Tag: The fight over She-Ra’s Netflix redesign explained
The fight over She-Ra’s Netflix redesign explained
Some men are mad she isn’t sexier. HELL I’m mad that DreamWorks and Netflix put money on a remake that didn’t need to be! She They’re ruining my whole 1980s black girl childhood now! She-ra was the shit back in the day and they just ruined it by making a remake! WHY?? This Child like anime style for this particular remake is whack! As far as I’m concerned why even make a remake? Create something new and innovative like Steven Universe. Now I will say I do like the reboot of Voltron.
At this point in the history of humanity, it’s too naive to believe there are still things in the world that largely don’t upset people. Highly anticipated sequels from beloved film franchises, even when they’re praised in critical reviews, spur toxic reactions from the deepest pockets of the internet. Something as simple as a red coffee cup might start a new chapter in the so-called war on Christmas. Sushi can suddenly become political if the person who served the spicy tuna roll doesn’t agree with its recipient’s political views.
The latest subject of such outrage is She-Ra, the princess of power, twin sister to He-Man, and fixture of 1980s Saturday morning cartoons. And what’s the reason for this newfound and previously undiscovered pot of anger? In short, She-Ra is being reinvented and rebooted for a younger audience — and in the process, a certain contingent of fans have grown very angry that she is now, in their eyes, less sexy than she used to be.
It’s yet another example of a vocal fandom seething with seemingly irrational demands and the latest chapter in an ongoing debate about how female superheroes look.
https://twitter.com/Gingerhazing/status/1018926076389556224?s=20
For those old enough to recall the She-Ra cartoons of yore (or anyone who can cobble together a simple Google image search), the changes to She-Ra’s costume and appearance are noticeable. She looks much younger, and her costume is a little more battle-ready, more befitting of a space cadet than a lipstick glamazon with indomitable cleavage.
The changes make sense. Netflix’s She-Ra series is ostensibly aimed at children, and the characters look like they’ve been rebooted to be younger and reflect the show’s primary audience. But that hasn’t stopped a certain sect of fans from declaring that She-Ra is no longer appealing, no longer sexy, and perhaps no longer an object of their sexual attention.
DAMNIT I want sex comic book animation. I want a fantasy story like She-Ra to have a sexual attention . *EYEROLL* Okay let me go to Netflix and look at the original She-RA because I am not investing my time watching a reboot that’s going to be whack anyway. Now if they remade it in a creative comic book drawing way then I might look at it. Oh and the writing has to be on point. But it seems like Hollywood is running out of stealing ideas from other screenwriters so all they can come up with is reboots.
It should be noted that if you don’t agree with the remake. And you want to boycott then Don’t , Repost on ANY social media platform. Don’t watch it. To get something cancelled and not renewed for a second third fourth season don’t watch it don’t tune in . you tuning in to watch gives your hated show more revenue. If you don’t tune in no money no sponsors no show .
The new She-Ra looks like Tom Holland. 🤔 #SheRa pic.twitter.com/DTN4phQJHN
— Liam (@TribalSpaceman) July 14, 2018
While I am not prepared to defend bouts of “She-Ra doesn’t give me boners anymore” extremism, I can see the kernels of the argument that sexuality shouldn’t be in diametric opposition to capability. There’s no reason female characters can’t be glamorous and sexy and also battle-ready, smart, and compassionate. It’s not unlike the ongoing debate about Wonder Woman’s appearance and whether her revealing uniform ultimately undermines her feminism. I’d argue that the most important thing about women superheroes in skimpy clothes is agency — what matters is that their costumes aren’t designed primarily for the sake of someone else’s erotic thrill.
But the outrage over the new She-Ra doesn’t really seem to be concerned with that debate. It lives and dies by the idea that the new She-Ra isn’t beautiful, that She-Ra is supposed to be beautiful and sexy, and that someone has destroyed a previously beautiful, sexy woman. Some people also seem to believe that She-Ra’s reimagination is spiteful: