Luisa: A Strong Female Character Done Right?

Like everyone else, I have become obsessed with Encanto. The music, the story, the characters. My favorite side character is Luisa, Mirabel's older sister. My own sister and I got into a debate if she's actually a good strong female (in the more literal sense) or if she's too masculine. So I rewatched Encanto last night and now I'd like to formulate my thoughts in this post. Turn on "Surface Pressure" and let's go.

Thought #1: Her looks

I love that Luisa is shown as muscular and big. She ain't no skinny stick figure. I also like that her struggles are not based on her looks, but the pressure she feels to be strong. She's very confident in how she looks: "And I glow 'cuz I know what my worth is".

I also appreciate that she's dressed in womanly clothes. She wears a skirt, bloomers, and pretty sandals. She has earrings, non-cropped hair, and even a bow around her bun, which I've also noticed has a braid in it. She doesn't wear pants or muscle shirts or something like that.

I really like this representation lately in characters like her or Cara Dune. Female characters who are strong and muscular, but not in a gross way. They're strong, but they don't feel the need to prove themselves by belittling every man in sight. They also both have deeper voices (and yes, I know the actress for Luisa is pitching her voice down).

Thought #2: But is she too masculine?

This is where my sister and I really have differing opinions. She thinks Luisa is too masculine, while I disagree. But let's try to look at her objectively for a moment. (Since writing this post, she's actually come to agree with me more, so score.)

She does have a deep voice and big muscles, but she also dresses like a woman. She mostly does hard physical labor, but that's because her gift is strength. She is shown repressing her emotions a lot, but we'll get more into that later.

I think if they had dressed her in pants or had her hang out with "the boys" a lot, she would be too masculine. But to me, she's just a girl who's been gifted with strength. The other things we'll talk more about in the next point.

Thought #3: Surface Pressure reveals a lot about her

Luisa's song is a bop and probably my favorite song from the movie. I love that it's in a lower register, especially in the beginning. But I noticed a few things this time around.

First, it's lower when she's trying to be strong and tough. When she's being more vulnerable, like the bridge, it's a lot higher (and closer to the actress's real voice). I think this reveals a lot about her character.

All her life, she's been pressured to be strong and carry all the heavy burdens (physically and emotionally). Thus, she projects this tough, unbreakable exterior. But as she says in the song, underneath that, she's afraid that she has no worth outside of strength. If she isn't strong, what is she? She also feels pressure to protect her family from everything.

She doesn't hate her gift, she just wants more time to relax and maybe enjoy life a little. From what we can pick up, she's given a lot of tasks because she's the strong one. It's not that she doesn't have emotions, she just pushes them down because she's trying to prove herself to her grandmother, like everyone else in the family.

Thought #4: How I relate to her

I originally thought Luisa was the oldest, but apparently she's the middle child. So there went my great argument that I liked her more as a fellow oldest. But my point still stands.

As the oldest, I want my siblings to look up to me. To see me as the brave, strong sister that they can turn to in trouble. I hate crying in front of them because I feel like it reminds them I'm not as strong as I pretend to be.

And I see that same thing somewhat in Luisa. Throughout "Surface Pressure", there are all sorts of visuals of physical danger that Luisa protects her sister from. Falling rocks, icebergs, geysers. She faces down these dangers because she doesn't want her sister getting hurt. And I feel the same way about my siblings. I want to protect them from everything I possibly can.

"Give it to your sister, your sister's stronger, see if she can hang on a little longer."

Nobody has ever put that pressure or expectation on me like they have Luisa. But I feel those things just the same. I want to be strong for my siblings. But I know I can't always be there for them. That doesn't mean I can't support them as much as possible.

Me after explaining all my Luisa Madrigal thoughts

Wrap-Up Thoughts

Well, this got far more deep than I intended. I also never though I'd be one of those people on the internet digging deep into minor characters that we shouldn't be reading so much into.

But in the end, I still think Luisa is a well done character. Maybe she does stray a little to the masculine side, but to me, it's not enough to detract from the rest of her.

What are your thoughts on Luisa? Do you agree or disagree with my thoughts? Who do you relate to most in Encanto? Tell me in the comments.

Suggested Posts:

Femininity is Not Weak

Too Good? Thoughts on Cruella