Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker premieres March 20th on Netflix.
By Ariba Bhuvad
Inspired by the real-life story of Sarah Breedlove, aka Madam C.J. Walker, America’s first female self-made millionaire, Self Made tells the incredible story of entrepreneurship. After watching the four-part limited series, I found myself inspired, uplifted, and proud of the person that Sarah Breedlove was in the early 1900s. As an African American woman, Walker made a name for herself in the beauty industry as what was known as a “beauty culturalist.”
The series stars Octavia Spencer, Blair Underwood, and Tiffany Haddish with LeBron James as the executive producer. The four-part limited series takes its direction from a book written by Walker’s great-great-granddaughter A’Lelia Bundles titled ‘On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker.’ And what a series it was!
As I mentioned previously, the story of Madam C.J. Walker is incredible, especially when one takes into account the time period we’re talking about. The period of slavery was not something from a very distant past and women still had very no to very little rights. For Madam C.J. Walker, both of these things were against her, and women of color were very low on the totem pole of respect and dignity.
This is why Self Made is so tremendously uplifting because it’s the real-life story of a woman that went against all odds to fulfill her dreams. In the early 1900s, she became so successful that she’s known as the first female self-made millionaire. How incredible is that?!
The Netflix series goes above and beyond to tell this story in a way that pulls you into the struggles, heartbreak, and success of Madam C.J. Walker’s life. You feel like you are on the journey with her from start to finish and Spencer’s performance is, as always, phenomenal and riveting. Even Haddish sets aside her usual comedic talents to take on a semi-serious role as Walker’s daughter, and I loved every minute of it.
Get ready to feel inspired, moved, and perhaps motivated to start your own business after watching Self Made, I know I did. And trust me when I say, you won’t want to miss this one!
I give Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker an A.
TV and City 