Through The Lens Of Film: Is Vulnerability What Makes Us Human?

Introduction

There have always been debates: what makes a person human? Is it the flesh under their skin, or maybe the blood in their veins? Is it their brains or hearts, maybe kindness or anger? What makes something human?

It seems like there are many debated factors of what makes someone human, whether it's a biological aspect, or something that physical form doesn’t capture. One debated factor that makes someone human is vulnerability, when it is understood properly. Most people see vulnerability as weakness, but society has encrypted our world, and our expectations for humans. To be a person is to be vulnerable. Today I will be investigating the philosophical and psychological question of whether vulnerability makes us human.

What is Vulnerability?

To understand how vulnerability plays a role in humanity we must first understand what it is. Vulnerability is defined by the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally. It is allowing yourself to be raw, and hurt, but in exchange you are given a chance to grow, and connect with other people.

Vulnerability is often misunderstood, it’s seen as a weak spot in armour, but in reality it is the chance to express yourself and connect with the human condition in countless ways. It is seen as a weakness, but in reality it is a major strength since it allows for creativity, expression, art, growth, empathy, and love, which are all the most notable human traits and experiences.

Example One: Superman (2025)

One of the most iconic and recognisable examples of exploring whether vulnerability plays a role in the human condition is Clark Kent, or Superman. Superman is an alien from the planet Krypton. Despite this major difference to the average human, he is constantly viewed as a human. From how he is perceived as a hero, to people looking past it when he is vulnerable. He is seen as a symbol of kindness, strength, and what something everyone should strive to encapsulate. Despite his super strength and other powers, when someone is compared to Superman it’s usually due to their heroism —which takes vulnerability. Despite his Godlike powers, in the 2025 Superman film, it is the moments that he allows himself to fear, to love, and cry, he is the most human. It is also a motif throughout the film, how Superman struggles to prove to humanity that he is human, not because he’s strong, or because he looks like one, but because day after day he is vulnerable. By the end of the film Clark Kent is respected as a human, and he proves it to all of humanity including Lex Luthor. It is his vulnerability, and allowance to be hurt, whether in love with Lois Lane, or whether physically, it connects him to being human. Being human is not about what you were born as, but the emotional openness that vulnerability brings with it.

Example Two: Barbie (2023)

Barbie is another example of someone who is seen as a human, yet doesn’t quite fit into the biological norm of the term human. In Barbie (2023), the movie, Barbie is a doll when she’s perfect, flawless, and untouched by negativity. Only when she expresses her vulnerability and thoughts of death and failure, does she slowly morph into a human Her vulnerability allows her to be seen as human and connect with other human characters around her. It’s not her breakdowns, fear, sadness, and insecurity that make her human, but the ability to confide and express it, to feel it and sit in that unprotected space. Especially when she expresses it, and confides in other people. She realises that unlike her plastic perfection, Barbie is the true role model when she is flawed—when she is vulnerable —making her human. By the end of the film, Barbie embraces her vulnerability, and thus is transformed into a human.

Conclusion

In conclusion, these two examples prove that vulnerability plays a major role in what makes us human. It’s clear that two “non-human” film characters are humanised not by biological features, but their vulnerability. And it’s not just those that look human, but characters like Groot, and Rocket who are not human in appearance, are still treated like humans through the moments they show vulnerability. Being vulnerable is human, and sitting in that moment allows you to be hurt, is important and helps us as humans to grow.

Reference List

Eugene Therapy (2021). Why Vulnerability is a Strength. [online] Eugene Therapy. Available at: https://eugenetherapy.com/article/why-vulnerability-is-a-strength/.