When male fans lost it over the redesigned She-Ra, claiming she wasn't sexy enough, Twitter and the original creator came to the defense of the out showrunner.
July 20 2018 5:53 PM EST
May 26 2023 2:00 PM EST
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If the internet learned anything from the outrage of fanboys over the Ghostbusters reboot and the egregious display of racism and misogyny over the casting of Kelly Marie Tran in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, it's that there are some who can't cope with nostalgia for their childhoods being toyed with in any way.
Now, fanboys of the 1980s cartoon She-Ra (which focused on He-Man's twin sister) have targeted the creator of a reboot that portrays the warrior as less of a sexualized object borne of the male gaze and more as, well, a warrior. They've even gone after new showrunner for being a queer woman.
The new She-Ra, slated to premiere on Netflix in November, has been reimagined to appear more fierce than the original and in a costume that doesn't flaunt her cleavage. But some men and teenage boys are angry because, apparently, cartoons for children are also supposed to be sexy.
Some male fans of the original, less utilitarian-appearing She-Ra took to Twitter to bemoan the loss of her "womanhood."
Others got more personal and went after the Eisner Award-winning out showrunner of the new She-Ra, Noelle Stevenson, who created the girl-centric and queer-themed Lumberjanes.
On the upside, responders to the tweet from the ironically named Diversity & Comics by and large dragged the offensive tweeter while defending both Stevenson and She-Ra's new look.
\u201c@DiversityAndCmx Why do you care? Why do you have to attack the creator? Why is a creator redesigning a character selfish and egotistical? So when Greg Capullo redesigned Batman\u2019s outfit to have purple highlights and a yellow outline around the bat symbol, was that selfish?\u201d— David Giza (@David Giza) 1531777952
\u201c@DiversityAndCmx \u201d— Nixarim \ud83c\udf4e\ud83c\udf19\ud83c\udf39\u26d3\ufe0f (@Nixarim \ud83c\udf4e\ud83c\udf19\ud83c\udf39\u26d3\ufe0f) 1531802398
The creator of the original She-Ra, J. Michael Straczynski, attempted to put the controversy to rest in with an excellent response thread that's also a mini-class in feminism to those men decrying that the character was intended to be the "ideal woman" and that the new show had ruined her.
\u201c1/ As the guy who co-created the character of She-Ra and her universe alongside Larry DiTillio (though Mattel named her), a few thoughts. (Note: I am in no way connected with the current show, so I'm speaking both as an outsider to what is and an insider to what was intended).\u201d— J. Michael Straczynski (@J. Michael Straczynski) 1531983144
\u201c2/ We never considered or wrote for She-Ra as "the ideal woman." I don't think that phrase appeared anywhere in the bible we wrote, and certainly never in our discussions. We spoke, and wrote of, and considered her a warrior, first and foremost.\u201d— J. Michael Straczynski (@J. Michael Straczynski) 1531983144
\u201c3/ So I think anyone who is looking back at She-Ra (or Adora) as the "ideal woman" is doing so through the lens of prepubescent (since it was aimed at kids) interest and kind of, understandably, imprinted on her like baby ducks. I get it. But that wasn't the creative *intent*.\u201d— J. Michael Straczynski (@J. Michael Straczynski) 1531983144
\u201c4/ To the whole "idealized person" discussion, I would add that there is a significant distinction to be made in terms of how a character like She-Ra is discussed or seen versus how male characters are seen both in shows like this and in super-hero books in general.\u201d— J. Michael Straczynski (@J. Michael Straczynski) 1531983144
\u201c5/ Yes, male characters tend to be idealized in form and proportion; but female characters tend to be objectified. There is a profound difference between those two, and failing to perceive that distinction is pernicious. That's why you'll rarely see a male superhero without pants\u201d— J. Michael Straczynski (@J. Michael Straczynski) 1531983144
\u201c6/ By that I don't mean naked, I mean without leggings of some kind. But that's absolutely the rule for female characters (I say this as the guy who put Wonder Woman in pants during his run because seriously it's hard to fight otherwise). No leg hair for guy heroes.\u201d— J. Michael Straczynski (@J. Michael Straczynski) 1531983144
\u201c7/ Anyway, just wanted to add some possible clarity to the discussion. If you're looking for writers to create your "ideal woman" that wasn't the intent, this ain't it, and we don't know you well enough to guess, and be aware that idealization does not equal objectification.\u201d— J. Michael Straczynski (@J. Michael Straczynski) 1531983144
\u201c8/ That perspective is something I've always tried to bring to bear in my work, from so-creating She-Ra's personality to Delenn, Ivanova, Lyta and others on Babylon 5, all the way to Riley, Sun, Kala, Nomi and Amanita on Sense8. It's all about strength, smarts and wit.\u201d— J. Michael Straczynski (@J. Michael Straczynski) 1531983144
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Tracy E. Gilchrist
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.