If you haven’t seen Disney’s new animated treasure Encanto, you’re missing out. This sure-to-be-classic tells the story of the familia Madrigal, an extraordinary family living in the mountains of Colombia. Each member of the clan (except for Mirabel) has been gifted with special powers. The character of Mirabel’s oldest sister, Luisa, has quickly become a fan favorite because she is so utterly relatable. At first, the “oldest child” community embraced the character who was "raised as the eldest," but it’s easy to see why Luisa’s character and her struggles are very relatable to moms as well.
Luisa’s magical power is the gift of super strength
She can lift entire buildings, and her talent is highly sought after in the village where the Madrigals live. Luisa is constantly being asked by her family and the neighbors to help with various projects, everything from relocating houses to piling up stray donkeys to return home. Nobody except Mirabel seems to notice that the constant demands of those around her are starting to wear on Luisa, as well as the fear of losing her powers.
Do you see the connection?
Luisa and her dilemmas are a perfect representation of motherhood
Luisa’s signature song, “Surface Pressure,” is one of the top 100 songs of the week on YouTube Music for a reason. It perfectly represents all of the demands of motherhood when you think about Luisa’s literal muscular strength and lifting heavy objects as a metaphor for the demands of modern parenting. She sings about being tough and unfailingly reliable on the outside, while beneath her powerful exterior, she’s actually just hanging on by a thread.
What mom hasn’t felt like that before?
I’m sure I’m not the only one who has cried in a closet so that my child won’t see my weakness. There’s a lot of pressure for moms to be resilient, taking on load after emotional load, adding more and more things to their plates — housework, school fundraisers, helping with science projects, organizing birthday parties, emotionally supporting their partner, picking up dry cleaning, etc., etc. — and never showing a crack in their armor, even as they inch closer and closer to the breaking point.
And here’s the kicker — we often do this to ourselves
We make our suffering part of our identity. So of course moms connect with Luisa when she sings, “Who am I if I can’t carry it all?… Who am I if I don’t have what it takes?” We wear our busy lives like a badge of pride, when inside, so many of us are a hair’s breadth away from a breakdown. Yet for some reason we don’t ask for help.
The part of “Surface Pressure” that breaks my heart the most is when Luisa imagines what life would be like without her powers, and contemplates the possibility of freedom from the extraordinary mass of her responsibilities. She sings, “If I could shake the crushing weight of expectations / Would that free some room up for joy / Or relaxation, or simple pleasure?” Moms are juggling so much they never have a free second to just be present and enjoy a moment, much less explore activities that make them happy just for the sake of enjoyment.
I don’t want to spoil the movie, but because it’s a Disney creation, you know there’s light at the end of the tunnel for Luisa. However, our lives as mothers are not going to be featured on Disney+, so it’s up to us to take a step back and realize when we’re about to crack from all the “Surface Pressure.” Take a break. Ask for help. You need it! Nobody is expecting you to carry all that weight, and if they are, they need a reality check.