then threw his ring back at him. There are no victims in this.

I agree with feeling bad that the things ended the way they did and wanting to get past that and start something new which seems to be a more rational and healthy state of mind than wot he, Humphries is making it out to be.

I'm looking at it from the positive perspective of..."Whew, glad that's finally over and done with...time to get up and get. Time for a change." *picks up a razor*
and not..."The emotional and mental upheaval is too much to bear. I need to do something, anything to snap myself out of it." *picks up a razor*
There is a vast difference between the two.

I do not disagree with his rationale, I simply view it from a different angle.

[Valeria Kementari]

. But then she turned around and slapped him upside the head, blasted him with lightning then threw his ring back at him.

yes she did. And what great pleasure to see that it was.

[Imraith Nimphais]

LOL...Exactly...as hurtful as it may have been, in retrospect it could have been quite cathartic...in a positive way. Resulting in the change of appearance.

[Omegastorm]

And, I used to change my hair and appearance on a whim...I am not hesitant per se...just...not completely on board with his reasoning. Only from the perspective that she had a hand in the dissolution of the marriage.
T'Challa annulled it, when she was trying to reason with him. But then she turned around and slapped him upside the head, blasted him with lightning then threw his ring back at him. There are no victims in this.

I agree with feeling bad that the things ended the way they did and wanting to get past that and start something new which seems to be a more rational and healthy state of mind than wot he, Humphries is making it out to be.

I'm looking at it from the positive perspective of..."Whew, glad that's finally over and done with...time to get up and get. Time for a change."
and not..."The emotional and mental upheaval is too much to bear. I need to do something, anything to snap myself out of it." *picks up a razor*
There is a vast difference between the two.

I do not disagree with his rationale, I simply view it from a different angle.

I see where you are going with that. The difference between us is that I don't judge her cutting her hair as something less than or not appropriate. I like the mixed messaging and less pure motives. It humanizes her. She's Storm and she should be both sacred and profane, goddess and ordinary human and more than that. She represents so many different archetypes and yet how many times have we seen the woman underneath the goddess, the queen...? For the first time since Wood we are getting a writer that is humanizing her in a way that actually makes sense. None of the Bp writers could do it, very few of the X-writers even tried to or couldn't do it either. We have had some writers make Storm more potent, more real, more honest.

It's a shame that it had to happen while being married to T'challa but I always saw the marriage as Ororo's last ditch effort to lie to herself about what would make her happy and not knowing what makes herself happy on the deepest level apart from her connection to the universe. She get's points for marrying anyone and making a go of it. But the level of mischaracterization and self delusion in those years (barring McDuffie) hurt her character in ways none of us have really ever talked about. I think there is a larger criticism we could make for Storm behaving so strangely. When you look at all the writers that have written her for the last 6 years, we can see certain patterns emerge for how they saw her.

On the Panther side she chose falling in love instantly and finding her value in her husband and the kingdom he ruled. Hudlin made that very clear, she went from someone that doesn't kill unless it's absolutely necessary to someone that killed on a whim or whenever she felt like doing it. She focused all her attention on being a wife and T'challa's second. Those writers saw her as the ultimate ride or die chick. She would always support her strong African king even when it wasn't in her best interest or her own development. She would challenge him only to make him stronger and only in connection to what she wanted to do in being together with him. That's not a bad thing in and of itself. That's a good thing. But when that's all there is, then she became a watered down boring, walking Stormbot, with no spirit of her own.

On the X-side she never seemed focused on being there with the team. She was always somewhere else unless Ellis was writing her. I could keep going here but I won't. Storm cutting her hair is a mixed bag of emotions for me. I for one can't wait to see the change. The motives behind are not important for me to judge. I just like that has them and that they are mixed and complex, just like she is. When was the last time we have seen so many conflicting emotions in our girl and have them depicted intelligently (barring Wood, Ellis, Yost, Kim and McDuffie)?

o

[Imraith Nimphais]

"I see where you are going with that. The difference between us is that I don't judge her cutting her hair as something less than or not appropriate".

And neither do I.
If anything I see it as empowering. Taking that positive step forward. In fact, I think more men and women cut their hair/change their appearance as a sign of personal empowerment and growth more than a reflection of some inner turmoil.

Claremont's Storm did the latter back in the day.
Wood's Storm surely falls in the category of the former.

[Omegastorm]

"I see where you are going with that. The difference between us is that I don't judge her cutting her hair as something less than or not appropriate".

And neither do I.
If anything I see it as empowering. Taking that positive step forward. In fact, I think more men and women cut their hair/change their appearance as a sign of personal empowerment and growth more than a reflection of some inner turmoil.

Claremont's Storm did the latter back in the day.
Wood's Storm surely falls in the category of the former.

Then why the hesitation with her cutting her hair now? Why would you like to see her keep her prior appearance?

o

[Imraith Nimphais]

Oh, now I see...

No. No. No. Omegastorm, you misconstrued my initial post entirely.

I am not quite sold (read hesitant) on Humphries' rationale as to why Storm cut her hair this time around.
I love her mohawk and I love her new outfit (a potato sack would be preferable to wot she's been wearing for the past decade...well, not quite...but you get my meaning.)
I am all for the change just not sold entirely on the writer's reason behind it.

[Omegastorm]

Oh, now I see...

No. No. No. Omegastorm, you misconstrued my initial post entirely.

I am not quite sold (read hesitant) on Humphries' rationale as to why Storm cut her hair this time around.
I love her mohawk and I love her new outfit (a potato sack would be preferable to wot she's been wearing for the past decade...well, not quite...but you get my meaning.)
I am all for the change just not sold entirely on the writer's reason behind it.

It won't be the first or the last time where I got something wrong. It wasn't exactly clear to me. But I got it now. What would you want Storm to do instead?

o

[donsey]

Hey guys, saw this on pinterest and wanted to share. Apologies if it's been posted before.



Here's the source page (some etsy shop):
http://www.etsy.com/listing/79007039...facet=handmade

[Psyknight]

Hey guys, saw this on pinterest and wanted to share. Apologies if it's been posted before.



Here's the source page (some etsy shop):
http://www.etsy.com/listing/79007039...facet=handmade

That looks really cool, both the painting and that fancy blue thing with the feather.

['Flo]

Yes I can see it especially when you throw in Wood's take on her. His take showed a deceptively delicious Storm that was human, crafty, dangerous.... Do you?

o

In short, yes and no, O. Thanks for the response, btw.

And Immy, can I just kiss you? *Mwah* I think you totally saw where I was coming from by asking that question.

By Humphries’ rationale (and that is all I’m discussing, mind you), her shaving her head isn’t Ororo taking control of/addressing the situation at hand, or for that matter, saying "eff it," and moving on. This is her coping, and that, in my opinion, somewhat tarnishes the effect of her donning the Mohawk once again and joining X-Force. The mohawk (and any of her short cuts, IMO) were ALWAYS a testament to her empowerment as a character, spiritual or otherwise. Whether it was her rocking the cropped cut in X-Treme, or the mohawk in Ellis’s run… its screamed fierceness in a way that made me both respect and relate to her character on a very personal level. She changed it up because she damn well pleased. Less of a reaction, more of a statement.

I don’t think Humphries gave her the right impetus for doing what she did. For one, he made her seem insecure. As a woman, it would have been much more empowering to see her have this reaction completely after she’s had her cathartic release. In effect, showing that she’s past that point in her life. But she’s not; she’s in the thick of it.

I hate to say this, but it’s almost (in the most innocuous sense of the word) sexist. Certainly not overtly so, because it’s mainly a subconscious thing… and I’m sure not at all what Humphries intended. But think about it this way: women, generally speaking, are considered the more emotional species, and thus our actions and reactions are usually presented in some outward manifestation. Something like this is cliché, which is why I’m sure Humphries naturally gravitated to chopping off her hair as a reaction to her current situation.

Don’t get me wrong; I want her on UXF, because I think it’s a perfect fit for her right now. But development wise, I don’t see this as Ororo in phase in her life; I see this as The Transition.

What does cutting her hair and having a harsher tone symbolize to you? Why are you hesitant about it?

But you don't think Ororo would fall to such a thing. I disagree completely. She has never allowed herself to be happy in a relationship that could have been longterm. We all knew that Forge wouldn't last. I knew that T'challa wouldn't either. That said it makes perfect sense why she would cut her hair to clean out the past and start something new. It's not like she's having a Britney Spears moment where she's bipolar and loosing her shit. She's not. She's just going through healing the wounds that are there. I don't know if you have ever done this. I know I have, when shit hit the fan I sometimes changed my appearance to match what was going on internally. Her wearing a mohawk and dressing in a regal and elegant way is a combination of what is changing inside her.

o

Yes, but you can always physically tell that something is wrong. Because what do you do? You tell yourself you hate it, you change it, and keep changing it until you are at peace with yourself (which likely won’t happen until you’ve accepted/dealt with the problem… that IS the actual problem, lol). Those outside looking in at your situation can tell something is up, and likely feel sorry for you. There is always an identity crisis at the crux of your changing outward appearance (for that specific reason), and I that’s the problem I have with his explanation. . I don’t want to feel that way about Storm reading this book. Storm knows who she is, and is therefore, beyond that. Of course I expect to see her coping with her situation in some way; I just didn't expect this to be one of them, coming from Storm.

Not to say that it wasn’t a welcome change. As well as the uniform.

I hope this made some sort of sense. Imraith put it much more eloquently and succinctly than I, lol.

['Flo]

By the way, what I was talking about really isn't that big of a deal. I just thought it was interesting enough to merit some discussion. Storm certainly isn't perfect, and I don't expect her to be. She's dealing with things, and is entitled to do so in her own way. I just didn't expect it to be so cliché, I guess. I didn't care for the knee jerk reaction that was, "She's emotionally compromised... quick, cut her hair!!!" LOL.

I do think Humphries has a great feel for her character though. I'm sure he's gonna kill UXF.

Oh, now I see...
I am not quite sold (read hesitant) on Humphries' rationale as to why Storm cut her hair this time around.
I love her mohawk and I love her new outfit (a potato sack would be preferable to wot she's been wearing for the past decade...well, not quite...but you get my meaning.)
I am all for the change just not sold entirely on the writer's reason behind it.

Quoted for truth.

I see where you are going with that. The difference between us is that I don't judge her cutting her hair as something less than or not appropriate. I like the mixed messaging and less pure motives. It humanizes her. She's Storm and she should be both sacred and profane, goddess and ordinary human and more than that. She represents so many different archetypes and yet how many times have we seen the woman underneath the goddess, the queen...? For the first time since Wood we are getting a writer that is humanizing her in a way that actually makes sense. None of the Bp writers could do it, very few of the X-writers even tried to or couldn't do it either. We have had some writers make Storm more potent, more real, more honest.

It's a shame that it had to happen while being married to T'challa but I always saw the marriage as Ororo's last ditch effort to lie to herself about what would make her happy and not knowing what makes herself happy on the deepest level apart from her connection to the universe. She get's points for marrying anyone and making a go of it. But the level of mischaracterization and self delusion in those years (barring McDuffie) hurt her character in ways none of us have really ever talked about. I think there is a larger criticism we could make for Storm behaving so strangely. When you look at all the writers that have written her for the last 6 years, we can see certain patterns emerge for how they saw her.

On the Panther side she chose falling in love instantly and finding her value in her husband and the kingdom he ruled. Hudlin made that very clear, she went from someone that doesn't kill unless it's absolutely necessary to someone that killed on a whim or whenever she felt like doing it. She focused all her attention on being a wife and T'challa's second. Those writers saw her as the ultimate ride or die chick. She would always support her strong African king even when it wasn't in her best interest or her own development. She would challenge him only to make him stronger and only in connection to what she wanted to do in being together with him. That's not a bad thing in and of itself. That's a good thing. But when that's all there is, then she became a watered down boring, walking Stormbot, with no spirit of her own.

On the X-side she never seemed focused on being there with the team. She was always somewhere else unless Ellis was writing her. I could keep going here but I won't. Storm cutting her hair is a mixed bag of emotions for me. I for one can't wait to see the change. The motives behind are not important for me to judge. I just like that has them and that they are mixed and complex, just like she is. When was the last time we have seen so many conflicting emotions in our girl and have them depicted intelligently (barring Wood, Ellis, Yost, Kim and McDuffie)?

o

Wonderful post.

[Omegastorm]

In short, yes and no, O. Thanks for the response, btw.

You know I love you flo.

By Humphries’ rationale (and that is all I’m discussing, mind you), her shaving her head isn’t Ororo taking control of/addressing the situation at hand, or for that matter, saying "eff it," and moving on. This is her coping, and that, in my opinion, somewhat tarnishes the effect of her donning the Mohawk once again and joining X-Force. The mohawk (and any of her short cuts, IMO) were ALWAYS a testament to her empowerment as a character, spiritual or otherwise. Whether it was her rocking the cropped cut in X-Treme, or the mohawk in Ellis’s run… its screamed fierceness in a way that made me both respect and relate to her character on a very personal level. She changed it up because she damn well pleased. Less of a reaction, more of a statement.

I don't think coping is the right word. I think dealing and hurting are the right words. Her haircut is an expression of a deeper wound inside her soul. Ellis portrayal of the mohawk represent what you said. But I don't find the mohawk any less of a statement for her fierceness. If anything it's even more so but we will get to that at the end of this post.

I don’t think Humphries gave her the right impetus for doing what she did. For one, he made her seem insecure. As a woman, it would have been much more empowering to see her have this reaction completely after she’s had her cathartic release. In effect, showing that she’s past that point in her life. But she’s not; she’s in the thick of it.

For once we get to see Storm in the middle of a release of some sort of emotion where she is doing something old and new at the same time. Her cathartic release is an ongoing expression. Sometimes it takes more than one or two or ten. Sometimes folks need a physical reminder of the journey they are on to do that. Her changing her hair doesn't have to be sexist or disempowering for women. It can be a journey or indicator of transition where it is just that. I don't think it's sexist to depict a woman that is hurting and cuts her hair to express that. If anything it represents vulnerability, honesty and truth. It's not sugarcoating anything, it's out there and folks can't assume that she's ok. If anything I would love to see a response to her risking her soul to save T'challa. I will explain how this change can be empowering for women in a second. But I want to end this section by saying that we men or women need to lay down the cultural rules we live in to express who we really are, because sometimes I think they get in the way.

I hate to say this, but it’s almost (in the most innocuous sense of the word) sexist. Certainly not overtly so, because it’s mainly a subconscious thing… and I’m sure not at all what Humphries intended. But think about it this way: women, generally speaking, are considered the more emotional species, and thus our actions and reactions are usually presented in some outward manifestation. Something like this is cliché, which is why I’m sure Humphries naturally gravitated to chopping off her hair as a reaction to her current situation.

and an expression of a more emotional state. It's just as cliche for a woman to have a cathartic release and then cut their hair. That expression could be a watering down of a process that is painful and still ongoing. Moving on abruptly from a painful experience isn't always easy and sometimes just wearing a new do will help to spur a character forward to work through it faster, which is what I think Humphries is going for.

Don’t get me wrong; I want her on UXF, because I think it’s a perfect fit for her right now. But development wise, I don’t see this as Ororo in phase in her life; I see this as The Transition.

I see it as both.

Yes, but you can always physically tell that something is wrong. Because what do you do? You tell yourself you hate it, you change it, and keep changing it until you are at peace with yourself (which likely won’t happen until you’ve accepted/dealt with the problem… that IS the actual problem, lol). Those outside looking in at your situation can tell something is up, and likely feel sorry for you. There is always an identity crisis at the crux of your changing outward appearance (for that specific reason), and I that’s the problem I have with his explanation. . I don’t want to feel that way about Storm reading this book. Storm knows who she is, and is therefore, beyond that. Of course I expect to see her coping with her situation in some way; I just didn't expect this to be one of them, coming from Storm.

Storm has been all over the place in the last six years, becoming a murderer with no regret (which was never Storm,) being ditzy, silly and unaware of who she is masking herself as queen and wife. She's lost some of her core and now she's looking for it again in a new way with old packaging. I can see how you are holding fast and firm to the old way of how Storm was portrayed but this is not her current reality. It's just not. Her current reality is that she's trying to figure what happened and how she can grow from it. For the first time in her life she allowed herself to be married and have a life outside of the X-men, that backfired in her face. Now that that's over she is facing wounds that she's never ever dealt with. The core of herself on the spiritual tip might be the same but everything else is different. How does she relate with a man or woman now that she's single? Where does her joy come from when she is no longer queen and wife of T'challa? What is she now that her reason for being away from the X-men is gone? I think Humphries is on the right track in exploring this and her cutting her hair is the start of her doing the work to assert who she is now, wounds and all. I think that takes tremendous courage and that's empowering. That's why I don't think that's sexist. I think it's humanizing. She's no longer the goddess or the queen, she's herself and who is that now that she no longer has the Panther to act as a blinder to examine how she really feels?

Not to say that it wasn’t a welcome change. As well as the uniform.

I hope this made some sort of sense. Imraith put it much more eloquently and succinctly than I, lol.

Agreed. I can see your point, I just don't agree with it but I love this discussion. This is how we love our goddess. Great job folks.

o

[Omegastorm]

Wonderful post.

Thank you.

o