The number one thing I wanted for Asa as a character was for her to realise that she was enough.
Teenagers especially are at risk of believing that having a boyfriend/girlfriend/partner equals having value as a person.
The reality is that self-acceptance is much more important than being in a romantic relationship.
No matter what your age, it’s more important to understand who you are, where you belong, and to love yourself.
I wanted Asa to subvert the hetero-normative social conditioning that equates having a boyfriend with having value for girls and young women.
Through her actions and by reflecting on those actions, Asa discovers more about herself — the good and the bad — until ultimately she understands that she is enough.
Enough for herself, enough by herself.
*taken from an insta video Ford posted on 7 April 2021 – Don’t teach girls to aspire to marriage