Brie Larson meeting a mini Captain Marvel shows the power of female representation
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- Sarah Shaffi
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Captain Marvel, meet mini Captain Marvel.
Captain Marvel is a big deal for a number of reasons.
It’s the first female-led superhero film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its star, Brie Larson, has pushed for equal representation for women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds on the press tour for the film.
And at last night’s premiere of Captain Marvel, we all saw representation in action when Larson – who has just guest edited Stylist – was interviewed by a young girl dressed as Carol Danvers.
Brie Larson meets a young fan at the premiere for Captain Marvel.
The eight-year-old - called Illie - spoke to both Larson and her co-star Samuel L Jackson on the blue carpet at the European Gala at the Curzon Mayfair in London and took photos with the film’s cast, which also includes Gemma Chan and Jude Law.
Illie’s appearance was arranged by The Female Lead, a non-profit organisation dedicated to making women’s stories more visible.
Captain Marvel isn’t out for another week, but has already been attacked by sexist trolls, who targeted the film’s Rotten Tomatoes’ page with negative reviews.
Commenters on Rotten Tomatoes, which has now changed its system to stop trolls slamming new films, have taken umbrage at Larson’s commitment to inclusion riders for the press tour, and the fact that she’s a woman leading a superhero film.
That so many people feel threatened by a woman in power - be it a fictional woman with fictional abilities - only serves to illustrate just why Captain Marvel is so important. The film is giving young girls like Illie a role model and showing them they can be the heroes in their own story, and that’s invaluable.
Captain Marvel is in cinemas on 8 March, International Women’s Day.
Images: Getty