Last night I saw Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever with my friends and, as expected, it was heartbreaking to watch the characters mourn the loss of Chadwick Boseman, while knowing everyone is also mourning him in real life. The tributes were beautiful and I think they honored him well.
That feeling of loss and grief has also weighed heavy on me this year for my best friend and brother, Kymo. We watched every single Marvel movie together and Black Panther was our favorite. When I was getting ready for the movie, all I could think about was how excited we both were to see it and how I wish he was seeing it with me. It made every sad scene in the movie sting a little differently. But I keep trying to remind myself how beautiful it is to have such amazing memories with Kymo and how so many things, big and small, will always remind me of him.
Obviously the film had a big impact on me for that reason. But, as a Marvel fan, it was also very exciting to finally see Black women take the front seat in a superhero film. It felt very empowering and although it’s long overdue, I loved every second of it. My friends and I decided to go all out for the Black Panther 2 premier, each putting our own spin on moments from the movie. (We love to dress up.) Leah wore a vibrant, colorful outfit, which is obviously a staple in African culture. Anuli wore all white, which went perfectly with the somber, yet beautiful funeral scene. And I wore all black, inspired by the Black Panther costume.
My Shuri-Inspired Outfit
My outfit was inspired by the Black Panther costume and an image I found of Shuri. It was honestly put together at the last minute, but I like how it turned out. I wore a black spandex jumpsuit from Good American and layered a sheer mock neck top over it. I added black boots from Target and a black faux leather blazer from Rebdolls. My hair was already in passion twists, so I did a half-up bun. And for my makeup, I did a purple eye look as a nod to the purple in Shuri’s look. Purple is also a color of femininity and womanhood in African culture. And all of us wore white dots on our face, which can be seen throughout the movie on many of the characters.
My outfit inspiration:
Overall, I really enjoyed the movie. I do feel like the story was a bit rushed at certain points, but I am very excited to see where they take it from here. #WakandaForever
Miss you, Kymo
