I am Jessica Jones: Confessions of a Hidden Superhero

I admit that I have been watching Jessica Jones, that new Netflix Marvel joint venture starring a morose and trauma-ridden superhero, antihero, and Dr. Who gone evil. And perhaps, while the story starts slow, I find it tantalizingly intriguing, almost addictive, but not for reasons like good action or a good storyline. 

The reality is that Jessica Jones is not just a superhero, she is the 

everywoman who has traveled that dark road of trauma.

Before you freak out and wonder if I am going all Kylo Ren on you, realize this, that many, if not most, of the women that you meet each day have their own Killgrave. For someone like me who, like Jessica Jones, was with someone that physically tortured you and called it day, being under the spell, no control, of another, even if you thought it was willing, scars you for life. 

You can put as many rainbows and unicorns and flowers over it, but the truth is, is that those memories lie there forever like a big pile of manure, stenching up anything good in your life. 

But unlike Jessica Jones, I found my redemption without having to deal with my Killgrave, who is still out there, maybe even reading this, maybe even getting some sick satisfaction that a decade and a half later he can still rob me of a good night's sleep. Or maybe he's moved on to murder, like he hoped, but with a justice system that cares more about fighting dogs or unborn kittens than about women or children, well, that's just the reality for many women of the world. The monsters are out there, with society's blessing. The global atrocities against women are evidence enough that our governments love violence. They depend on their Killgraves.

So each day I put on my supersuit, figuratively, and march forward with the strength that would flatten a dozen men. I write my nightmarish music and dystopian novels, cook my family dinner with a smile, and try not to sleep. 

If you feel like each day you have to bear your special gift, the weight of the world and memory upon your tired shoulders, Sister, you are not alone. We are many. We are legion. And our combined strength will conquer the world. 

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