For those not in the know, "Wicked" is a musical adaptation of the book of the same name by Gregory Maguire, that tells the backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba. The musical version's main selling point to the audience is the story of the unexpected friendship between Elphaba and G[a]linda, as well as the former's romantic subplot with Fiyero. Recently it has of course been adapted into a movie musical, and has received critical acclaim and praise from audiences worldwide.

The film has received discussion surrounding the political aspect of the plot, that being that a person or even entire communities of people can be vilified in society through propaganda by the powers that be, in this case Elphaba and the animals of Oz are made scapegoats thanks to the influence of the Wizard and Madame Morrible.

This of course leads me to ask myself: is Elphaba's experience, as well as the political messaging, accidentally an allegory for men's issues and the male experience? It isn't the first time this has happened as it has been posted before on this sub, be it Luisa in "Encanto", or "Zootopia", particularly the scene where Nick confronts Judy. So can "Wicked" be added to this small list?

Elphaba is mocked and by extension, vilified for having green skin, and the way Cynthia Erivo portrays the character shows that she is used to this and has built up an emotional shield, almost repressing her negative emotions. But when she snaps back at people or loses her temper she is either immdieatley mocked, or she's suddenly the villain for doing so. It almost feels akin to being accused of having 'fragile masculinity' or an 'incel' if we express upset over anything. Be open about your emotions, but only if they're the emotions others deem to be 'palatable'.

The Ozian animals can also be applied to this unintentional allegory. At one point Dr. Dillamond (a goat professor) says, "We animals are being blamed for everything". Sound familiar? You see phrases like 'male violence', 'toxic masculinity', 'male entitlement' or 'fragile masculinity' in mainstream media, shows and movies, social media, even phrases like that being pushed by politicians, blaming everything bad on men for the crimes of 1% of the global population.

And as the Wizard says in his most poignant line, the quickest way to bring people together, is to give them a real good enemy.

But that's my thoughts on that. Maybe I have something here, maybe I don't, but what do you guys think?

Obviously if you disagree, I accept criticism, just don't be rude about it lol.